Lifting her hand to my mouth, I kiss the inside of her palm. This food has nothing on my sweet girl.
“Oh. Did I ever tell you I met a girl in North Carolina after your birthday cruise?”
Tuesday sits up straighter in her chair, pulls her sandwich from her mouth, and gives me the worst glare I’ve ever seen. “I wondered what happened when you ghosted me. Now I’m not sure I want to know.”
“What? No. No.” I reach for her hand. “Baby, that came out all wrong. I went to Sycamore Mountain with some friends to clear my head. And while I was there, I met a girl who designs gourmet cakes and cupcakes. She was saying how she wanted to expand her little shop and join forces with a creative florist to bring a unique vision to the clients who order from her for garden parties, weddings, and the like. I told her you’d be perfect for the job.”
Tuesday’s face lights up like nothing I’ve ever seen. It’s probably the most luminous I’ve seen her since the accident. “Wow.” Tear fill her eyes. “I’d love to meet her. It sounds amazing.”
“Well, why don’t we plan a trip? Sycamore Mountain, here we come.”
Tuesday
“Oh, Tuesday. I’m so proud of you. You’ve done so well with rehab, and now my baby girl is moving out on her own,” Mom says.
I smile. I’m grateful she and Dad have been so accepting of my decision to move in with Alex.
“Just don’t let your living situation distract you from your studies.”
“About that.” I wince as I try to find the right words. “I’d like to finish my degree. But I don’t want to be a nurse.”
My mother looks at me with a flat affect.
“I know how important it is to you to have Ricky and me follow in your footsteps. But I’m not interested in health care. At all. I didn’t mind volunteering, but not enough to do it for a living. If that accident taught me nothing else, it’s to seize the day.”
“Honey, I’m just surprised. I had no idea you didn’t want to be a nurse.”
“I want to have my own floral shop one day. I’m at peace when I’m at Cygnature Blooms, surrounded by flowers. The few days a month I work there are some of the happiest I have. I want to work at a job I love. Not one I tolerate.”
“You’re absolutely right. Working your whole life is hard enough. You should follow your passion. And if your passion is flowers, then so be it.”
I wrap my arms around my mother, squeezing her tight. “You have no idea how relieved I am.”
“Oh, honey. We love you. We only want to see you happy.”
Pulling back from her, I stop to reflect on all the positives in my life. Alex and I have been looking online at Sycamore Mountain, and we’re excited to visit and meet Addison at her bake shop. He even said he’d be willing to consider a transfer there if working with her became a serious possibility. I just can’t believe it.
While some would focus on how my life has turned upside down following the accident, I choose to see it differently. I’ve faced adversity head-on and won. I have an amazing supportive family. I’m going to pursue my dream job. And I’m in love with my brother’s best friend.
How can things get any better than this?
