Page 17 of The Other Side of Wild
I couldn’t help myself. I sat my butt right down on the concrete and looked this precious girl in the eye, and asked if I could give her a hug. She nodded and walked right into my open arms. At 6 years old, she shouldn’t be worried about losing her 8-year-old brother. “What sport do you want to play, sweetheart?” Her glassy brown eyes met mine as she shook her head.
“I don’t get to play sports yet; it’s Cade's turn.” No can do sweetie, you’ll play whatever you want if I have anything to do with it. This is the point of this event, and honestly, living with Abby has allowed me to put some money to the side. If I can help a kid or two on my own, I’m damn sure going to.
“But if you could play asport, what would it be?” Brushing a piece of her dark blonde hair out of her face, I give her what I hope is a reassuring smile.
“I like to dance, and I like to ride horses too. Daddy always used to take me to ride the horses on the beach. He said I’d make “one heck of a barrel racer” one day. I want to be a horsey vet when I’m older.” Her smile is blinding, and the tears that we’re threatening to spill are now filled with joy. Sweet baby girl.
“That’s a wonderful goal. I happen to know a really awesome dance teacher; I’m sure she’d love to have you in her class. And for free! I don’t know anyone who works with horses, but I could find out for you.” Her excitement is clear, her little arms flailing to the sides.
“No, no! Dance is good! I love to boogie.” She shows me just how much she loves to ‘boogie’ as she shakes her little hips and arms with absolutely no rhythm. But the joy in this moment is contagious; my head drops back behind me as I giggle right along with her. I’ll be calling my neighbor as soon as I leave to see if I can get her into a dance class. They deserve it.
While my heart broke for her, it further put into perspective why we’re holding this event. I know that’s only one story in a long line of heart-wrenching circumstances for many families. These kids all deserve a chance, and I’ll do my best to give that to as many of them as I can.
A little boy named Jonah walks up to me with a basketball in his hand; he looks at me and asks, “Do you think you could play horse with me? I like basketball the best of all the sports.” I am awful at basketball; the hopeful look he has is enough to do me in. I'd roll around in mud if he asked me to.
Of course, Jonah wins thegame; he gives me a fist bump and tells me I wasn’t the worst opponent he’s ever had. Sheesh, these kids are something else. If you ever want to be truly humbled, go hang out with kids 12 and under.
We wrapped up our day of fun by telling the kids and volunteers about the carnival itself. Who would be there, what kinds of food we’d have for them and if they needed money (the answer was a hard no) to partake in any events or games. As long as they had the shirts that we had made for them, they had free reign to play, eat, and ride anything they wanted to.
They gave Caroline, Dylan, and me bear hugs as we left, thanking us for playing with them and for helping them have a little hope they’d get to partake in something next season. Lilly and her brother Cade came up to me just before I walked out of the doors. She asked if she could give me a hug, and I happily obliged.
I asked Cade who he played for; he said, “Tampa Storm.” He then waved bye, took his sister by the hand, and went back inside. I called the Storm organization once I got in the car and paid his remaining dues for the next season. Next up on my call list is my neighbor, Melanie, to get a little princess in dance class.
Life may be unfair, but if you can help someone else, even if it’s just cracking a joke that makes them smile, you should. That’s been my life goal since I was ten; I just wanted to make people happy. I knew I couldn’t make my dad happy, no matter how hard I tried, so I thought maybe if I made enough other people happy, it’d make up for it.
Chapter 10 – Hannah
There are many reasons I love Beautiful Pour, one of which is that the atmosphere is light. Everyone who works here is friendly, and they always have the best music on. It usually doesn’t have words, but it helps me concentrate when I come here to work.
The coffee is truly the best, and they have homemade treats for dogs. But the main reason is how comfy the chairs are. Sounds weird. But the chairs feel exactly like the bean bags they have in the corner. I could sit here all day, and my legs wouldn’t fall asleep like they do when I’m in the office or on any other chair.
“Hey, Kitten.” His voice comes out strained in a way that immediately sends worry through me. When I look up at him, it’s like looking into the eyes of a stranger. The light blue I’m accustomed to seeing is dark and stormy, almost taking on a greyish tint.
“Hey, are you okay?” I close my laptop, giving him all my attention. He doesn’t respond; he just sits down across from me and slides me his phone. He has it silenced, but it’s vibrating left and right. I’m talking every couple of seconds. Reading the texts that are coming in, my hand covers my mouth.
“Greyson, what? Who is this?” I watch as his shoulders slump; he puts his elbows on the table and puts his head in his hands. These texts are horrible. They sound a whole lot like my dad used to.
“You wouldn’t be where you are without me, G.”
“I know you still think about me. I’m hard to forget.”
“No one else is goingto put up with your moods.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I miss you.”
“Please come back. We were meant to be together. We can start our family.”And the one that sets my blood ablaze.
“I’m not going to let you ruin my life because you think you’re too good for me. You’re nothing, Greyson. Nothing. I made you who you are.”
Every single one of them was from a different number; he couldn’t block it if he tried. I bring my head up to look at him, he’s staring at a spot on the table, but I can see the tears rimming his lashes. It’s like looking at a mirror of my high school self. I put my hand on his wrist and waited for him to look at me. “What can I do?” Iknowthis feeling. It’s bone-deep, embedded into the very fabric I’m made of.
“She won’t stop. She won’t leave me alone. I...” His voice breaks, and he starts to rock back and forth, hands pulling at his hair. My own eyes well with tears at the sight. “I can’t take it anymore.” My heart breaks for this man. The wound in my soul bleeds for the one in his.
The sight of him unraveling pulls at every protective instinct I have. “What do you need?”
“A hug, a restraining order. And probably a new phone number. Preferably in that order.” There’s the man I know; he’s in there somewhere. I walk around the table and give him a hug. My cheek rests on the top of his head; his rests on my shoulder. I mean, he is a giant compared to me.
As soon as I pull away, his phone vibrates again. This time, with a phone call, it’s not a number he has saved. Chances are pretty high it's her. “May I?” He nods.