Broken Clocks

Happy Ends Part 7

(26)

Another few weeks went by quickly turning into another month of this cold hell. This morning I realised that it's been a year of sitting in the middle of the damn forest. Jack had just left to town and Ever had grown the habit of sleeping late, which of course made me happy. Jack was right, she's back to her happy, joyful, teasing self. And she knows she can talk to us whenever she needs us. In many ways it has grown all of up closer.

I got off the ground with sore aching shoulders and a throbbing back. As soon as I stumbled up to my feet with the usual numb legs and half asleep body I say Jack running down the small hill, jumping over logs and tumbling over the rough forest floor.

"Jack, love you're going to break a damn ankle that way slow down."

Of course he didn't listen, and he just jumped down to me landing wrong and roughly rolling.

"Son of a buttered biscuit on sunday."

"See that hurt! I told you."

"No one likes a know it all."

"Obviously some people do or I wouldn't be your boyfriend."

"Not helpin' the know it all thing ya know."

"Why are you back anyway?" I asked helping him up to his feet.

He gingerly pulled out a newspaper from his inner coat pocket. I saw it funny that he has being so gentle now when he had ran and jumped with this in his pocket not even five minutes ago. The paper was crinkled and had some small rips in it. Then he tour a rectangular shape off the paper and handed it to me, the sides were jagged and and soft. The paper having dirt stains on it but the ink was dark and fairly fresh, printed today ink. On the small column it read, After a hole dang year those rail men left assuming the fugitives they came for dead.

I Jumped into his arms, "We can go home!"

He flinched a little at when I jumped, me forgetting about his poor choice of leaping down to me. Then he ran his fingers through my hair like he so often does.

Softly and cheerfully he said, "Yah love, yah we can."

(27)

We waited for Ever to wake up and when we showed her the paper she had the same reaction as me. We all hopped up from the ground and quickly walked to town. As Jack and Ever walked to May's I branched off to the barber shop. I could feel my stomach wrench as I opened the door and the bell made its small jingle. I don't know why I was so nervous, I know Mark. He was, is, a father that I never had growing up.

I slowly walked into the shop, and a familiar raspy voice came from the back.

"Be with ya quicker then you can say that's a Jack rabbit if I ever say it son."

I quietly walked to the backs entrance and waited for him to turn around. He looked the same as the day we all can to town. Silver hair with white highlights, his four o'clock shadow and curved mustache, tiny circle copper glasses, hunched posture, and faded blue eyes.

"Hey there old timer."

He paused and turned, quickly his soft face grow wrinkled and eyes squinted as he went into a smile.

He gave me a tight hug, patting my back gentle. I took the hug welcomingly without hesitation even though it wasn't normal for men to hug. But a lot of things aren't normal, that doesn't mean it's rightfully so.

"George," he said revealingly, "Welcome home. Me and May were hoping ya'll would still be here, it woulda broke our hearts if you'd left. That's why we put that note in the newspaper, just a glimmer of hope and it turned to a sunray."