llie. I know I could never apologize for the pain I caused her…” Her voice broke off as a tear rolled down her cheek.
I almost felt sorry for her—almost. “Mrs. Johnson, I’m sorry you made such a long trip out here, but I really think it would be best if you let Ellie decide if she wants to speak with you. ”
She nodded. “I spoke with Sue yesterday. She let me know that both Jeff and Ellie now have kids and…” She started crying and then quickly composed herself. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to cry like that. It’s my own fault. I don’t deserve their forgiveness. I have no right to even ask this, but…Gunner, will you please do me a favor?”
“Of course I will. ”
She reached into the basket and pulled out a letter. As I went to take it, I noticed her hand was shaking.
“I also bought some things for the babies. Sue told me their names were Luke and Alexandra. ”
I smiled and nodded before I looked down at all the gifts in the basket.
“I’m not trying to buy their love. I just…I don’t know. I just wanted to do something. I’ve been working for a doctor’s office for nine months now. I’m actually going to nursing school. I was in nursing school before the kids’ father left and my world fell apart. I should be done this summer. ”
“That’s wonderful…Mrs. Johnson. I’m sorry. I don’t even know your first name. ”
She let out a small laugh. “My name is Sharon. ”
I held out my hand and shook hers.
She smiled as she handed me the basket. “Well, please let Ellie know that I’m here if she needs…um…well, I know she doesn’t need me. Please have her call me if she’s willing to give me a second chance. I understand that your mother is very kind to Ellie. I’m so very…um…so very happy that she, um…”
“It’s okay, Sharon. I understand what you’re trying to say. Is your phone number in the letter?”
“Yes. I wrote each of them a letter. I do love both Ellie and Jeff. I don’t know that person who treated her daughter with such hate. My husband was my life. I gave everything up for him, and he just walked away from me, like I was nothing. When he told me that he’d only stayed because of Ellie…well, I guess I used that against her even though the poor soul had nothing to do with any of it. I see that now, but I didn’t see it when I was drunk. All I looked for was a way to drink away the pain. Ellie is so much stronger than I ever was. ” She shook her head as if she were clearing her thoughts. “Anyway, I’m so glad she found you, and you took her away from me. It was a blessing in disguise. It took losing everything to see what I had. ”
I didn’t know what to say, so I just stood there, staring at her.
“Well, good-bye, Gunner. Thank you for your time. ”
As she turned and started to walk toward her car, I noticed it had new plates on it.
A few months back, Jeff had told me that his mother had contacted him through his lawyer. She’d wanted to sell their house and buy a condo to get away from all the bad memories. Ellie had wanted so badly to ask where their mom had gone, but she’d avoided the subject, and Jeff had never given Ellie a reason for selling the house. Later, Jeff had mentioned to me that he’d let his mother keep all the equity in the house since it was really her house, but for the last nine months, she had been sending money to his lawyer to pay the equity back to Jeff.
She looked back one last time and gave me a weak smile as I heard the door open behind me. I spun around to see Ellie walking out.
“Mom?” Ellie barely got out.
Sharon didn’t hear Ellie, and she was just about to get into the car.
Ellie called out, “Mom!”
Sharon stopped and snapped her head up toward the house.
“Ellie,” Sharon said as she started to cry.
Ellie grabbed my hand before she started to walk us toward her mother. My heart was beating a mile a minute.
“Ellie,” Sharon said as tears were rolling down her face.
Lord, please don’t let her mother hurt her again. Please.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“Mom? Why?” I asked on the verge of tears.
My mother started to move toward me as she began crying harder.