One Wish Left

CHAPTER 17: GIFT

Donna got into the passenger seat of the car while her daughter made sure Kieran was properly buckled. She flipped down the visor to check in the mirror for mascara under her eyes. Not that she cared that much what she looked like right now. She'd just been through hell.

Laura got in the driver's seat and started the car. "Do you think Dad would have liked it?" she asked.

"He would have enjoyed the sermon. He always liked Pastor Jacobs. But what I wouldn't give to hear his thoughts on the eulogy from his boss!" Donna laughed tearfully. "You know your father always joked that Craig never knew he existed. I guess he was wrong."

Henry had worked as a chemist in a lab located just outside of Marion, and he'd always taken pleasure in the fact that he could work primarily alone and in relative silence. It wasn't that he hadn't enjoyed being around other people; he just worked more efficiently in a rather isolated environment. And though Henry himself tended to be on the quiet side of the spectrum, when he did speak, it was meaningful and necessary.

"I miss him so much," Laura whispered.

The women looked at each other, each one shedding fresh tears.

"As do I, dear. Now take me home. Your father wouldn't hold with us starving ourselves, now would he? Besides we have about four hundred casseroles to eat, and we'd better start somewhere."

Laura drove her small family back to her childhood home. Chicago had been home to Laura and Kieran for her stint in graduate school, and they stayed there after she had gotten a job at a local news station. Unfortunately, she'd hated her work there with a passion, so when her mother called seven months ago with the bad news about her father's health, she gladly quit her job and moved back home temporarily to help out.

Donna was preheating the oven when Laura joined her in the cozy, yellow kitchen.

"Ma, have you thought more about living with us in Chicago?" Laura asked. "I don't mean to push you, but I'm curious. And selfishly speaking, Kieran and I have loved having you around lately, so I think it would be hard for us to adjust back to being a family of two." She rubbed her mother's arm and gave it a light squeeze of affection.

"Yes, I have, and I think that could be a mutually beneficial arrangement," Donna said in her uniquely formal way of speaking. "With that being said, I know there will be a lot of changes coming up for all of us. You'll need to get a new job, a new home, and get Kieran enrolled back in school up there. I, on the other hand, will need to get this house ready to sell. I've decided to retire early, however, so I'll not be looking for work or anything like that, but I expect it will take a lot of time for me to say goodbye to this house and your father's things. That should give you plenty of time to get settled there before I join you."

Laura held her mother's hand. "I'm so glad to hear that, Ma. I know it's not what you would have picked, but I think it will be a blessing, all things considered."

Donna couldn't speak, so she gave her daughter a look of appreciation and squeezed her hand. When the oven beeped, she let go to put the frozen tuna noodle casserole inside.

"Is it ready yet?" asked Kieran, popping his head into the kitchen.

"Not yet, sweetie. It should be another 45 minutes or so. Would you like me to get a movie started for you?" Laura offered.

Kieran shook his head. "I'm looking at Grandpa's watch collection."

"Oh, honey. I'm not sure—"

"It's fine, dearest," Donna interrupted, smiling at her grandson. "You know where they all go, right?"

He nodded enthusiastically.