Page 77 of Nothing But It All
“Gimme it.”
He holds his palm to the side. I take my pocketknife out of my jeans and lay it in his hand.
Dad ambles to a giant oak and taps it with the butt of the knife. “Here it is.”
Maddie touches the scarred wood with a heart around it. “What is this?HandR.MandR?” Her fingers trail down the bark, reading the last name. “‘Jack’?” She looks at me over her shoulder and smiles. “Is this you?”
“How many other Jacks do you know?” Dad asks. “Of course it’s him.”
I shake my head. “HandR—Harvey Reed.MandR—Myra Reed.”
Dad offers her the knife. “Go on. Add your mark.”
Maddie takes the handle and steps to the tree.
“Be careful,” I say.
Dad sighs. “Will you let the girl live a little?”
Maddie giggles.
“What’s gotten into you, Dad?” I ask, chuckling.
“I’m trying to make a memory here, but you’re butting in.”
I hold up my hands. “Sorry. Go on.”
Maddie holds the knife up to the tree. “Just press the tip against it?”
“Just like this.” Dad holds her hand and helps her create anM. “See?”
Maddie smiles. “I have to write Maddie, though. AnMcould be Michael, and he’s not bringing Ava out here one day and acting like this was him.”
“I’m sure that’s what he would be wanting to do with Ava out here,” Dad says.
Maddie’s eyes go wide, and she looks at me, waiting for my response.
“I got nothing,” I say. “I give up.”
Maddie giggles again and goes back to work on her name. Dad grabs a seat on a fallen tree.
My chest tightens as I watch him struggle for a breath. His cheeks are red, and a bead of sweat lines his forehead.
He’s too old for this.Will he be able to walk out? How would I get him help if he can’t make it back to the truck?
I take my phone out of my pocket. No service.Great.
Dad lifts a hand off a knee and points vaguely across the forest. “See those berries? Go pick ’em.”
“Yes, sir,” I say, heading off in the general direction of his gesture.
“How long ago did you and Grandma carve your names in this tree?” Maddie asks, still in earshot.
“Oh, hell. A long time ago.”
“I wish I could’ve met her.”
Dad exhales. “I wish you could’ve too. Your grandma wouldn’t know what to do with you and Michael. You couldn’t fit her head in the doorway she’d be so proud.”
