Page 271 of Shifting Hearts 1
One night,they weren’t on the clock, but they still found themselves at Smokey Joes. Morgan and Paul tossed back drinks with reckless abandon, and Em couldn’t help but laugh, knowing it was only a matter of time before they’d have to throw up. They did it to blend in with the crowd of humans, of course.
Morgan would grab Em and pull her onto the dance floor, spinning and twirling, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away. Mother and daughter, or at least, they looked like they could have been sisters.
I laughed at how carefree and silly Morgan had become with Em. Their friendship was deepening into something real, with Paul along for the ride, sometimes reluctantly, sometimes not.
Morgan was teaching her to live, to enjoy life, to let go, and in doing so, she revealed to me exactly who my daughter had become. For that, I would always be grateful.
FIFTEEN
JASON
It wasn’t so lonely anymore. Light was returning, and Morgan was finally beginning to live again, carrying the weight of what she had done but moving forward nonetheless.
Em still had questions about who Morgan really was, and one evening, Morgan began telling her a story, a story about Huck and Betty. Em’s brow furrowed in confusion, unable to follow the tale at first.
Now it makes sense. What Em had asked. I was Huck and she was Betty. This was our story. How Morgan and I had met. Hearing her recount it brought a pang of nostalgia, a bittersweet ache for a life I’d missed. I could see the same tug at Morgan’s heart as she reached the end of that first part of our story. Em, sensing the unspoken pain, didn’t press her to continue.
Soon, the conversation shifted to the community project. Paul wanted to make a difference again, and Em was eager to help. She reached out to Irene without my knowledge, and Richard wired enough money for them to purchase land. One cabin rose after another, laughter filling the air as they built, joked, and pranked each other mercilessly. Even I wanted tojoin in, to play alongside Em and Morgan, but I stayed in the shadows.
On nights they weren’t working, they volunteered at the soup kitchen. Watching Morgan, I saw her in her element. She was a natural, very nurturing and radiant. One evening, I was nudged along in her direction, irritated, until I saw her chasing a little boy, tickling him, laughing freely. I couldn’t help but laugh myself. She would’ve been a remarkable mother. My own children had never been so lucky.
The project moved forward, and when the first phase was complete, Irene and Richard brought Mel and me to the opening. I didn’t understand at the time why Emily, Paul, or Morgan weren’t there. Irene had hoped it might give me purpose again. I hadn’t seen it for what it truly was, and I felt like an idiot.
Later, as they returned to the soup kitchen, Morgan nudged Paul.
“This was your idea, Paul. Go tell Simon.”
“Natasha?”
“You made it happen.”
“No, Em did, with that generous donation. Where did you even get it?”
“It’s not what you know, Paul, it’s who you know,” Em said.
Paul looked at Morgan and Em. “You sure?”
“Yes,” she laughed. “Go.”
I watched as Paul pulled Simon aside to share the news: a safe haven for the homeless, built from the ground up by them. Simon’s eyes welled with tears, and he thanked Paul repeatedly, insisting on seeing the place before spreading the word. They handed him the keys, and he shook his head in awe.
“Why… why did you do this?”
“Everyone needs help in life sometimes,” Paul said simply.
“You kids are amazing,” Simon whispered. Morgan chuckled, glancing at Em, who suppressed her smile.
“There’s no furniture yet,” Morgan admitted.
“It’s more than anyone’s given us,” Simon said.
“Then it was our pleasure,” Emily replied.
Simon hugged them both tightly. Emily suggested asking for more donations, but Simon waved it off. They’d find their own. What mattered was this first step, an act of kindness that would leave a lasting mark on the lives they touched.
The next day,everyone gathered to see the community in full bloom. Opening day coincided with a fundraiser; media crews had arrived, and there was hope the event would raise enough money to fully stock each cabin with necessities.
They insisted Paul speak, and when he tried to resist, they twisted his arm, making me laugh. He finally stepped onto the porch of one cabin, standing beside Simon, while everyone cheered him on.
