for a few seconds and then points to me. “If you saw what I did, you’d know this can’t wait!”
Luke looks at me, his brow furrowed. “Megan, what are you doing here?”
“I thought maybe you could help me with—”
Luke shakes his head and mouths the word “no.”
“You never mind him; I can help you and the little girl,” Nona says.
She looks to the window, and I turn and see Remy standing quietly, the curtains floating gently through her.
“You see her too?” I ask.
“Is there something here, Nona?” Luke asks. He peers around the room, but his eyes don’t stop on Remy. I give him a quizzical look. He puts a finger up to his lip and shakes his head. It’s obvious he doesn’t want me to talk about what happened at Land of Enchantment, but I don’t know why.
“Yes, there is a little girl who needs my help.”
“Nona, enough already. You almost fainted.”
Nona shakes her head and pushes herself up from her chair. “ I can handle this, Luka. Make yourself useful and bring over the chair. I’ll sit if that’ll get you off an old woman’s back.”
Luke drags the chair over across from mine. Nona plops down and reaches out for my hand.
“It’s hard work healing with these old hands of mine, but God gave me this gift,” she says, glaring at Luke, “and I won’t turn anyone away—not when I can make them better.”
I look at Luke biting his lip as he stands behind Nona’s chair.
“Tell me what happened to your sister,” Nona says quietly. “I must know everything so I can help her move on.”
I take a deep breath. How did she know Remy was my sister? My next thought is that I don’t want to even think about the accident, let alone give a blow by blow. I shake my head, trying to keep the tears at bay.
“It’s okay,” Nona whispers. “Let it go.” She gently takes both of my hands, and I feel that sense of calm coursing through me again. “Tell Nona.”
I close my eyes and see Remy and me sitting in the backseat of our old orange Volvo. “We … we were driving to a restaurant for my dad’s birthday. Mom was going to meet us there.”
Dad was going too fast along the river. We were running late, because Remy had to find her favorite purple sundress. It was too short, and Mom was forever putting it in the bag of clothes to bring to Goodwill, and Remy was forever fishing it out.
Remy dumped several bags piled in the sun porch out onto the floor, making a total mess, until she found it. Dad didn’t even make her pick up all the clothes, and I knew Mom would have a fit when we all got home.
My lip trembles as I remember I’d been looking forward to Remy getting in trouble when Mom saw she was wearing the dress.
“Keep going,” Nona whispers.
I nod and continue. “The sky got really, really dark. Lightning streaked past and Remy, my sister, counted the seconds until the thunder clapped. ‘It’s close, Daddy,’ she said, and then the rain came.
“I could barely see out the windshield, and then there was another flash of lightning ahead of us. Just as the thunder boomed, rocks rained down onto the car as the cliff on the side of the road gave way.” I swallow hard. “The landslide pushed us off the road and the car flipped twice before we hit the river.
“The car landed on its side and was swept downstream until it slammed up against a boulder. Remy’s window smashed, and then water came in.”
I close my eyes and hear the sound of the river in my head—our screams. “Remy tried to undo her seat belt as the water filled the car. I was hanging from my booster seat, and I tried to reach her but I couldn’t. I cried for Dad to help, but he was unconscious in the front seat and just about under too. By the time the current pushed the car upright again, Remy wasn’t breathing and my dad never woke up.”
Nona squeezes my hand as she rocks back and forth. I feel surprisingly light and calm despite the fact that I just relived the accident.
She drops my hands
Luke looks at me, his brow furrowed. “Megan, what are you doing here?”
“I thought maybe you could help me with—”
Luke shakes his head and mouths the word “no.”
“You never mind him; I can help you and the little girl,” Nona says.
She looks to the window, and I turn and see Remy standing quietly, the curtains floating gently through her.
“You see her too?” I ask.
“Is there something here, Nona?” Luke asks. He peers around the room, but his eyes don’t stop on Remy. I give him a quizzical look. He puts a finger up to his lip and shakes his head. It’s obvious he doesn’t want me to talk about what happened at Land of Enchantment, but I don’t know why.
“Yes, there is a little girl who needs my help.”
“Nona, enough already. You almost fainted.”
Nona shakes her head and pushes herself up from her chair. “ I can handle this, Luka. Make yourself useful and bring over the chair. I’ll sit if that’ll get you off an old woman’s back.”
Luke drags the chair over across from mine. Nona plops down and reaches out for my hand.
“It’s hard work healing with these old hands of mine, but God gave me this gift,” she says, glaring at Luke, “and I won’t turn anyone away—not when I can make them better.”
I look at Luke biting his lip as he stands behind Nona’s chair.
“Tell me what happened to your sister,” Nona says quietly. “I must know everything so I can help her move on.”
I take a deep breath. How did she know Remy was my sister? My next thought is that I don’t want to even think about the accident, let alone give a blow by blow. I shake my head, trying to keep the tears at bay.
“It’s okay,” Nona whispers. “Let it go.” She gently takes both of my hands, and I feel that sense of calm coursing through me again. “Tell Nona.”
I close my eyes and see Remy and me sitting in the backseat of our old orange Volvo. “We … we were driving to a restaurant for my dad’s birthday. Mom was going to meet us there.”
Dad was going too fast along the river. We were running late, because Remy had to find her favorite purple sundress. It was too short, and Mom was forever putting it in the bag of clothes to bring to Goodwill, and Remy was forever fishing it out.
Remy dumped several bags piled in the sun porch out onto the floor, making a total mess, until she found it. Dad didn’t even make her pick up all the clothes, and I knew Mom would have a fit when we all got home.
My lip trembles as I remember I’d been looking forward to Remy getting in trouble when Mom saw she was wearing the dress.
“Keep going,” Nona whispers.
I nod and continue. “The sky got really, really dark. Lightning streaked past and Remy, my sister, counted the seconds until the thunder clapped. ‘It’s close, Daddy,’ she said, and then the rain came.
“I could barely see out the windshield, and then there was another flash of lightning ahead of us. Just as the thunder boomed, rocks rained down onto the car as the cliff on the side of the road gave way.” I swallow hard. “The landslide pushed us off the road and the car flipped twice before we hit the river.
“The car landed on its side and was swept downstream until it slammed up against a boulder. Remy’s window smashed, and then water came in.”
I close my eyes and hear the sound of the river in my head—our screams. “Remy tried to undo her seat belt as the water filled the car. I was hanging from my booster seat, and I tried to reach her but I couldn’t. I cried for Dad to help, but he was unconscious in the front seat and just about under too. By the time the current pushed the car upright again, Remy wasn’t breathing and my dad never woke up.”
Nona squeezes my hand as she rocks back and forth. I feel surprisingly light and calm despite the fact that I just relived the accident.
She drops my hands
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