She should have been my wife by now. Instead, she’d disappeared long ago, before she reappeared on another man’s arm. I looked for her. I almost missed my own college graduation, driving back and forth to her school, trying to catch her. I needed a chance to explain myself.
For a long time, Harper was nowhere to be found. Her family was no help. Her brother straight up refused to answerquestions. Her mother told me that she was transferring schools and didn’t want anyone to know where she was headed. She insisted that if I loved her, I would leave her alone. What kind of shit was that? For years, I held out hope that Harper would come back to me. Eventually, I gave up looking, but I never stopped loving her.
I couldn't leave Lakeview Elementary fast enough. My hands were literally shaking on the steering wheel as I tore out of the parking lot. I had to remind myself that I was in a school zone to keep from speeding down the street. Which way did she go? I was tempted to ask the school for her home address but knew that was out of the question. It was Harper, and she had a son now.
I hit a few buttons on my dashboard console before the sound of ringing filled the car. I didn’t know if I needed to go by the clinic or head straight home. I was out of the office on Thursday afternoons so that I could volunteer at the elementary school. A couple of years ago, I helped start an after-school STEM program for the kids. I had fallen in love with it more than expected. Now I took a day out of my week to go help with projects and experiments in the science classes. It felt good to see other little nerds get excited about science.
“What’s good?” my twin brother Jase answered after a few rings.
“I saw her, Bro.”
“You have to be more specific. You have a lot of women in your stable. Who did you see?”
“Her, it was her!” I emphasized as if he were a mind reader.
“Harper?” he quizzed after a brief pause. What they said about twins was true. Jase always knew exactly what I was thinking.
“She’s back, Bro. I was in the office. One of the new kids had gotten into a fight. I heard the principal and the counselordiscussing how he had been in two fights already in less than a week. I asked if I could talk to him for a minute, and they let me. The kid was really just having a hard time adjusting. He told me he missed his old school and his old life. While I was talking to him and telling him that he might make some friends if he joins the robotics team I’m setting up, a woman stormed in. The counselor had already said his mom was on the way. I can’t even remember what I was telling the kid because as soon as I looked up and saw Harper, all that shit went out the window. She’s back, Bro. You gotta help me.”
“You sure it was her?”
“It’s Harper, Jase. You know I’m sure.”
“Did you get a chance to talk to her?”
“If I did, I wouldn’t be on the phone with you. I tried. She still won’t talk to me.”
“If she won’t talk to you, you know damn well she’s not fucking with me.”
“I’m not losing her again, Jase. Find out where she’s living now.”
“Let me see if I can pull some strings. Hell, go back to the school and ask them for her address,” he joked.
“You already know I thought about it.”
“Wait, didn’t Mom say she was married now?” my brother asked.
“You think I give a damn about that? Harper’smywife. I shoulda never stopped trying to find her.”
“I know you love her, Joe. I love her too, but what if she’s happy?”
“How can she be happy with someone else? I tried that shit. I tried to move on, J. I couldn’t do it. You know that. I can’t even stomach the thought of her being happy with someone else. I need to get her back.”
“It’s something to consider. You said she has a son, right?”
“Yes,” I mumbled, not wanting to hear a damn thing besides my brother telling me he would do whatever he had to do to get me back in Harper’s good graces.
“Let me put Mom’s nosy ass on the case. She will get all the information we need.”
“I can’t let her get away from me this time. I honestly don’t give a damn if she’s married or not, Bro. I’m ready to play step daddy and all that shit. I gotta get my woman back.”
“I hear you.” He chuckled. “I wonder how long she’s been back,” Jase mentioned.
“Not long or we would have seen her around here. Do you know how long I’ve been looking for her?”
“Yes, I do, actually, down to the day. Mom isn’t going to like this.”
“It’s not up to her. Make this shit right, Jase!” I said, ending the call before I got pissed off all over again.Harper was back. This was a good thing.
