Free The Lost Truth by T.K. Chapin Page B

“No. I was confirming what you were saying. There was no kiss.”
    She turned red and began laughing as she tossed her head back. “I’m such a ditz.”
    Katie lay back down in the grass as her smile continued a bit longer. We both turned our eyes back to the starry night sky. “Clay . . .” Her voice became serious.
    “Yeah?” I responded as I watched a bright set of stars twinkle.
    “Why do you think bad things happen?”
    The question stirred a bit of emotional gook that lay near the bottom of my soul. It kicked up to the surface like a disturbed patch of dirt off the ocean floor. “Bad things happen because that’s how life works.” I looked over at her. “Life’s messy. Everybody gets dirty.”
    Katie waited a moment to respond and looked over. “Is that how you feel? Life is just a dirty mess?”
    Turning my eyes back to the sky, I placed my hands behind my head. “I don’t know, Katie. Haven’t you been through some stuff you’d rather not have happened?”
    “Yeah . . .” her tone was soft and hiding something tucked away underneath the layers. I didn’t dare pry. I didn’t want her digging for more in my past.
    The back door to Janice’s house opened and the porch light turned on. Jerking my head up, I looked toward the porch to see Janice walking down the steps and out to us with a plate. Setting the plate down between Katie and me, she said, “Enjoy!”
    The smell of the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies filled the air between us, and I smiled as the aroma brought back memories of my mother and her famous double chocolate chip cookies. It was a bittersweet memory, because it was the only good thing I could remember about her. “Thank you.”
    “Thank you, Janice,” Katie said, reaching over and snatching up a couple from the plate.
    “You’re welcome. Did you already feed Kip today?” Janice asked as she turned back for a moment.
    “I didn’t. Could you?”
    She smiled. “Sure.”
    As she walked back toward the porch, Katie finished a bite of cookie and said, “These are good. I haven’t had homemade cookies in ages.”
    Smiling, I grabbed one from the plate. “Our mother used to make them all the time growing up.”
    “Nice. Was she a homemaker?”
    “Yeah.” Lying back down in the grass, I thought back to all the years she stayed home with us kids while I was younger. “She and my father felt it was important to have her in the home.”
    “Wow. Both my parents worked growing up.” She paused. “We did have dinner at least three times a week as a family, though.”
    “That’s good.”
    Katie paused for a moment and then cleared her throat. “I’m going out of town in a couple of days. I won’t be back for a while.”
    Looking over at her, I raised an eyebrow. “Where?”
    “Hawaii. My parents are renewing their vows and are flying everybody out there.”
    “Wow, that’s an awesome step in a marriage. Have fun.”
    Reaching over, she touched my arm. “By the way. Good luck with your ex-wife this week.”
    Cringing, I responded, “Thanks.”
    “Hey. At least you get to see, Cindy. Right?” Katie released her touch from my arm. “I’m sure Cindy’s just as tickled to see you as you are her.”
    “I’m hoping she’s excited . . .”
    “You’ll enjoy having her here. Oh, hey. You could take her down to the lake and work your leg out some in the water.”
    “Good idea. I know I’ll enjoy the time with Cindy. I just worry about Gail being around.”
    Looking over at me, Katie asked, “Do you still love her?”
    “Who?”
    “Come on,” Katie retorted.
    Letting a breath out from my lips as I thought about Gail and myself, I shook my head. “I don’t. I love the idea of her. The life we had as a family. No one ever gets married and has kids thinking they’ll split up someday. But . . . I don’t think it’s much more than that.”
    Katie kept quiet.
    “Hey. Could you get me one of those Hookah necklaces from Hawaii?”
    She laughed. “You mean