Page 4 of Impossible

He shakes his head. “That’s all you can do.”

George is in his fifties and has been through enough with his four children. He has talked a lot about them these past few years. I think his oldest is married with a couple kids.

“You been keeping an eye on your team lately?” he asks.

“Honestly, there’s not much else to do when stuck inside the house with a newborn. Harper and I sit and watch baseball most nights together.”

“Raising your daughter right.”

“Just you wait until football starts,” I smile thinking about it. Harper will have to get used to living in a world of sports.

We end up talking sports and laughing together, like usual. Once George is done, I pay the front desk and head outside. I’m feeling better than I have in the last month. It’s amazing how much it helped to have a conversation with an adult with no pity in their voice. He will never know how much that just did for me.

I’m heading to my car when I happen to glance over and see Riley in the parking lot. She must have just come out of the liquor store because that is the only other store in this complex.

“Riley!” I shout over my car. She seems startled at first but turns around.

“Liam?” she lifts her sunglasses on top of her head as she walks over to me.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Oh, gosh. Don’t worry about that. I’m just a jumpy person.” She is wearing a yellow sundress and looks the innocent teacher that she is. She always was the conservative one of the two. Where Becca was the wild one who liked to dress with an edge, Riley was the one who would hang out in the background, never looking for much attention.

“I’m surprised to see you here.” I point up at the liquor store.

“Why? Can’t believe someone like me likes to down some hard liquor every night?”

I’m a little taken aback by her answer. She must sense this because she laughs as she hold up her brown paper bag.

“They have some of my favorite wine here. I’m a glass of red wine a night kind of woman.”

“Ah, okay.” I rub the back of my neck, wondering what I should say.

“How’s Harper? I have wanted to come over and see her so many times.”

“She’s doing great. Eating and sleeping pretty well. She’s a pretty happy baby.”

She smiles. “I’m really happy to hear that.”

“Why haven’t you stopped over?” I ask.

“Oh, um, I didn’t want to bother you. I’m sure you have enough going on. You don’t need me getting in the way.” She tucks her blonde her behind her ear.

“That’s ridiculous, Riley. You’re welcome to stop over anytime. You know Becca would have wanted you to keep coming around. It’s still your best friends baby girl.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I would love to come over and see her. Just tell me when you’re free.”

I laugh. “I’m home all day with her. I’m free anytime.”

“Okay,” she smiles at me. “How about I come over after school this week.”

“Works for me. Just text me the day and I will make sure Harper and I are not out for a walk.”

“Okay, sounds good. I’ll see you this week.”

“Looking forward to it. Bye, Riley.”

Once I’m back in my car, I go to put the music on, but remember what happened last time. I opt to ride in silence this time. As I’m driving back home, I notice the breeze blowing through the trees, and the sun glistening over the lake. Grief is a weird thing, you can feel nothing one second, devoid of all emotion. Next thing you know, you have so many emotions running rampant through your body, you feel like you’re going crazy. Then, there are these moments, where the world seems to slow down and you appreciate things you always took for granted.

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