Trekking his way across the grass, he was about to call out for her when he saw her through the glass. Keeping his footsteps soft, he approached. Cherish was alone in a room with no one to hear her but Emily and the other deceased. She bounced Jasmine in her arms quietly while staring down at Emily’s marker. There were many emotions rumbling in her frame. Still, she didn’t feel justified to have them. As though she wasn’t allowed to mourn when there were so many others who knew Emily better than her. Biting on her bottom lip, Cherish took a step forward, “Hi Emily. I uh…don’t know if you remember me or the sound of my voice, but it’s me…Cherish. I…well, I have a daughter who, thanks to you and your wonderful family, is being taken care of. Jr. is so beautiful, and you did such a wonderful job bringing him into this world. If you didn’t know, Simon took me in because they were threatening to take Jasmine away from me. You have a good man, Emily. Neither of you deserved this. Jr. is fine and healthy, but Simon… I worry about him every day and night because I know he can’t live without you. But he must and that’s unfair. I am so sorry that I lost your number. I am so sorry that I let Todd drag me away. I wish we had more than two hours together and I wish I had taken your offer. I know that I wouldn’t have done anything to change what has happened, but I just…wish I knew you more. I shouldn’t be the one taking care of Jr., you should. I shouldn’t be the one sleeping in your bed, you should. I don’t deserve this. I shouldn’t be here…” Cherish lowered her head and wiped the tears from her eyes, “…I shouldn’t…be here.”
Inhaling a deep breath, she rolled her eyes towards the ceiling and waited a moment, “The one thing I can do is promise to watch over Simon and Jr. for you. To repay you, Simon, Jr., your parents, Margaret, and Simon’s dad, I will do everything in my power to watch over them. For as long as they will have me. I will make sure Jr. knows you and Jasmine. Jasmine needs to know the woman who gave up her life to save her mother’s. I will forever be indebted to you, to your kindness, and your family. I will never, ever cross any lines with them. You are forever…and will be forever remembered.” She whispered.
Wiping the water from her face again, Cherish released a shaken huff and continued to stare. The sky was bright blue, birds chirped, and the sun shined brightly through the glass window. She smiled to herself softly, looked around, and spoke to Emily as though she could hear her, “It’s a beautiful day. I wish you were here to see it.”
There was a shuffled footstep in the doorway which alerted Cherish. She turned around and was met face to face with Simon. Just as she was about to ask him what he was doing, her stomach dropped as she caught sight of his face. His eyes were filled with tears and he stared at her with complete trust. The look on his face alone told her he’d heard what she said, and a saddened smile crossed her cheeks while tears filled her eyes.
Taking broad steps towards her, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her with Jasmine between them. She got everything off her chest to Emily and every promise she made to his wife made him more than thankful. Cherish sounded as though she was undeserving, but she didn’t have a clue what a blessing she was. His hand pressed into her hair and brought her tighter into his chest. With her free arm, Cherish held his back and rested her forehead on his collarbone. Silent tears slipped from the corners of her eyes and down the sides of her cheeks. Crying and releasing her pent-up emotions, she wet the lapel of Simon’s jacket.
Shutting his eyes, Simon stayed with her for a long time with a steady hold on her head. It was time she had someone to support her, if even for a few minutes. By the time they’d naturally released, he looked down at her and Jasmine and a little felt better. He felt right by taking care of others and Cherish was someone he knew would return the sentiment for him and his family, “As you said, it’s a beautiful day. It only seems right to go outside.” He whispered.
Cherish’s nose was stuffed up and her face was wet, but she nodded and wiped her eyes, “Yeah. I think she’d want us to enjoy it.” she whispered with a twisted, bittersweet smile. Cherish looked to Emily one last time and swallowed the knot in her throat, “Goodbye.” She whispered before walking with Simon out of the double doors.
Sniffing, Simon led the way outside and into the sunlight. Waiting for her to move ahead of him, he looked back towards Emily’s plaque, gave a soft smile, and with a long creak, shut the gated door. His wife was immortalized within all of them and Simon could move forward safely without being alone.
Chapter 7
July.
The next four weeks were very different for Cherish and Simon. During the first week, they continued to lay around and do much of nothing. The grandparents came and
