“Kiddo, we need to head out so Vicky can get to work.” I could see tears instantly pooling in both sets of eyes. We walked out of the café slowly, all of us trying desperately to stretch out our last minutes together.
Vicky finally crouched down again and touched her forehead to MJ’s. “I’m going to miss you so much. I can’t wait to get your first letter.” Her words cracked, and she looked at me to help ease the pain. What could I say to her when my own heart was breaking?
“I’m going to miss you too,” MJ answered, holding Vicky tightly.
“We’re just going to say “arrivederci per ora”, okay?” Her words were muffled by the loud sound of a plane landing in the nearby airport. “Goodbye for now, since we will be writing to each other.”
MJ nodded. “I love you, Vicky.”
Her words made Vicky’s lip tremble as she answered, “I love you, too.”
She stood and looked at me again, her eyes scanning mine. I was determined not to make it worse for all of us by letting the tears that stung my eyes fall. Taking a shaky breath, I hugged her and whispered, “I’ll never forget you. You’re going to do amazing things. Know that I’ll be cheering you on from here.”
Vicky inhaled sharply, and I knew she was trying to hold back a sob. She responded, “Miles, I’ll never forget you either. It’s been a blessing to have met you. I pray for both of your happiness. I would ask if we could keep in touch, too, but I know the answer.”
I nodded wordlessly. We both knew that would be too painful. I needed to let her go. I could feel her body shaking as she pulled away, then she bent over to kiss MJ’s forehead.
“Take care and say goodbye to everyone for me,” she said to me with a forced smile when she stood up.
“Don’t worry, I’ll explain that you had to leave quickly. MJ, we’ve got to get going, kiddo,” I said quietly.
“Okay, Daddy. I’m ready now. Vicky has other people to share her magic with. We have to let her go so she can fly.” This child was so wise beyond her years. I needed to glean strength from her.
Vicky took a few steps away, then turned back and waved. I waved back, my heart feeling like it was going to stop. We watched her until she disappeared around the corner.
As MJ and I slowly walked back to where we had parked the car, I wrestled with my feelings. When she asked about staying in touch, I almost agreed, but we both knew she needed to grow and explore everything out there, which meant I had to step back. Suddenly, a peace washed over me that I knew wasn't mine. I was doing the right thing, but it didn’t make the decision any easier.
While MJ snapped into her seat in the back as I closed her door, I looked toward where Vicky had gone, and my fingers came together to form a heart.
I whispered, “I love you, Vicky Lazzara.”
two years later
. . .
Miles
“I can’t believe she’s days away from being eleven. How did this happen?” I groaned.
Mom chuckled as I held my head in my hands. We were in my kitchen planning MJ’s upcoming birthday party that weekend. My company was doing so well, I was able to hire more staff and start taking a day off from time to time at Susan’s insistence.
As my office manager, she unfortunately got to see me at my worst when Vicky first left. Last year, in an attempt at tough love, she’d threatened to quit if I didn’t stop moping around the office.
My eyes slid to the letter MJ had left for me to read this morning when we left for school.
“Katy still able to be here?” Mom asked.
I smiled and nodded. “Yeah, she gets in the night before. She’s taking a day off from her tour as promised.”
“Well, she’s been keeping her word to our girl, I’ve got to say that.” Katy had been doing just that and had finally smoothed things over with my family. She and MJ spoke at least once a week when her band was touring and more often when she was back home in Texas. She signed with an indie record company back in the summer and was doing well.
MJ was excelling at school and had made so many friends that we had to move her party to the beach. She was quite the social butterfly amongher classmates and all the kids she’d befriended in her pottery, music, and STEM classes outside of school.
“How are we going to corral that many kids? I’ll have to hire people to make sure they don’t all wander off,” I said, looking over MJ’s invitation list that was close to thirty at this point.
“The kids are the least of your concerns. It’s themothersI’d be worried about if I were you,” she said with a smirk. “MJ says Joanna Murphy swoons every time she sees you in the drop-off line.” She laid her hand over her forehead and dipped backward like she was re-enacting something from the regency novel she told me about.
Shaking my head, I answered, “I should’ve never taken her on that date.”
