Page 34 of Wild Abandon

“You kept them for her. Even after she died. That’s beautiful.”

“I gave up on them once. After Rosemary died.”

“How did they survive?”

“Love never dies.”

My chest surges with an intake of air. Overtaken with emotion, I look down at my fingers and knot them on my lap. “I’ve never known a love that strong. I’m afraid I’ll never find it, or worse, I’ll miss it.”

Big Ed taps his hand on my knee and takes a long deep breath, inhaling the scent of the burgundy petals blooming, even as the sun rolls down behind the hills. I look back at him.

His face is mostly in shadows now, but his voice bellows clear and with purpose, “Love is like wine. You can’t add sugar and mask the flavor, pretending it’s something it’s not. Love is like that. When you meet the right person, you’ll know. And you won’t be able to let it go.”

“Scarlet has a doctor’s appointment on Thursday at ten.”

“I hate the doctor.”

“You’ll be fine, Squirt. Oh, babe, there’s a bottle-and-cork show on Main next weekend.”

“That sounds fun. Crystal hasn’t been to one yet.”

“Really? Have you even been to a wine tasting yet?”

“Crystal?”

“Earth to the Video Vixen.”

“Is she okay? I think she’s fallen comatose. I read this book—”

“Scarlet, hush. Crystal, are you okay?”

“There’s a naked man on the porch.”

“A UFO was just spotted above Sonoma.”

“Kanye West was elected President.”

“Channing Tatum announced he’s gay.”

“Did you see—”

“Ow!” I shout at the feeling of something really hard hitting my side. I look to my left and see Scarlet’s fist up and ready to take another shot at me. “What the hell did you do that for?”

“I can’t listen to them spout nonsense, trying to get your attention.”

“What are you talking about?” I rub my tender and quite possibly bruised side. Seriously, she’s incredibly strong for an eight year old. I look up to see Naomi and Jeremy staring at me in bafflement. “What’s wrong with you guys?”

Naomi’s forehead creases. “You’ve been sitting there in a daydream for the last ten minutes. What’s up with you?”

I look down at my plate of untouched food and my glass filled to the brim. I try to think of what we were just talking about. I recall sitting down at the table and Naomi bringing the pasta. Then, Jeremy started talking about work, and I just started to daze.

I suppose I was daydreaming. No, not about a white knight or a handsome connoisseur. I was thinking about Big Ed. Here is a man who had nothing. Then, with the help of an elder stranger, he had a home for himself and his bride, and he was taught to run a business, one he knew nothing about. When Old Man Russet died, he left his entire estate to Ed.

The two men must have had an incredible relationship for him to give his entire inheritance away like that. To treat someone you’ve never known as your son and leave him everything you love.

Together, they had built up that winery, but then, one day, Ed closed up shop. I wonder if it was after Rosemary had died. That was ten years ago. He loved her so much. He couldn’t bear to carry on.

I can picture Ed in his hatred for the world, following his wife’s death, staring at those roses, waiting for them to die along with everything else that is good. And his frustration when, day after day, despite his neglect, they just kept blooming with their roots buried deep in the ground—clinging to life, never faltering, and, surely, never dying.