Page 72 of Waiting for Tuesday

I traced each letter with my finger, as a sense of something bigger than myself ran over my body. Out of all the trees in the entire forest, I had stopped at the one that led me back to him. To the man I loved so deeply it hurt.

For the last four days, I never once considered that he might want this baby. That he’d be able to see past the fact that it wasn’t his, that he would listen to me, hear my answer, and be able to love me anyway. My chin quivered. The thought was terrifying, but maybe it was possible.

Another crash of thunder boomed closer, and I knew I had to go back. I flattened my hand on his name, feeling the scars of his boyhood scrawled beneath my palm. I pushed myself from the ground, and using the cabin’s lights as a beacon, I trudged through the leafy ground back to the house. I only made it a few feet before a fat drop of rain landed on my cheek like a tear. I pushed a branch away from my face and picked up my pace, knowing it wouldn’t be long before the storm was directly overhead.

A sliver of light was all that remained of the sun on the hilltops, making it increasingly hard to see, but I had lots of practice running through the wilderness. When the clouds opened up, releasing all the rain they had been storing up all day, I only ran faster until I pushed my way through to the clearing.

I found the blankets John and Shelly had been sleeping on empty and made my way to the back porch. My hair was completely drenched and stuck to my skin, but for some reason, it felt wonderful, almost cleansing, washing me of the guilt I’d been carrying around for the past four days.

“TUESDAY!” The sound of John’s voice boomed as the first crack of lightning appeared in the sky.

“John, I’m here!” I hurried up the steps, turning in the direction of his voice but stopped as he came into view around the corner. He was still twenty feet away, but I could see the relief on his face, the largeness of his body, and took it all in.

“Where were you?” he yelled across to me.

I grinned, suddenly filled with joy at the sight of his face. “Watching the sunset!” My foot slipped on the top step, causing both of my feet to jet out in front of me, and my bottom to land hard on the wood step.

He ran toward me, sinking to his knees in a puddle of rain. “Oh my God, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” I laughed, taking hold of his arms as he pulled me to stand. “Just wet.”

I found my feet again, and he grabbed me around my waist and lifted me up. I slipped again.

He caught me under my arms, laughing, and lifted me up for the second time. “I got you.”

My face was plastered to his chest and I smiled up at him. “Why is it so slippery?”

He grinned then guided me a couple of steps to the left and pushed my hair from my face. “It’s just that spot. It’s been like that as long as I can remember.”

I looked down at the floor, holding onto the banister to test my traction before letting go. “My God, it’s like ice.” I smiled up at him, gathering my hair to the side of my neck to wring the water from it with both hands. His face was relaxed, but there was something there I’d never seen before. “What?” I asked, shaking my head.

“When I woke up you were gone. I got worried.”

I breathed in, taking in the sight of him every bit as drenched as me.

“Where’d you go?” he asked.

I looked over my shoulder, in the direction of the woods, where the sun was now completely gone. “I just wanted to see where you grew up.”

He took my glasses from my face and dried them as best he could before replacing them. “Did you find anything interesting?”

I nodded. “I foundyou.”

His forehead wrinkled with confusion, and I shook my head. “I found your name. Out there. On a tree trunk.”

He smiled then. “You did?” His nose wrinkled, and a content expression softened his face. “That was the year Grandpa gave me my first pocket knife. I think I carved it into every surface I could get my hands on.”

I smiled at him, even though I was shivering, and I never wanted this conversation to end. I wanted to stand here with him all night and learn about his past. I wanted to ask him why he lied to me about his scar, and what happened to him that landed him here with this family. But at the same time, I didn’t want to ruin this moment.

I wanted to stay just like this, the storm blocking out the others inside the cabin, leaving us in seclusion, and never having to face tomorrow. “Did you see the sunset?” I asked, not wanting to let him go.

He shook his head and tucked my hair behind my ear. “No.”

“It was beautiful.”

His hand moved along my neck, and he lowered down until his lips hovered just above mine. “I bet I know something prettier.” His face came lower still, until his soft lips touched mine. It wasn’t a passionate kiss. It was gentle and sweet, but it told me how much he cared for me, and I never wanted to forget it.

He took my hand then and pulled me in the direction of the back door. “Come on, we need to get back, everyone’s waiting.”

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