She raised one booted leg, showing off her knee-high leather boots with three-inch heels. “Since I’m the only vertically challenged one in the family, I have to wear these just to touch the ground.”
Then, with a mischievous little grin she added. “It’s such a thrill.”
Sue stood quickly, her chair scraping softly against the floor as she pushed it back. Without a word, she walked to the patio door and stepped outside, the door clicking shut behind her.
Lynn’s grin faltered.
“What’s wrong with Mom?” she asked, in frustration. “It’s just a bike.”
Beth slowly shook her head, giving Lynn a look that wasn’t condescending but heavy with meaning.
”Sorry, sis. But Mom’s never going to see it as ‘just a bike.’ She and Dad will always see it as the contraption that killed her brother and sister-in-law. She’s afraid of losing her baby girl too.”
Lynn winced, her shoulders sinking slightly. “[CENSORED],” she muttered. “I forgot Uncle Roy and Aunt Helen died in a motorcycle wreck.”
She looked toward the patio, her jaw tightening, her heart rate kicking up another notch.
“I’ll go talk to Mom,” she said resigned. Then, louder, “You guys get ready—we need to leave in the next ten minutes.”
She left the room, her boots thudding softly toward the door, but the silence lingered.
Staring at the view without really seeing it, Sue poured her heart out to the Lord.
The sunlight danced on the horizon, but all she could feel was the heaviness in her chest.
“Lord, I’m scared. Not of the bike. Not really. I’ve lived through loss—I know what it feels like to bury someone you love. And yes, losing Roy shattered me, but even in the grief, I had peace. I knew where he was. I knew I’d see him and Helen again.
But with Lynn… I don’t have that, and Lord, that terrifies me more than any accident ever could. She says she doesn’t want to know You. I don’t know if she really believes You love her—or if she even cares. I’m so afraid that her life will be cut short and I’ll have to stand at another graveside, this time without the comfort of knowing where my baby girl’s soul rests.
Please, Father, please. Call her name so loudly that she can’t ignore it. Relentlessly pursue her. Break through her stubbornness, her anger and her pride. Not for me—but for her. I can survive the heartbreak of life without her. But eternity without my baby...”
Sue exhaled shakily, pressing a hand to her lips as a tear slid down her cheek.
She felt Lynn step beside her, silently wrapping her arms around her waist. Sue didn’t move. Not yet. She let her prayer finish echoing through her soul, letting it land where only God could reach.
Then, finally, she rested her hand over Lynn’s and leaned gently into her daughter’s embrace. A few minutes later, the patio door slid open and the two women stepped back inside—Lynn looking more grounded, Sue composed but tired.
“So,” Sue said with a sigh, reaching for her purse, “I guess I’m driving.”
She glanced toward the door, then gave her daughter a sideways look. “Let’s go see this bike.”
“She’s a beauty,” Bryce said reverently, running his hand along the bike’s sleek frame.
“What is it?” Kim asked, eyes wide. Then, catching the glint in Lynn’s expression, she pointed a sassy finger and added, “And don’t youdare say ‘it’s a motorcycle.’”
Laughing, Lynn conceded. “A 2021 Yamaha MT-07.”
“It’s pretty,” Kim admitted, a little sheepishly.
“How on earth did you pay for that?” Beth asked, looking at what she assumed was an expensive machine.
Lynn held up her left hand and flipped her ring finger skyward. “I sold my engagement ring. And a few other things Rick left at my place. The good news is—I’m debt-free now!” She grinned wickedly.
That stopped everyone in their tracks. They stared at her, open-mouthed.
“Why on earth—?” Beth finally asked, bewildered.
“I showed up unannounced one night and found him in bed—with two other women,” Lynn said coolly. “So, I kicked him to the curb and sold his stuff. It’s over.”
