He hasn’t been back to the small farming community, three hours from L.A., for more than a decade. He thought this would be a pleasant trip, a chance to reconnect, and he didn’t expect to be overwhelmed by the feelings of melancholy.
“Do you remember our old next door neighbors?” Ella gently rocks on the swing.
“Thomas and Mary? The quiet couple?”
“That’s them.” She smiles. “Very strict religious people. They never liked us. We were too wild for them.”
“I remember that you used to sit outside their front fence and play the saxophone very loud, just to make them angry.”
“I was only twelve at the time.” She laughs at the memory. “And they would come out and tell me off, but I’d just keep playing. I’d say I was on public property and they couldn’t stop me.”
“You rebel,” Bill laughs.
“I wonder if they’re still there? Maybe we could say hello.”
“Did you bring your saxophone?”
She smiles, leaning her head into the chain on the swing. “We did have a good childhood, didn’t we?”
“We did,” Bill nods. “Before it all fell apart; things were quite perfect.”
They sit on the swings early on a Sunday morning, the fresh gentle breeze filling their lungs.
“Thanks for organizing this out here.” Ella pulls her hair back over her ears. “I think it’s perfect.”
They hear the car before they see it.
The old Ford clunks to the side of the park, a long trail of smoke following it.
As the front door creaks open, out steps another Harvey man, dressed in a suit, although not as fine as his older brother’s. This suit has seen many owners, and has now made its way into the hands of a former drug addict who is determined to make amends in his life.
Jonathon Harvey draws a long breath, nerves filling his whole body. He holds the large bouquet of flowers, the best he could afford, and begins to walk towards the swings.
With tears building on each step, he tries to calm himself with deep breaths.
Ella Townsend, the youngest sibling, stands from the swing and begins to walk towards her long-lost brother.
“Ella,” he says as she walks closer. “I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I-”
Before he can continue, she leaps and embraces him in a tight hug, squashing the flowers between them. The hug lasts a long time with tears flowing freely, turning Jonathon into a sobbing mess.
Eventually, Ella pulls away from the hug, staring up at her brother, the one she hasn’t seen for two decades. The tears roll down her cheeks, but her smile is honest.
“I got you these,” Jonathon grins as he looks down at the squashed bouquet between them.
“Thanks,” Ella wipes her tears away with the back of her hand. “Thanks, bro.”
As the elder statesman, Bill Harvey stands back, proud that his siblings have found each other again.
Jonathon looks to him, providing him a gentle nod.
And with that simple gesture, decades of pain and anguish melt into the past.
A quiet, new beginning for a broken, lost family.
THE END
Also by Peter O’Mahoney
In the Bill Harvey Legal Thriller Series:
Will of Justice
Redeeming Justice
In the Tom Whiskey Private Investigator Series:
Whiskey Justice
The Max Harrison Series with Patrick Graham:
Criminal Justice
Defending the Innocent
The Paid Juror
Burning Justice
The Girl on the Road
Fire and Justice: A Legal Thriller (Bill Harvey Book 3) Page 16
