We love you and miss you, Hunter.
Gram and Gramps xx
The Christmas card was much the same. Another short message, but this time a crisp ten-dollar bill.
We hope to have you with us soon.
All our love, Gram and Gramps xx
I opened all the cards slowly, taking in all the details. They changed to reflect me growing older. By the time I would have been sixteen, the fives had been replaced with tens, and the Christmas cards contained crisp twenties. But there was a card to mark each passing birthday and Christmas. Each one a hopeful note of seeing me soon.
None of this made sense. I didn’t understand. If they had loved me, why would my mother have told me differently? She never seemed to want me, so why didn’t she leave me here with them? I knew I had lived here, at least for a short time. She could have gone on with her life instead of dragging me around with her. She never really made a secret that, at times, she found me a burden. Why had she told me they were dead?
I shook my head, rubbing my eyes. A headache was beginning to form. I looked up, surprised to see how many hours had passed since I started looking at the box. The early morning sun was weak, barely breaking through the clouds, but the rain had stopped for now.
I stood, looking at the cards. I had them open on the table, displayed like you would on your birthday. The bright colors mocked me, out of place with the drab surroundings and my fractured mood. There was a small pile of cash and more envelopes to open, but I felt weary. Worn-out as if I’d been running a marathon.
I needed a distraction. I needed to get the tarp on the roof. I knew the rain would get heavier later, and water had already pooled in the pans I had set out. I didn’t want any further damage to have to repair. I would do the tarps, then have a shower and go back to the envelopes. The air outside would help clear my head so I could concentrate again.
I strapped on my tool belt and yanked a hoodie over my head. Cash, who had been sleeping while I sat at the table, stood by the front door, his tail wagging. He didn’t like the rain much, but he’d wander the yard a little, then sit on the porch while I was working. I slipped on my sneakers, needing the grip the soles would provide.
The air outside was heavy with humidity, the branches on the trees dripping with moisture. I turned on the boom box on the porch, the sounds of Hall & Oates filling the air and breaking the perpetual silence around me. I set up the ladder, grabbed the tarps, and headed up.
The roof was slick, and I carefully made my way over to the damaged area and began to work. It was slow going, the wind just annoying enough to pick up the edges and move them as I drove nails into the tarp to keep the protective layer in place. The drizzle began again, and I cursed under my breath every time I slipped on the wet tiles. Once again, Ava’s words came to mind, and I recalled rejecting her offer of asking Ronan or Liam for help. The job would have gone faster.
I finished the largest problem, then carefully made my way over to the other one. Smaller, but higher on the peak, it would be even more difficult. The wind began to pick up, the rain becoming heavier. I shivered as my clothing grew damp and the wind blew the rain into my face. Knowing it was only going to get worse, I cursed again but kept going. Slowly, I fitted the tarp over the damaged area, nailing as I went. My hands grew tired, and my mind drifted. I kept seeing Ava’s face. The hurt I had caused her. The fact that I had let her walk away. I should have called after her. I should have dragged her into my arms and begged her forgiveness. Allowed her to see the real reason for lashing out. Shared my fear. I constantly underestimated her. She would have understood and forgiven me. She would have sat with me while I opened the cards. Being Ava, she somehow would have helped me find the joy in the contents of the box instead of only adding to my confusion.
I was so deep inside my thoughts, I made a mistake. I stretched to nail a section I had missed, allowing my foot to rest on the tarp instead of the roofing tile. The slick, wet surface moved under my weight, throwing me off-balance. I grabbed for the chimney that was close by, the brick crumbling under my fingers. For a moment, I teetered, then stumbled, falling to the roof and hitting my head. I tumbled and rolled, grasping at air. The force of my body hitting it sent the ladder flying, and then I was airborne, the cold all around me. I braced for impact, the breath leaving my body as I hit the ground, my ankle twisting under me. Pain exploded in my torso, extending down my arms and legs. My head felt as if it had been struck with a sledgehammer, and for a moment, the world around me faded and grew black.