Part 101
Nick was just hanging up as Becca came down the stairs, her hair pulled off her face in a ponytail, and looking much better than she had the previous night.
"Ready to go?" he asked.
"Go? Go where?" Becca began looking around for her shoes. She'd kicked them off the night before, but couldn't seem to remember where.
"Bec, your shoes are in the living room by the sofa. You know, if you'd put them upstairs in the bedroom, you'd be able to find them."
Becca laughed hysterically. "God Nick, you crack me up. When did you become the poster child for neatness?" She began laughing all over again as she walked away to retrieve her shoes. They were her current favorites since her sandals were no longer a viable option. It had been weeks since she'd been able to bend enough to buckle them, so her $2.99 slip-ons from K-Mart had become her favorite fashion accessory. "So, where are we going?"
"Out."
Becca sighed dramatically. "Well, DUH!"
"Don't be a smartass, Bec, it's not ladylike." He patted her rear as she went through the front door ahead of him and laughed as she snorted. "God, Bec, neither was THAT."
She laughed as they climbed into her car. She'd learned to never question their destination when Nick was in a mood like this, it was easier to just sit back and be surprised. Their first stop was a flower stand where Nick purchased a large bunch of summer flowers and a single rose.
"Hold these please?" he asked Becca, starting the car and pulling once more into the afternoon traffic. He expertly dodged the slowpokes and soon they were on the northern fringes of Orange County, headed up into the quiet hill country of Central Florida. Becca became lost in the scenery of her childhood and only looked up as the car stopped to make a turn. What she saw made her gasp.
Turning onto a quiet, tree-lined lane, the wrought iron sign over the gate said "St. Francis Memorial Gardens".
"Nick-" she squeaked.
Pulling off to the side and cutting the engine, he took off his sunglasses. Turning toward her he asked, "How long has it been since you've been here?"
"A very long time." Looking around at the peaceful landscape she sighed. "Years maybe."
"Tell me which direction to go." Nick started the car again, driving on and following Becca's instructions. Around to the back he stopped beneath a shady tree as Becca sat staring silently out the window. Off in the distance was a pink granite marker, a small wooden bench nearby. The afternoon sunlight streamed through the leaves in the trees, illuminating the simple inscription: "MORGAN, Garret Thomas & Elizabeth Dianne, Beloved Parents"
Becca wiped a tear from her face as Nick opened her door and helped her out. He tipped her face up to his and smiled gently. "Take your time," he said quietly, "I'll wait here." As she turned to go, he pressed the bouquet of flowers into her hand.
Slowly she walked, trying to calm the pounding of her heart. It seemed only yesterday when she had last been here, in the cold winter rain, as her father had been laid to rest. She had wondered how she could survive without him, but she had; she’d had Sarah and Sarah’s family to help hold her together. Smiling at the sudden flood of memories, she reached forward to brush the leaves from the top of the gravestone. "Never could stand a mess, could you daddy?" she whispered. "Nick would make you crazy the way he leaves his stuff everywhere, but I think you’d love him almost as much as *I* do. He’s so good to me, daddy."
Nick leaned against the car, watching Becca and hoping he’d done the right thing. This was actually his mother’s idea and he was quite surprised by her insight. Becca had certainly done the right thing by insisting that he call her this morning. Their relationship might never be what most would consider conventional, but she *was* his mother and maybe a step had been taken today to heal some of the past hurts. He continued to watch as Becca spoke softly, carrying on a one-sided conversation with her parents. Every so often he would catch a word or two and the sound of her laughter warmed his heart.
Becca sat on the soft grass between the mounds of earth, placing the flowers in the bronze urn that was permanently affixed next to the marker. "Nick must know how much you liked flowers, mama, and I think I inherited that from you. Remember the time I pulled up half of your flowerbed and brought them to you? I was filthy, and I know you must have been angry, but you never scolded me. You just hugged me and told me how beautiful they were, then you put them in a crystal vase, roots and all." Becca smiled tearfully at the memory. "I hope I can be like you, mama. Someday maybe my baby can look back and remember …" She broke down then, her shoulders shaking with sobs as she grieved, finally confronting a loss that she’d never truly dealt with until that moment.
Sinking to the ground beside her, Nick held her as she cried, rocking her gently in his arms until she quieted. "I wish I could have known them, Bec. They must have been special people to have had you." Reaching around her, he placed the single rose in with Becca’s flowers.
"How did you know?" she whispered.
"I didn’t, Bec, this was my mom’s idea. After I talked to her I called Sonja and she told me how to find this place."
Becca shook her head, amazed at the depth of love she was feeling. "They just don’t understand you, do they?"
"What do you mean?"
"They all think you’re some blonde airhead Nick, but they just don’t have a clue. They don’t know the same person that *I* know."
Nick grinned. "Yeah, well, don’t let it get around, ok? I have a reputation to keep up."
"Thank you for this," she said, smiling up at him. "Let’s go home, Nick. I need to call Sarah and make plans to get us to Virginia."
"You sure you’re ready to go?"
"Yeah, I’m okay now. Really." Holding her hands out to him, she laughed as he helped her struggle to her feet. "Mama always said I was graceful."
"Yeah? Well, mama was WRONG," he retorted, ducking as she took a playful swing at him. "C’mon, let’s head home." He took her hand, squeezing tightly as she took one last look around and blew a kiss toward the heavens.
"Bye mama, bye daddy," she whispered as they turned toward the car.
Nick wiped a tear from his eye as he watched her, knowing that she really *was* going to be okay.