Unexpectedly, Milo - Matthew Dicks [141]
“It’s not about being brave,” Milo said. “It just took me this long to realize that this whole thing isn’t about me. I thought that by knowing all of Cassidy’s secrets, I had some kind of connection with her. I thought I could ride in on a white horse and be her hero. But she doesn’t even know me, and she sure as hell doesn’t need to see me today. She may never need to see me, and if that’s the way she wants it, that’s okay with me. If I knew that someone had watched my video diary and learned all my secrets, I’m not sure if I would want to meet them either. But she needs to see you, Emma. She needs to see that Tess Bryson is alive and well and know that what she did twenty years ago was good. That she’s the hero. This is about the two of you, Emma. Not me.”
Emma opened her mouth and then closed it again in what seemed to Milo as a preempted rebuttal. Then she reached up, placed her hands on his shoulders, and drew him close. “I can’t believe that a nerd who plays Dungeons and Dragons could say something so sweet.”
“Look who’s talking. You still sleep with the lights on.”
“Low blow, Milo.”
The two stood in the thick grass for a moment longer, smiling at each other, before Emma finally spoke. “Thank you, Milo. But this isn’t goodbye, right?”
“Hell, no. And if you need a ride to the train station or a place to sleep tonight, just call me. Okay?”
“All right. But I’m still going to tell her what a catch you are. I don’t care what you say.”
“Save it for later. You have too much catching up to do. And Emma, thank you.”
“For what? My splendid company?”
Milo thought for a moment, unsure how to condense so much into such a small space. Then he smiled again. “For catching me with the jelly,” he said. “And everything that came after that. You’ll never know how much it’s meant to me.”
“I have that effect on people,” Emma said, returning the smile.
The two embraced as the sun began to mingle among the trees that lined the edge of the park, and then Emma turned and began walking slowly toward Cassidy, shuffling her feet through the carpet of green. Milo began walking in the opposite direction but stopped after a moment and looked back. He looked on as Emma approached Cassidy from behind, tapped her lightly on the shoulder, and waited for her childhood friend to turn. Too far away to hear their words, he watched as Emma spoke first, taking pleasure in the unusual timidity and uncertainty in her posture. Then he smiled as Cassidy’s hands flew up to her face, cupping her mouth to muffle a scream that just managed to reach Milo’s ears. Emma spoke again, for longer than Milo would have expected, as Cassidy stood frozen in place, staring at her friend, before reaching out and embracing Emma with all her might. The two were still clutching each other a minute later when Milo finally turned and headed back across the field to his car, the demands of life already reasserting themselves in his mind.
He was late in picking up his dog.
epilogue
Unsure of what she preferred, Milo had purchased nine different kinds of candy, ranging from Twizzlers to Whoppers to the pink Canada Mints, which, much to Milo’s dismay, were not actually manufactured in Canada. He had stuffed them all into a brown paper bag, which was sitting between his feet and ready to go as soon as she arrived. This was his first date since he and Christine had negotiated the details of their divorce four weeks before, and even though they would have to wait six more weeks for it to be official, Milo had decided that it was time to return to the dating scene.
Emma’s prodding had certainly helped.
Thick-Neck Phil had already moved in with Christine and was assisting with the refinance and eventual buyout of Milo’s interest in the home, even though his soon-to-be-ex-wife had assured Milo repeatedly that nothing had happened between the two of them until well after the divorce papers had been served. Milo had his doubts but was surprised