Her mother had packed all of this away, stowed it out of sight as if Dick had never existed, as if the man who had been a father to Capri, who had been a rock for both of them, could be erased with the sealing of a box. The realization hit her like a punch to the gut, followed quickly by a surge of anger. How could her mother be so quick to flush him from their lives? Capri’s fists clenched as she closed the box, the sound of the cardboard folding back into place loud in the silence of the room.
As Capri stood there, struggling with a mix of emotions, she heard the soft creak of the floorboards behind her. She turned to see her mother standing in the doorway, her expression weary but calm, as if she had expected this confrontation.
“Mom,” Capri began, her voice steady but laced with an edge. “Why did you pack up Dick’s things already? It hasn’t even been a week. Why rush to erase him from the house?”
Her mother’s eyes softened with a sadness that Capri wasn’t prepared for. “Capri, honey, it’s not about erasing him,” she said quietly, stepping into the room. “It’s just… it’s too painful to see his things every day. Every time I walk past his chair or his fishing gear, it feels like a knife in my heart. I can’t keep living with these constant reminders, not right now. It’s just too hard.”
Capri’s heart pulled at the sight of her mother’s vulnerability, but the resentment still gnawed at her. She wanted to argue, to insist that this wasn’t right, that they couldn’t just box him up like he was a piece of old furniture. But seeing the grief etched in her mother’s face, Capri found herself swallowing her anger.
“I get it, Mom,” she said, her tone softening but still firm. “I understand it hurts, but…” She paused, struggling to keep her face from showing what she was feeling inside. “Look, I’ll load them in the truck tomorrow morning and take them away.”
Her mother nodded, relief flickering in her eyes. “Thank you, Capri. I just need some space… some time to breathe.”
Capri forced a small smile and nodded, though inside, her resolve was solidifying. “I’ll take care of it,” she promised. As she watched her mother leave the room, her mind was already made up. She wasn’t about to let Dick’s memory be thrown out. Tomorrow, she’d take those boxes to Grand Teton Whitewater Adventures, where she’d find a safe place to store them.
4
Capri pulled her red truck into the gravel lot of Grand Teton Whitewater Adventures, the familiar sound of tires crunching against the rocks filling the quiet morning air. She glanced at the rearview mirror, taking in the pile of boxes stacked neatly in the truck bed. A sigh escaped, a mix of exhaustion and determination.
She had a busy day ahead and now had to deal with finding a place for these boxes that would be out of the way—at least until she was ready to go through the items. There were things she’d no doubt like to keep. Even if her mom couldn’t bear to look at Dick’s belongings, all Capri had left were her memories and his stuff.
The best place might be one of the bays in the back where they stored extra rafts, kayaks, and paddles.
As she stepped out of the truck, early morning sun glinted through the nearby aspen trees that lined the river, casting long shadows across the parking lot. The cool mountain breeze caught her hair, whipping it around her face. She tucked a few loose strands behind her ear and headed toward the back, ready to start unloading.
“Hey, Cap!” a voice called out, drawing her attention to the lanky figure strolling out from the office. The familiar nickname signaled the voice belonged to Bodhi West, one of her employees. He sauntered over with a relaxed grin, his long brown hair falling in casual waves around his tanned face. He wore a faded REI T-shirt and cargo shorts that had seen better days, the kind of outfit that might’ve been new once upon a time, but now had the worn-in, lived-in look of someone who spent more time outdoors than indoors.
“Bodhi,” Capri greeted. “Give me a hand with these, will you?”
“Sure thing, boss,” he replied, moving to the back of the truck with the kind of ease that came from someone who didn’t exactly rush through life. He grabbed a box, balancing it effortlessly on one arm. “You know, these early morning shifts are starting to grow on me.”
Capri rolled her eyes with a smirk. “That’s because your morning routine consists of rolling out of bed and into the truck. Real tough.”
He chuckled, unfazed by her jab. They carried the first set of boxes together to the designated storage area, the small talk flowing easily between them. Once inside, Capri set her box down with a slight grunt, wiping the dust from her hands on her jeans.
After several trips, she turned to him. “Thanks for the help,” she said, brushing her hands off. “You can head back to?—”
Bodhi’s phone buzzed loudly, interrupting her. He glanced at the screen, a wide grin spreading across his face. “Hold on a sec,” he said, stepping toward the door. “It’s my girl in Seattle. She’s coming to visit soon.”
“Sure,” Capri replied, her voice flat as she watched him slip outside, the door creaking slightly behind him. She stood there for a moment, letting the quiet of the storage area settle around her. The place smelled of old wood, dusty aluminum, and the faint scent of river water, a comforting scent that usually grounded her.
But today, her thoughts were elsewhere. Capri’s gaze drifted to the open box beside her. Without thinking, she reached over to close it, but her hand froze as she spotted the familiar cover of a collection of Gilmore Girls DVDs. A small gasp escaped her lips, and she felt a sharp pang in her chest. Memories flooded back—late nights with Dick, curled up on the couch, laughing and talking as they watched episode after episode. He had given her that box set for her birthday years ago, a gift that had meant more to her than he’d probably ever realized.
Her fingers hovered over the DVDs for a moment longer before she quietly pulled them from the box. She didn’t say a word, didn’t let herself think too much about it. Instead, she turned on her heel and headed back to her truck. The DVDs landed on the passenger seat with a soft thud.
Capri’s breath hitched as a memory formed. She was in grade school, just before her mother married Dick, and Willie McKee, the town’s new bully, had made the mistake of taunting her in front of everyone. “Hey, Capri! Where’s your daddy? Oh, right—you don’t have one!” he’d sneered, his voice dripping with cruelty.
The sting of his words hit harder than she’d expected, and before she knew it, she’d launched herself at him with a ferocity that shocked even her. She remembered the sound of fists meeting flesh, the way the playground had fallen silent except for Willie’s cries.
“Take it back! Take it back!” she’d yelled, her voice raw with a pain she didn’t understand at the time.
It wasn’t until Charlie Grace, Lila, and Reva pulled her off him, their faces pale with shock, that she realized the entire playground had been watching. She’d gotten grounded for her outburst when the teacher found out, but in her heart, she knew it had been worth it.
She hadn’t just beaten Willie that day; she’d fought against the deep-seated loneliness that had followed her for as long as she could remember, the fear that she wasn’t worth sticking around for.
What did it say that her real dad had left and never bothered to return?
That question had haunted her, gnawing at her self-worth, making her feel like she had to prove she was strong enough to stand on her own. Beating Willie wasn’t just about silencing his taunts; it was about silencing the doubts inside her, the ones that whispered she wasn’t enough, that she didn’t belong. Even now, those doubts chased her, driving her to push harder, to take risks, to show the world—and herself—that she could survive, no matter who had left her behind.
