Page 68 of Right in Front of You

“Do you know how many nights she stayed by your bedside at the hospital when you were sedated?”

“No…”

“All of them. She was pretty much living at the hospital.”

“She didn’t tell me that part.”

“Of course she wouldn’t.”

“You can’t close yourself off to new possibilities, son. Besides, it’s time we had some grandchildren.”

“No pressure, eh?”

“John, let him get well first. Getting through the recovery will take strength from both of them. You know better than anyone how many injured firefighters fall into depression because they don’t know how to cope with the burns.”

“Carter, I don’t want to hear you talk nonsense about your scars. Wear them with pride, son, and remember that you’re the reason your niece and best friend are both alive.”

“Thanks Dad, I will. Listen, I’ve been thinking. Do you think the guys at the firehouse would take some pictures for a calendar? It’d be for a good cause.”

“I can’t think why not.”

“You too, Dad.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, women like silver foxes.”

“They sure do.” My mother nodded adoringly at my father. Looking at them both, I wished I could one day experience the kind of love they had.

Molly returned to the table and we ordered our food. She chose her favorite, fish and chips. I took pleasure in watching her face lit up with delight as she set her menu to the side. Just before our food arrived, my mother pointed toward the front window, where a man with his back turned to us was smoking a cigarette.

“Molly, isn’t that your father?” She asked.

Her body twisted toward the glass pane as if an exorcism was being performed on her.

Not him!

“What is he doing here?” she asked.

“I don’t know, Molly, but he’s your father. I can ask him to join us.” My mother smiled politely.

Shit! This wasn’t good. He was the last person I, and certainly Molly, wanted to see. I’d promised her I wouldn’t go back to the day of the fire. I still couldn’t understand why she’d taken the blame for him and could only hope that Molly would one day open up to me. As much as I wanted to take the bastard straight to the Sherriff, I couldn’t. At least not until Molly was willing to deal with him.

“Please don’t. He means nothing to me.”

My parents turned uncomfortably in their chairs, after which Molly added, “I’m sorry. I know that’s rude of me, but we lost touch after my graduation, and my parents aren’t together anymore. They had a rough marriage.”

Molly’s gaze kept darting from the table back to the window. She jumped when I reached over to touch her arm. “Molly, we can leave if you’d like.”

“No, it’s okay. We came here to enjoy a nice dinner and celebrate your recovery, so that’s what we’ll do.”

She put on a brave face because her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. When she lowered her hands underneath the table, I reached for her and gently squeezed. The gesture brought a temporary smile to her face, and I would have given my life for hers if she promised to smile for me every day. Through dinner, we stayed away from conversation about her family. The food was delicious. It wasn’t until I’d finished my steak and Molly was done with her fish that we noticed her father heading our way.

My blood boiled in an instant. I wanted to stand up and stop him halfway, or at least ask his intentions, but the stupid leg wouldn’t allow me to move fast enough. I wished I could tell someone the truth: that he was the one who’d set the fire. Then he’d go to jail and would leave Molly alone for few years. But that would mean exposing Molly, and myself, because we’d known about it and kept quiet. Mr. Fowler stumbled toward us and leaned down for a hug, while Molly remained sitting, pushing him off her shoulder with disgust.

“There’s my little girl.”

He stood back up, swaying on his legs. Seeing them like that rang new alarm bells in my mind. The level of Molly’s distress was growing with each second. She was pale and stiff, and her eyes darted from one spot to another, as if she were looking for an escape. The Molly I knew was bubbly and outgoing, full of positive energy. The poor woman I was looking at now was afraid for her life.

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