Chapter 9 Heartfelt Confessions
Chapter 9: Heartfelt Confessions
Jack
“Jack! It”s me, Emma. I came back… I couldn”t get you out of my head, so I came back.”
I didn”t need a seer to confirm it was her voice. But how was she here? Wasn”t she supposed to be somewhere in Florida attending to her job? What if this was a prank? So, I peeped out the door at first, confirming that it was really her.
“Emma?”
“It”s me, Jack.”
I couldn”t contain my excitement at seeing her. My world suddenly felt bright again. She had become the light to my dark life and I had missed her so much. These past few weeks had passed by in bleakness. But now she was here, standing before me.
“I’m going to leave now,” Zain announced, breaking the hug.
I lowered Emma to the ground and stretched out my hands to Zain for a shake. “Thank you,” I mouthed. She nodded with a smile, hugged Emma briefly, and took the stairway heading out.
“Welcome back. Please, come in.” I held out my right hand, leading her in.
Unlike her neatly organized rooms back at the guest house, my home was a bit scattered. Okay, maybe not a bit. I”d generally become a purposeless man since I’d lost Meg. There was simply no reason to live anymore, hence I didn”t see the need to organize things.
The fireplace still had ashes in it from last winter. The plant at the window was dead and dried. A couch pillow lay on the floor. I might have kicked that to the ground during one of those times when anger took charge of me. A broken piece of a drinking glass settled at the feet of the dining table.
“Err… Emma, I know this place doesn”t really speak well of me, but not to worry, I will quickly tidy up all of it before you can say ‘Jack Robson.’”
“Jack Robson,” she said back.
“Yeah. Before you say that, I”ll be done,” I repeated my explanation, thinking she”d asked a question.
“Jack Robson,” she said again.
“What? Why are you saying it?” I asked, confused for a moment.
“Because that was your instruction. You said before I say ‘Jack Robson,’” she explained the joke, laughing at me.
“Okay. You got me there.” I shared a smile.
How was it so easy for her to laugh? And how come she had so much influence on me? I turned away to pick up the things that lay scattered around, but she called me back.
“Come sit.” She pointed at the space beside her on the couch.
“Okay, ma”am.” I walked over, settling in and taking up one of her hands in mine. I could smile the whole day just sitting beside her and looking into her eyes.
“You owe me a story, don”t you think?” she said.
“Emma, I really don”t like talking about it.”
“Shhh.” She placed a finger over my lips, leaned in, and dropped a peck. “You said you were ready to heal,” she reminded me.
I nodded curtly. It was finally time I spoke about it. Who knew, maybe this would free me of the weight I”d carried in my heart for four years.
“Her name was Meg. Just like you, she was very pretty, had the nicest smile, and maybe everything I wanted. I got married to her a few years after I got into the Marines. So, I was always out at work and traveling. Then eventually, we had Tess, my daughter. She was four years old when I took a leave from work. I wanted to spend that birthday at home with Tess. Meg would always complain that I pampered her a lot, and maybe I should have listened to her more often.” I paused, feeling the pain in my heart as I recalled the incident. She shifted closer, covering my hands in her small palms as her face urged me to continue.
“Tess turned four that Sunday, and we were headed back from church. She wanted me to drink from her water bottle, but Meg refused. It made Tess quiet and sad and I didn”t like seeing my child that way. So, against Meg”s wish, I asked Tess to give me her water.” I felt like I was in that scene again. I could clearly see Tess offering me her water and what happened afterward.
“I can”t.” I pulled my hands from her palms. My chest ached and my voice went hoarse as the pain came back with full force.
“You can, Jack. I”m right here, okay? Tell me all of it, please,” she pleaded.
The pause took a longer time to end. But she patiently waited, rubbing my back comfortingly in the silence.
“I drank from Tess”s bottle against Meg”s wish, and I wasn”t watching the road while I did. The rest became a story. We were jammed with another car from the opposite direction and there was nothing I could do to save them. They died because of me.” I felt a single tear slide down my cheek.
“I had nothing left after the accident. It should have been me, but they died and left me here. I went back to work after my leave and of course, they were sympathetic about what happened. I had to retire because according to my medical reports, the minor mobility issues I experience now will continue to worsen as time goes on. That was it. In a blink of an eye, I lost everything I ever worked for,” I narrated, allowing the feeling to wash over me. Surprisingly, I felt relieved. It was like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. The pain still lingered, but I felt a bit better after talking about it—something I had never done before. We sat in silence for a while and it was soothing.
“I came here after my breakup with this guy, Chad. My friends had suggested the trip; they said it would help me get over the whole thing and move on smoothly when I returned to work. That was how I met you. Now, I have to re-write my plans because you have suddenly become a part of me that I can”t let go of. I love you, Jack.”
Emma spoke softly and I got lost in her eyes. There was something about her eyes that always managed to pull me in. At that moment, I found myself leaning in. I took her lips and kissed her passionately, allowing myself to feel for the first time in a long while. By the time we broke apart, we were both breathing heavily.
“So, what now?” she asked after the kiss.
“I don”t know. Maybe we make something to eat ‘cause I think I just found my appetite after a very long while. Plus, I really can’t wait to taste the magic you create in the kitchen,” I said with a wide smile on my face as I stared at her.