Once Upon A New York Minute: Part 1 by Sherry Ficklin

Author:Sherry Ficklin [Ficklin, Sherry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-11-25T16:00:00+00:00

The Other Shoe Drops

We watch the sun begin to set over the water, both of us reluctant to come back to reality. The horizon blazes red and orange before fading into deep purple. It’s nearly dark when we pull back into dock, the last bits of light dying on the horizon. The others take their car and return to the palace, but Aiden and I stay a bit longer, sitting on the dock as Kato leans against the car.

“Penny for your thoughts,” I say, nudging him playfully as we sit shoulder to shoulder.

Not looking at me, he frowns. “Today was wonderful. I was just wishing every day could be like this.”

I purse my lips before responding. “Me too, but that’s not reality for anyone. We all have responsibilities, jobs to do. Yours are more intense than most but, it’s not a bad thing. It makes the days like this even more special. It’s all about balance.”

He looks to me, a smile spreading across his lips, “You are very wise.”

I make a disgusted noise, “Obviously.”

“I mean it Haven. You have so much grace about you. The things you do, the way you carry yourself, I see people all the time who have to force it, who have been taught to play the part since they could walk, but for you it’s effortless. You just are. How is that?”

I’m quiet for a moment, memories welling up inside me like dark clouds forming on the horizon. “There was a time when I was sure I was going to die. This was years ago, but I remember thinking, this is it. My time here is over—and what a waste. I remember thinking that I could have done so much more—been so much more. So now, every day feels like a new chance to be a part of this amazing world. And it doesn’t mean every day is perfect or that every choice has to be some huge, life affirming event, it’s smaller than that. It’s just trying to do the best I can with the time I have and maybe make other people’s lives a little easier along the way.”

He leans back, his gaze never leaving my face. Finally, he whispers, “Are you ever going to tell me what happened to you?”

I can’t help the frown that pulls at my mouth.

“I think—and I may be wrong—but I think the reason you didn’t tell me the truth about who you were when we first met was because you didn’t want it to color my judgement of you. Right? You didn’t want it to effect how I saw you as a person.”

“That is true.”

“It’s the same for me. It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just that I don’t want it to change how you look at me. I don’t think I could bear it if you did.”

Reaching out, he traces my jaw with his fingertips. “Haven, nothing you could ever tell me would change what I see when I look at you. I love you far too much for that.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.