Page 54 of Loving the Legend
“You’ll see a lot more of me when I retire. By then, who knows what city you’ll be in. I’m too old to schlep around.”
“Uh huh, and a certain Ishan has nothing to do with it?” I tease.
His face breaks out into a boyish grin. “Met him on your way in?”
I nod. “He treats you well?”
His nod and 100-watt smile tell me everything I need to know. He likes this one.
“I’m going to get dressed and make us breakfast. I want to hear more about him.”
“We’ll catch up after the cemetery. Let’s eat quickly and head over. Morning is the best time there,” he says as he disappears into the bathroom.
I put on a pot of coffee and make us some cinnamon raisin oatmeal with chopped up fruit. We eat quickly, making smalltalk about the changes in the neighborhood. Then, we pile into Adam’s Ford Explorer and head to the cemetery.
“Six years, man. It feels like yesterday,” he remarks, shaking his head.
I sigh. “Seriously. It still hurts like hell some days.”
He squeezes my hand. “I know, kid. I have questions for the big one upstairs when I reach the pearly gates. Have you thought any more about seeing a therapist?”
“Maybe. Sid also thinks I should see one.”
He steals a glance at me. “Oh yeah? I started seeing one when Mitch passed. Between him and your parents, I needed a lifeline.”
Mitch, Adam’s best friend and fellow firefighter, lost his life saving a kid from a burning building. The kid lost his life too. It was horrific.
“Yeah? How has it been for you?” I wonder why he’s never mentioned it before.
“Hard at first to open up, but it’s like any practice. You get out what you put in. I look forward to my weekly sessions. I had a breakthrough recently. I evidently sabotage my relationships because of how risky my job is.”
“Huh. I just thought you were picky.”
“It’s some of that too. But yeah, find a therapist you like. Many offer free consultations. Try a few before deciding. Between your grief and nightmares, I think it could help. You know, being an athlete is as much mental as physical.”
“Sid said the same thing.”
“Huh. I like the Wonder Kid even more. Any update on that front?”
We pull into the parking lot of the cemetery.
I let out an exasperated sigh. “Yes…no…ugh. Maybe. I’ll tell you over lunch.”
Adam chuckles and pats my back.
We grab flowers from a shop across from the cemetery and then make our way to their plots. I used to come here often. The grief counselor I saw when my parents passed said it might help to sit and talk to my parents. In its way, it did help to dull the ache when it was almost unbearable.
We reach their plots and discover two enormous bouquets of white lilies and roses placed on each grave.
“This you?” I ask Adam.
The look on his face tells me he’s just as surprised as I am.
“Let’s see if there’s a card.” He leans down, searches the arrangement, and fishes one out.
He reads it, then gazes up at me with arched eyebrows. “Well, I’ll be damned. Your Sid is a thoughtful guy.” He hands me the card.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
