The Million Dollar Gift by Cheree Alsop

Author:Cheree Alsop
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Published: 2012-11-03T04:00:00+00:00

***

Chase was relaxing on the couch in front of the fireplace when a hand touched his shoulder. He looked up to find Grandpa Clark watching him.

“Want to go for a ride?” the older man offered.

The thought of getting out in the fresh air and clearing his head from the emotional night and morning was a welcome one. Chase rose and Grandpa Clark handed him a black coat with patched elbows.

“No one will mind if I use this?” Chase asked.

Grandpa Clark shook his head as he doffed a long green coat and wrapped a brown and yellow scarf around his neck. “They’re community coats, as most things are here. Everyone shares.” He put a worn felt hat on his head and led the way to the door.

“I like that,” Chase said. He didn’t realize he had spoken aloud until Grandpa Clark threw him a questioning look. “I-I mean,” he stumbled over his words, suddenly embarrassed. “It must be nice that so many people get along well enough to share everything.”

Grandpa Clark tipped his head in agreement. “You’ve happened into an unusual family, son, but it’s a good one. There are tiffs now and then, but there’s love within these walls.” He patted the brick wall beside the front door affectionately, then led the way down the stairs. He opened the passenger door to a small silver sedan and waited for Chase to get settled before he shut the door and slipped the crutches in the back seat.

Grandpa Clark drove them along a little-used road with cracked pavement that eventually turned into snow-covered dirt. He steered the sedan along the rural road with the ease of someone who had taken the same path so many times each turn had become a habit. They wound through the foothills until the dirt road faded into little more than two tire paths through the white powder. Grandpa Clark followed the path to the edge of the hill, then shut off the engine.

Chase climbed out and limped gingerly to a low, worn brick wall that marked the look-out point. The top of the hill behind them was flat and broad. In front of the wall, it sloped down to give an expansive, spectacular view of the valley. Wind tangled in Chase’s hair. He breathed deep of the fresh, crisp air, filling his lungs as full as he could before he let it out again. He couldn’t remember the last time he had visited a place so beautiful.

“This is amazing,” he said softly.

Grandpa Clark leaned against the low wall. “It’s my favorite place in the whole world. In fact,” he pointed near Chase’s left side where the wall ended and a patch of unbroken snow lay. “That’s where I proposed to my wife, and it’s also where my son proposed to Penny.” His breath of satisfaction fogged in the air. “This spot marks the beginning of a million amazing memories.”

Chase smiled at the look on his face. “Thank you for taking me here,” he said, touched.

Grandpa Clark gave him an understanding smile.

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