Page 90 of Jackson
“You’re in a different place, mentally, now. Even after only five weeks or so. Let it go for now, move on. When the time’s right to talk about him, then you’ll be able to. I have spoken to him, he understands what’s happened between you and Summer and that he’s no longerrequired.”
I sat for a while digesting hiswords.
“I told her about Dane, what happened thatnight.”
“How did she takeit?”
“She cried, obviously, but didn’t sayanything.”
“If she gets a place at UC, one thing they’ll do is offer therapy. It’s important that anyone coming into this profession does so after coming to terms with anything in their own lives. Maybe that will be the time she deals withthat.”
“She doesn’t think she has a place. I mean, they would have told her by now, wouldn’tthey?”
“I imagine so. I’ll make somecalls.”
I stood from the chair; the session was over for me. I’d said what I wanted to and preferred a shorter expulsion of my shit than D-J. He could be in there forhours.
When we walked back to the bar, Summer was behind it. She was cleaning up and making a coffee. She smiled over tome.
“Coffee? I think I have finally mastered this machine from hell,” shesaid.
“Sure, whynot.”
Dexter and I sat and watched her master, unsuccessfully, the machine from hell. She made a fucking mess with the coffee, but eventually we had threecups.
“Next door looks fantastic, I love the wall, Jack,” shesaid.
“We just need to name it,” Dexsaid.
“I had an idea for that,” Isaid.
Both looked at me. “Honey Bees, without them, there would be nolife.”
She leaned forwards and placed her hand over mine. “I think that’s a wonderful idea, and she’d have loved that,too.”
“You’re notupset?”
“She loved you, Jack, in her own way. It’s okay to acknowledge that. I think it’s a fitting tribute. You save just one child in that place, and you save a little bit of yourself, of her. She was a large part of your life, an important part. We don’t need to forget that. I think you also need to paint her, put her on the wall, like you did me. She meant something to you, whether you care to admit that or not, honourher.”
“I think I might be out of a job,” Dexter said as he smiled ather.
I laughed, “Never.”
* * *
Dexter received his licence,the drop-in centre was granted its paperwork, and we had an opening day. I’d painted Honey on the wall, she was smiling, the sun shone down on her, and she was without the worry and anxiety that normally graced her face. Her sister came; she stood in front of the wall and cried. I stood besideher.
“You were the one she loved, weren’t you? She never said your name, just there was a man who helpedher.”
“Yes, although I wasn’t aware she loved me. It wasn’t that kind of arelationship.”
“I know, but thank you. And thank you for this.” She gestured towards thewall.
I placed an arm around her shoulder and she turned to cry into my chest. I rested my head on hers and looked over to Summer. She smiled at me andnodded.
