Beneath the Willow (Jesse & Sarah) by Jeremy Asher

Author:Jeremy Asher [Asher, Jeremy]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2012-09-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-two

Sarah

Sarah watched as Emma walked hand-in-hand with her mom up the tiny hill. The wind lifted strands of her brown hair like tiny kites. It had been about six years now since Sarah’s mother had come back in her life, and things still felt a little…weird. She loved her mother, there was no denying that, and had somehow found it in her heart to truly forgive her for abandoning her when she was just a teenager. But their adult relationship had become more like that of a friendship than one of mother and daughter. The scars her mother had left must have been too tough for their connection to grow deeper. But not for Emma. She only knew life with Grandma Evelyn in it. And she loved her like she was the best grandma in the whole world. And in many ways, she was. A part of Sarah often wondered if she subconsciously held that against her mother.

“Can we get ice cream after this?”

Evelyn looked back at Sarah. “It’s up to your mom.”

“Can we, Mom?”

“Why not?”

A smile formed on Emma’s face, revealing her dimples.

“Why don’t you take these and run ahead?” Sarah handed her a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. An arrangement she only did on special occasions. “I want to talk to Grandma.”

“Why can’t I listen?” Emma pouted.

Sarah knelt down to Emma’s level. “Sweetie, it’s boring grownup talk. You wouldn’t like it anyway.”

“But I understand grownup talk. I’ve been five for a long time now.”

“Yes, you have. And you’re getting so big, too. But the stuff we’re going to talk about is boring. You don’t want to hear that stuff, do you?”

She wrinkled her nose and shook her head.

“Why don’t you run ahead. You remember the way, right?”

Emma nodded and pointed. “That way.”

“That’s right. You are getting to be so big.” Sarah gave her a hug and stood up.

They watched as Emma took off running. Her hair flew behind her like a superhero’s cape.

“She’s definitely getting big,” Sarah’s mother said.

“I know. And I swear I feel more and more like I don’t know what I’m doing the older she gets.”

“That’s normal.”

“Is it? Because I feel like I’ve made a complete mess of everything.”

A cool breeze came in, blowing her mom’s long blonde hair into her face. “That’s normal, too.”

Her words did little to soothe Sarah. She felt a pang of guilt for what had happened to Kate. She knew she had to make things right again. With Kate, with Jesse, and with Emma. “I don’t know what to do.”

“First of all, you have to stop being so hard on yourself.” She looked toward Emma who was nearly halfway to their destination. “She’s a perfectly healthy and happy little girl. And you did that. Despite everything that you’ve been through over the past few years with Kevin and now with this divorce, you’ve managed to still provide your little girl with a good and happy life. That’s all any parent can hope to do. More than I was able to do.

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