“What, are you working for Hallmark now?If it’s meant to be, it will be.” I roll my eyes. “You sound like a cheesy greeting card.”
He smacks me upside the head.
“Ow!”
“True or false: the best things in your life — your spot on the varsity team, your college offers, your pitching skills — were simply handed to you, no strings attached.”
“False,” I mutter, rubbing the back of my skull.
“Exactly. You had to earn all those things. You had to work for them.” He pauses. “Why do you think love would be any different?”
“I… Well…” I trail off.
“Son. Love, like all the best things in life, is not a free handout. It takes effort. Time. Patience. Commitment.” He holds my stare, his eyes steady. “If you really want to be with someone… you have toearnthem.”
“Is that what you did? With Ma?”
He nods. “Your mother was not an easy nut to crack, as they say. Stubborn as they come, with a temper to boot. Not only that, her family was adamantly opposed to her marrying me. They wanted her to stay in San Juan forever, marry her neighbor, live one street over from the house she grew up in… It was not easy to convince her to leave behind everything she knew and start over with me in a strange new place, owning nothing but the shirts on our backs. For a while, the odds seemed stacked so high against me, I thought them insurmountable.”
“So how did you make it work?”
“I told her that a comfortable life with another man would not make her half as happy as an adventure with me. And then, I set out to prove it, every day.” A smile spreads across his face. “I don’t think she’s ever regretted her choice.”
“But what if…” I swallow hard. “What if being with you had put her in a situation where you couldn’t ensure her safety? What if her life would’ve been worse off for loving you? Would your decision have been the same? Would you still have taken her away from the security of that simple life in her hometown?”
Pa is silent for a long time. “I’m not sure I like your question. It makes my mind turn in uncomfortable directions.”
I glance sharply at the wall.
I’ve probably said too much.
He runs a hand through his hair, his expression contorted in deep thought. “It’s hard to say what I would’ve done. I would never knowingly put your mother in harm’s way. But, selfish as it sounds, I’m not sure I would’ve chosen any differently.” His lips twist. “I can’t live without her, you see.”
I do see.
All my life, I’ve seen how they are together. Flora and Miguel. A perfect match. Complementary in every conceivable way. They possess that rare kind of co-dependence seen most often in fiction.
“Archer.”
I look at him. “Yeah?”
“I know you. I know you would never put anyone in danger. Most especially Josephine. It’s clear as day how you feel about her, even if you can’t admit it yet.”
“Is it really that obvious?”
“Yes and no. Obvious is the wrong word. It’s more like…inevitable. Since you were no more than babies, the two of you have had a special connection. The way you move together — it’s like two planets sharing the same orbit. There’s a certain gravitational pull when you’re in the same room. It’s so strong, anyone who comes between you looks vastly out of place.” He laughs lightly. “Your mother and I have had a front-row seat for years. We knew it was only a matter of time before your planets collided.”
“But if it’s as you say —a collision— that’s not exactly a good thing, Pa. Two planets slamming into each other sounds like a recipe for disaster. I believe scientists would classify it as anextinction event, actually.”
He shrugs. “They’d also tell you that’s how Earth wound up with the moon. That beautiful floating thing in our night sky is just a byproduct of two planets colliding in space a few billion years ago.”
I stare at him. “Do you have an answer for everything?”
“Of course not. I’m just a handyman.” He winks. “Remember: sometimes, the only way to make something new is to break down what you have and start from scratch.” He pushes to his feet. “Now, come out to eat. Your mother made enchiladas.”
* * *
I’m helpingMa with the dishes when the cottage door swings open. We all turn at the sound, eyes widening.