So Kiss Me

Ch 22

The months passed and Jaclyn healed, slowly, but surely. She stayed home for many of the winter months, homeschooling with her new guardian, Judy. The paperwork had been signed and Mr. Charity had been locked up for twenty-five or more years after being impeached.

The man who took his place was an ambitious former employee who had lived in that town his entire life. He was twenty-eight and had many ideas to make their town better. His first order of business was changing the curfews. It was now eight o'clock for children and eleven o'clock for teenagers under the age of eighteen. The teenagers all celebrated with a big party in one of the parks.

Jaclyn knew he was going to be much better and even visited him a few times with Judy to talk over things her father had done that needed mending or changing. He asked her to be a consultant to him on certain matters regarding the town and she agreed.

In the Spring, Jaclyn went back to school, being welcomed warmly by friends and teachers alike. They threw her a party in nearly every class and she felt unlike anything she'd felt in the past seven years of her life. She was happy. She was content.

Then, summertime came. She was now seventeen years old. Hunter had turned eighteen and immediately after Janet's birthday, proposed to her. The wedding was set for the following Spring. Sandra was still single, but had managed to achieve her first kiss with a boy who had asked to go steady with her. After kissing him and realizing he had only done it for a bet, she swore off men for a while and focused more on her schooling.

Jaclyn had finished off her junior year with straight A's, even with her being out for so long, and entered the summer months with excitement and eagerness for warm weather and freedom.

Though, with summer came an uncomfortable anniversary that Jaclyn could not escape. As it approached, she grew sad and forlorn, even lonely.

When the day actually came, she left the house before dawn and told no one where she was going. She walked a long time by herself. She walked through the park where she would always meet Sandra, she walked past it and to the city limits. She then began following a back road that led to a large bridge that was rarely used anymore.

She sighed as she ran her hand against the cold metal of the edge. Slowly, she then pulled herself up onto the edge, holding a crossed-over bar and sitting on the edge, looking out over the river beneath.

Taking a shaky breath and wiping a tear, she let her eyes trail over to the side of the river where lay two, wooden crosses. She had not visited these crosses in seven years and felt guilty beyond comprehension for not doing so.

After gathering courage, she got off the bridge and walked down the banking toward the crosses. On them were the names, 'Lianna' and 'Ryan.'

Taking another shaky breath, Jaclyn sat down in front of the two crosses and reached out slowly, feeling the weathered wood under her fingertips, "H-hi, mom. It's been too long and I'm so sorry."

She began to talk to the cross of her mother in a shaky voice with tears falling down her cheeks, "I've done the best I could. I tried to be the good girl you raised me to be, but I messed up. I hurt dad and now I'm all alone. I have no blood relatives left. I feel like I should have visited him in the prison before it happened, but I couldn't bring myself to."

Sobs escaped her lips, "Another inmate found out he'd hurt me and when the guards weren't looking, they got to him. He was in intensive care for a while, but they told me he went brain-dead. I tried so hard to take care of him, mom. I tried so hard. I just couldn't take it anymore!"

She turned to look at Ryan's cross now, "Ryan, I know you always told me to respect him and be a good girl and I let you down. I'm so sorry. I let this happen and it will haunt me forever...but--"

She stopped herself for a moment, then took a heavy breath and said, "But I'm glad he's not in power over me anymore. He abused me mentally and emotionally for six years, without either of us knowing it at the time. It wasn't until Garrett came along and threw off my routine that I realized what was happening.

"He was caring. He liked me. I liked him, too, but I couldn't get past dad's rules. He never let me be alone with boys, so I never knew how to act or what to say. Now that he's gone, I'm finally free, but--" she paused, choking back sobs, "But I'm still scared. I messed things up because of him and I fear he'll always have a hold over me."

Jaclyn moved her other hand to rest on Ryan's cross and when she did, she felt a sensation in her stomach that caused her to look up at the sky. Even though she knew it wasn't real, she felt she could see something in the wind. Something in the clouds. Something in the blue sky.

That something, to her, felt like freedom. It felt like a weight being lifted. It felt like closure.

"Mom?" Jaclyn asked quietly into the air.

The wind blew past her, blowing her hair and Jaclyn closed her eyes. Suddenly, in her mind, clear as day, she could see her mother and Ryan standing there. She saw them look at her with smiles on their faces and peace in their hearts. She slowly opened her eyes and when she opened them, she felt she could see them in front of her.

Slowly, she stood. She reached out her hands and felt the sensation on them of her family members taking her hands in theirs. She closed her eyes again, holding the air in her hands and their love in her heart.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw and felt nothing, physically, but inside her, she felt something different.

It felt as if, when they touched her, they gave her some of their peace. She felt relaxed and was able to smile. With a shaking lip and tears on her face, she whispered into the summer breeze, "Thank you, Momma."