Sunflower

29-EPILOGUE

Finnigan

This, is a love story. 

A story about how I fell so deeply in love that I couldn't think of anything else. 

A story about how my smiles became real. 

A story about how I found a love so pure that it saved me. 

And then how I lost it. 

But I found it again, and this time, I refuse to let it go. 

Let her go. 

***

I sit down, feeling the soft, green grass underneath my hands. I nervously fidget, trying to find the words. "Hey, mom." I start with. 

Ah, shit. I can already feel the tears welling up, because I instantly feel warmer, like she's wrapping me up in a tight hug. I close my eyes.

"I guess I just wanted to start with an apology," I nervously bite my lip. "I know this wasn't either of our fault, I know that, but I still feel terrible for all the blame I put onto you. All the hatred. What happened to us was so," I swallow, blinking slowly. "So awful."

College was a way for me to find who I was, to find a new way to cope. And I did. I met so many wonderful people, and me and the guys got so much closer. 

I've learned a lot more about them, things they never told me, things they should've. 

But it made us all stronger. 

Everything came together so perfectly, like pieces of a puzzle you can finally click together. 

We became more mature, we learned, we taught, and we loved. 

We loved a lot.

Bev helped with everything, she was always by my side. 

"There's a lot that's happened since I was last here. Let's see..." I take a second to think. 

"I met a girl." A smile makes its way onto my face. 

"Everything's going so great. She saved me, always kept me in check. College really helped, and I feel like I really know myself as a person. I made a lot of cool friends. I reached out, learned to talk to people. I even made friends with some teachers." I chuckle. A gust of soft wind flows against me, as if she's laughing with me. 

"I wish you were here. You weren't supposed to be taken from me that soon. And now that I know what happened, it makes things harder to wrap my head around. But I love you, mom. I'm sorry I didn't visit more, but I'm sure you could understand why I didn't." 

We sit in silence for a while, and oddly enough, it's comfortable. 

"Mom, I want you to meet someone," I turn around, waving her over. She smiles and walks towards us, carefully. 

She sits next to me in silence. "Mom, this is my wife, Beverly." I smile at her, and she sets down the most precious, and one of the most important things in my life in my lap. "And this is my daughter," I smile, feeling her tiny fingers wrap around my bigger one. 

"Her name is Luna."