HIM
from the back of the couch over him. He is such a cute sleeper.I head back to the bathroom with the waters. Ris takes a drink of her water, downing the whole glass in seconds. We walk into my dad's room and crawl into bed together. I cannot help but chuckle at what just happened. Ris punches me and tells me to shut up. Who gets a bloody nose from bouncing their face off the nightstand during sex? Ris does, that's who! Ris and I lay in bed, talking for quite a while about anything and everything before we fall asleep after a great but bizarre night.
Chapter Thirty-Four
The morning sun beams through the window, shining directly on my face. I open my eyes to look around. Behind me is Ris sprawled out in a shirt, pantyless, and snoring away. Her face looks quite bruised. I giggle a little because I'm reminded of the events that led up to her misfortune. I grab my phone and see that it is only a quarter to seven. It's so early, why am I awake. I am surprised I don't have much of a hangover. Maybe, I didn't drink as much as I thought last night.
I get dressed and grab a sweatshirt, check myself in the mirror quickly, then pull my hair through the loop of my hat and head out into the kitchen. I can hear Luke's adorable snores from the living room. He is on his back with one leg off the couch, his foot on the floor and the other leg hanging off the end, still wrapped in the blanket I covered him in.
I set up the coffee maker to brew some joe for the hungover clan. They will be looking for it when they wake. I quietly open the fridge, grab myself an apple juice, and the styrofoam cup full of worms. I snatch a granola bar from the counter and make my way down to the lake—time for some me-time.
The grass is still wet from the morning dew as I walk across the lawn. It's so quiet and peaceful right now. It is the best time to be out here. I saunter into the boathouse and grab my dad's fishing rod, tackle box, and a net just in case I happen to catch something of decent size. I sit down on the bench and look out over the lake before setting my rod up for fishing. Every time we came here for a weekend, my dad would fish from this bench every Sunday morning. He would say it's his church. He'd sit down here for an hour or two even if he didn't catch anything.
Now, I see why he did. The view is stunningly beautiful, and it smells divine. The birds are chirping, the lake is still, and the bugs aren't too bad yet. I can feel my dad’s presence. It's surreal. I bait my hook and stand up to give it a cast. My dad liked to fish with a bobber, so I put one on. I can hear a slight crinkling coming from the front pocket of my sweatshirt. I pull out an envelope, the writing on it is in my dad's handwriting, and it reads,
To my Little Lady.
I forgot about the letters given to us during the reading of my father's Will. I must have shoved it in the pocket of this sweatshirt from my purse. I wasn't ready to read it then. Now is as good a time as ever. I flip over the envelope, slide my finger under the flap, pull out the tri-folded paper, and open it.
Dear Allison Paige,
I write this letter because I have been told a personal message is more meaningful than being read off guidelines on what to do with someone's personal belongings. I have to agree. I hope I am in my old age at my passing, and you are all grown with a beautiful family of your own that I was able to be a part of. I want you to know how proud of you I am. I am so proud of your hard work and dedication you've shown while in school and life. You worked fearlessly to achieve your dreams. Allison, you can do anything you set your mind to. You have a huge heart, and you're so beautiful. I hope I was able to watch you graduate from college, settle into your career, see you move into your first home, walk you down the aisle, and watch you become an amazing mother. Time is not measured by the rise and set of the sun, but by the moments we share with those we love. Please, know I love you with every piece of me, and I will continue to love you when I am no longer on this earth. Take care of yourself, sweetheart.
With all my love,
Dad
Tears heavily cascading down my face, I fold the paper back up, put it in the envelope, and slide it back into my pocket. Reading my dad's words hurt my heart so much. He died so young and will not witness a lot of what he mentioned in his letter. He won't be there when I purchase my first home, and he won't be walking me down the aisle, or wrestle around giving horsie back rides with my children. He was taken too soon. He deserved a longer life. I should be angry with God, but for some reason, I'm not. He needed to take my dad home, and I'm somewhat at peace with that.
"Fishing this early, Alicat?" Ernie asks from behind me.
"Nah, I'm in church," I reply with a slight smile and wipe the tears from my face.
Ernie smiles and takes a seat next to me. He grabs hold of my hand then looks out over the lake. I can sense that he feels dad is here too.
"We all miss him, kiddo," he sighs.
I know Ernie misses him a lot because they've been friends for years. We