90 Miles to Freedom by K. C. Hilton Page B

friend,” Adelio said gently. “I didn’t know. If I had known … I’m sorry. I am very sorry.”
    “ How could you know?” Collin kept his eyes averted. He wanted to clear his thoughts, move on, but he was too torn up. He wasn’t angry with Adelio. No, it was worse than that. He was disappointed and felt he had been let down. Not only had Collin lost his parents, but he also felt as if he’d lost his friend.
    “ Again, I’m sorry,” Adelio said. “I wish I could have been here for you. I know what it feels like to lose your parents, but not at the same time. I am sorry.”
    Collin sighed. “I’m sorry too, Adelio. I don’t mean to take this out on you. It’s just that I needed a friend. That’s all. Anyway, today I’m just happy as hell to see you again. Enough about me. How are your wife and baby? Did you have a boy or a girl?”
    Now it was Adelio’s turn to look away, but Collin could see sadness fill his dark eyes. Collin felt immediately guilty. Something was very wrong, but he’d been so consumed by his own selfish rant he hadn’t spared a thought for his friend.
    “ My wife and baby died during child birth. She got sick a few days before going into labor. After that she was too weak. The baby was stillborn.” He sniffed and wiped a hand over his eyes. “It was a boy,” he said softly.
    Collin set his hand on Adelio’s shoulder and squeezed gently. “I’m the one who should be sorry, Adelio. I didn’t know of your loss either, and you needed a friend too. I’m sorry I wasn’t here for you. I’m very sorry for your loss.”
    Collin didn’t know what else to say. He and Joey had heard those same words over and over at his parents’ funeral, but he’d never had to say it to anyone before. “I’m sorry for your loss,” had always seemed like something people said when they didn’t really know what else to say. At the time, he’d gotten so tired of hearing those words. It surprised him to hear his own voice saying the same ones to Adelio.
     
     

Chapter 23
     
    Collin abruptly changed the subject. He didn’t want to speak about death anymore. It was too painful. “Have you been out here much in the past year?”
    “ Yes. I have been coming two to three days a week, hoping to catch you out on the water,” Adelio said. “I’ve been wondering what happened to you as well. I assumed that I would see you, but you never came. I thought something bad might have happened to you.” Adelio lowered his eyes. “And it had.”
    Collin shook his head. “But I’ve been checking online every day, and I didn’t see anything from you. I would never have thought you’d be here. Today was a total coincidence,” Collin blurted. “Up until today, I hadn’t been on the water for an entire year.”
    “ I couldn’t risk contacting you online. So I continued to come here,” Adelio replied. “But how could you have known? Our last meeting was so short, and I’m sorry for that”.
    “ I never would have thought to come out here. You seemed so concerned that I figured this was the last place you’d come. Anyway,” he said, grinning, “I’m just glad you’re okay. I’ve been worried about you.”
    “ I’ve been worried about you, too,” Adelio replied, smiling back at Collin. “Shall we do some fishing?”
    Collin and Adelio fished and talked for hours, going well into the evening. For Collin this evening’s chance meeting changed everything. A small piece of his life, which he’d thought had been lost, had returned. He had his friend back, someone to talk to. He knew he’d always had Joey, but it just wasn’t the same as having a best friend in whom he could confide. From this point on he felt confident life would get better.
    By the end of the evening Collin had gained an optimistic new outlook on life. He felt encouraged and strong enough to once again take control of his life. It was time to get back to work and take care of Joey, and make sure he went to college. It was