Free Standing on The Edge Of Goodbye by Mary Eason Page B

to her feet and laid her hand gently on his arm.
    “I didn’t believe her, of course. She was only trying to hurt me the same way I’d hurt her. But you know it didn’t matter. Even if what she told me were true, it still wouldn’t have mattered. Sammy was my son and no DNA test could ever change how much I loved him. I just wish...”             
    “ Of course he's your son. Even I can see that. He's the spitting image of you. You both said things you probably didn’t mean. You were hurting.”
    He lo oked into her sad face. “That’s true enough. I just wish I could take back my part in what happened that night. If only she hadn’t run away like that, if she’d only waited until morning. We could have talked through the hurt and she might have seen that our marriage was doomed from the beginning. We just weren’t right for each other.”
    He shook his head. He had so many regrets about that night. "I wish I'd handled things differently.”              
    “It wouldn’t have mattered . Don’t you see? Nothing you could have done differently would have changed the outcome of things. It wasn’t your fault.”
    He couldn’t keep the bitterness inside any longer at her innocent words. “ Wasn’t it? I'd say it was all my fault.”
    “No it wasn't, ” Kate insisted. “Someday you’ll see that.” She turned back to Sammy’s headstone. “He’s with God. He’s happy and healthy and waiting for you there.”
    Matt wished he could believe her. “Do you want to visit Rachel’s grave?”
    Kate shook her head and reached for his hand. “No, I’ve had enough sadness for one day. I’ll see my grandmother just as you’ll see Sammy again some day. Until then I want to remember her the way she was the last time we were together. Happy.”
     
    ****
     
    Matt unlocked the door to the small single story cabin that Rachel Bowers had rented from him for two years. He hadn’t removed any of Rachel’s personal possessions after her death. He’d been hoping that one day he’d find her granddaughter and return them to her. Rachel had kept very few pieces of her own furniture once her house sold. Only the things she most treasured.
    Most of the furniture in the cabin had been there since Matt bought the place. He hadn’t planned to rent it until Rachel showed up on his doorstep. She’d fallen in love and wanted it just the way it was.              
    Rachel’s cheery presence had brightened this gloomy place. Each time he came back here, he wondered how she’d managed to live in such a depressingly dark atmosphere.
    “Rachel loved the place and wouldn’t let me change it, but I’m not sure what she found so endearing. It always seemed depressing to me.”
    Matt switched on the antiquated heating system even though he knew it would be a while before the furnace kicked in. The place smelled old, dank, and musty.
    “I didn’t move any of her things. I was hoping that one day you could go through them.”               Matt waited silently while Kate walked around and he realized that she wasn’t seeing the dusty furniture at all. She was lovingly touching the personal things that had belonged to her grandmother.
    He didn’t want to intrude on her private moment of grief , but he hated knowing she was fighting back emotion. Matt wasn’t even aware of reaching out. He lifted her chin to see tears glistening in her eyes.
    “I’m so sorry.” He pulled her gently into his arms. “I should have realized this was going to be too hard. I shouldn’t have brought you here today. Not after what happened in the cemetery.”
    She sniffed and pulled away. “No, I’m glad you brought me. I can see my grandmother here everywhere and I know she was happy. It’s hard for me to forgive myself for not being here when she needed me the most. Knowing she was happy and that she had you helps.”
    Her simple words brought an unexpected lump to his throat. “She’d want