Page 93 of Reckless

“It’s safe up there? With Riggs being here?”

“Yes, of course it is. Zosia has amazing security at this place, and she also has someone watching out for her. He’s cute. I think she has a thing for him.”

“Seems to be a theme,” I mutter.

“Yeah well…” she goes quiet. I’m about to change the subject when she speaks. “It doesn’t matter what was happening there. It’s all changed now.”

“So, something was happening?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. It can’t now, right? What man wants to be saddled with someone else’s kid?”

I tilt my head to look down at Krista. There is no way she can’t hear my side of the conversation. She may have heard Solene.

“Don’t worry about that. I’ve got it handled.”

“Have you?” I ask.

She sniffs. “Yeah. It is what it is. I’ve thought about it a lot, Jude. I can’t get rid of it. I know it’ll be tough, but I can’t do that.”

“Whatever you choose, you know I’m here for you,” I say softly.

Another sniff and I close my eyes, wishing I was with her.

“Anyway, I wanted to check you were okay and to tell you Ethan is back in Ohio. He’s visiting mom for a couple of weeks.”

“He’s been sent to the naughty corner,” I laugh.

“Yeah, more or less. Mom is not impressed.”

We chat a little while longer and after some coercion from Solene, I put the phone on speaker so I can introduce her to Krista. They talk about me mostly, but it’s all surface stuff. When we hang up, my mood is a little bleaker. I’ll be there for Sol, whatever she needs. I’ll back her to the ends of the earth with the record label.

Part of me is worried. Paul is off making his own album and Ethan has been effectively banished, and me with Krista. Solene being pregnant is a big deal that will affect the future of Reckless Soul. It's a lot to think about.

Luther and Riggs make it through the night unscathed. They disappear to get cleaned up while Krista and I explore the park. We’ve crossed the swing bridge over the river twice, once walking the second time running to see who can go fastest. Surprisingly, she beat me. But then again, she’s fearless.

As we approach a quiet tree lined area, Krista grows quiet. It's like any other field to me, then I see a headstone. It looks really old, and I spot a few more around the field. They are so out of place.

“It’s the Pioneer Cemetery,” Krista explains.

I walk over to the tallest headstone and read the epitaph. Died in 1882. Wow. As I look down at the aged and moss covered headstone, I wonder who this guy was, what his life was like and how he came to be buried here. I say as much to Krista.

“A lot of settlers came through here,” Krista says. “It’s hard to know what their lives were like, or where they settled. It’s peaceful though.”

“Yeah.” I take her hand and we walk through the rest of the area in respectful silence. The thought that this is some kind of tourist attraction doesn’t sit right with me.

I rarely think about my own mortality. The last few months, when I’ve felt like I was dying aside, death isn’t something I choose to dwell on. I haven’t lost many close relatives or any friends in my lifetime, but it is part of the cycle of life.

We’re all gonna die at some point. I just hope it's way, way in the future, for me and the people I care about.

I wonder what people will think of me in a hundred years, or if anyone will even care. It makes me think of Solene again. She’s creating a new life, another generation that means a part of her will go on.

Kids haven’t crossed my mind much. I watch Krista as she makes her way out of the cemetery ahead of me, and I picture a miniature version of her, holding her hand as they walk through the forest. It sends a jolt through me. I shake it off fast. Those kinds of thoughts are dangerous.

We maintain that respectful silence until we’re back across the swing bridge and heading to the RV.

“I’ve been thinking,” I say as we near the campsite.

“About what?” she asks.

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