Page 38 of A Constant Love

My father had said that he was going to finally part with all of her old belongings, but I worried that after I left, he would lose his nerve and let them sit there for another four years.

Most of her clothes, I stuck into bags to donate. I wasn’t taking much to wear since we weren’t the same size. Although we could have both been considered petite, she was slightly taller, and I had much more of a backside than she did.

I did want to hang on to a couple of her old sweaters though…they still smelled like her. And I took her bottle of perfume…for when that smell started to fade.

Next, I asked my dad what he wanted. He opted to keep her favorite t-shirt. It was covered in holes, but he held it like it was the most valuable thing he would ever touch.

Everything else, we bagged up.

“You taking those to the thrift store?” Luke asked as we carried the bags into the living room.

“Actually, I have a better idea.” I turned to Tyler. “Want to go for a drive?”

“Sure.” He tossed me the keys. “Lead the way.”

I tossed them back. “Okay, but I have no clue how to drive that tiny sports car. Dad, I’m taking the truck.”

“Okay, be safe, you two,” Dad answered.

We carried all the bags to the back of the truck, threw them in, and climbed inside.

“So, where are we going, Kansas?”

“There’s a place a couple of towns over that I thought could use this stuff.”

Half an hour later, we were pulling up to a battered women’s shelter. After we parked, Tyler helped me grab all the bags out of the back and head inside.

An older woman with a kind demeanor greeted us as we walked in. Her eyes widened as she took inventory of all the bags we had.

“All of this is for donation?” She asked.

I nodded. “They belonged to my mother, but she passed, and I wanted someone to have them who might really need them.”

The woman wrapped me in a tight hug and thanked me.

“You have no clue how much something like this means to these women. God bless you.”

I returned the woman’s warm embrace and made a mental note to come back there and volunteer next time I was in town.

On the way back to the house, Tyler turned the music down and began speaking. “That was really amazing, Sam. Most would have just taken it to the secondhand store down the street, but not Sam Flemming. No, she drove it two towns over to get it to some women who really need it. Just another reason why I love you.” He kissed my hand.

“Well, I won’t even go into all the reasons why I love you because we would be here for weeks, but just know, I love you too.”

A comfortable silence fell between us for a few minutes. I had rolled the windows down in the truck to let in some fresh air. The weather was beautiful.

Despite this trip being an impromptu one, I found it very cathartic. I was finally trying to get some closure on things that had plagued me for years. I was trying to face some of my old demons.

And I wasn’t done yet.

My eyes glanced over at Tyler. “You mind if we take a detour before heading back to the house?”

Chapter 23 – Tyler

Twenty minutes later, Sam was pulling into an empty parking lot of what looked to be a high school football field. She pulled the truck as close as she could and threw it into park. We sat in silence for a few moments before she got out.

I followed her up the sidewalk leading to the entrance of the field. I found it odd that there was absolutely no lock on this place…or security of any kind. But I guess no one would bother vandalizing the mecca of this small town.

Sam didn’t look at me as she said, “Aren’t you going to ask me why we are here?”