CONVICTED
Chapter Eighteen
Things went calmly for quite a
while. Lindsey was slowly learning to walk, and she’d say little words like hi
and bye-bye and Linny, for she couldn’t pronounce her real name yet. But one
day she surprised me by starting up a sentence.
"Mommy, where Daddy?"
she asked when I put her in her high chair to feed her.
It was odd. I had never shown her
any pictures of Jack, and I was surprised she wanted to know where her daddy
was.
"Daddy went bye-bye,
sweetie," I answered, filling up a bottle with some milk.
"Why?" came her next
question.
"Because he had an
accident," I responded, trying not to get emotional in front of her.
"Daddy go bye-bye?" she
asked.
"Yes," I responded,
stirring up her baby food.
"Bye-bye, Daddy," she
said, waving her hand.
I placed the bowl in front of her
and began spooning mashed carrots into her mouth. She finished the bowl in ten
minutes. I looked out the window and stared at the sunshine.
"Lindsey, would you like to
go see Daddy?" I asked.
I dressed Lindsey up in her cute
little clothes and easy slip-off shoes.
"Come on, Cyrus!" I
whistled for the dog, putting a leash on him.
I carried Lindsey in one arm and
held the dog’s leash in the other hand. I reached the edge of the sea where
Jack had died and set Lindsey down near the water. I pulled her shoes off and
let her splash her feet in the water.
"Where Daddy?" she
asked.
I pointed to her reflection in
the water.
"There he is."
"No, Mama, that me,"
she replied.
"Yes. It’s you and your
Daddy. Your Daddy went bye-bye right here, and now he’s a part of you, me, and
even Cyrus." I gestured to each of the reflections.
"Daddy! Daddy!" Lindsey
squealed with delight, splashing the water some more.
I could almost swear I saw Jack’s
reflection in the water, smiling up at all of us.
The End.