looks up at the moon for a long time. “For a family,” he finally says so softly that I barely hear him. “But I don’t think Make-A-Wish grants stuff like that.”
“Maybe we don’t need Make-A-Wish to grant our wishes,” I say. I open my arms and beckon Logan over. He climbs onto my lounge chair and snuggles up against me under my blanket.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, Katelyn and Frankie have sort of been your family, haven’t they? Like a big brother and sister?”
“I guess. But I still don’t have parents.”
“Maybe a parent doesn’t have to be someone who has legal custody of you. Maybe a parent can just be someone who loves you and would do anything for you.”
He looks up at me, but he doesn’t say anything.
“Maybe,” I conclude, “a parent can be someone like me.”
We try to stay awake, but our eyelids grow heavier, and just past one in the morning, as Logan and I are wishing on stars and Frankie and Katelyn are holding each other close, we drift off to sleep.
I WAKE UP the next morning in my own bed, startled, despite myself, to realize how easily we’ve been transported back to Atlanta. I feel a pang of longing for the day the four of us shared, but Logan was right; I don’t think this gift of additional days is meant for fun and games. I think it’s meant to let us attain the things that really matter in life. And when everything is stripped away, vacations and possessions don’t mean a whole lot. The things that count are the things you hold in your heart.
I spend the next ten repetitions of the day going through the same motions. Each day, I save Merel. Each day, I visit with Logan, and we talk about everything—our fears, our dreams, the things we’ll miss when we’re gone. Each day, I smile to myself as I watch Frankie and Katelyn grow more and more smitten with each other. I also continuously fend off Sheila’s suggestions that I need to get laid, and I avoid Dr. Frost’s office like the plague. I run into Jamie here and there, but each time, I’m careful to exchange only a few pleasant words with him, although he seems to keep materializing wherever I am. I know I’m developing feelings for him, and it scares me, because they’ll always be one-sided.
On the sixteenth day, as I touch the tree and ask it for one more day, I hear a whisper through the branches. “Listen to your heart,” says a small female voice.
“What?” I say aloud, startled. I look around, but there’s no one else nearby. I lean in a little closer and, feeling foolish, I ask the tree, “Are you talking to me?”
“Love tells you everything you need,” the tree whispers. “But you have to trust in it.”
“What do you mean?” I ask. But the tree is silent.
I ask a few more questions, but when I don’t receive an answer, I back away, mystified. I take the elevator up to the eighth floor and make a beeline for Logan’s room.
“The tree talked to me,” I blurt out as I walk through his door.
He looks up and grins. “Oh good! What did it say?”
“That I should listen to my heart and trust in love. But seriously, Logan, why is this the first time I’ve heard from it?”
“It means you’re learning.”
“Learning?”
Logan nods. “The tree begins to talk with you once you’re on the right road.” His smile fades a little as he adds, “But I think when it talks to you, it also means you’re a little closer to the end. It’s guiding you exactly where you need to be.”
“But I’m not ready for this to end yet!”
“Don’t worry. It’s been talking to me for months now, and I’m still here.”
“What’s it saying?”
Logan hesitates. “That being part of a family means wanting the best for someone, and loving them, no matter what.”
I smile at him. “Smart tree.”
“The tree knows everything , Jill. That’s why I think it’ll be okay when it’s finally time to go too.”
“How do you know when it’s time to go?”
“I think the tree tells
“Maybe we don’t need Make-A-Wish to grant our wishes,” I say. I open my arms and beckon Logan over. He climbs onto my lounge chair and snuggles up against me under my blanket.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, Katelyn and Frankie have sort of been your family, haven’t they? Like a big brother and sister?”
“I guess. But I still don’t have parents.”
“Maybe a parent doesn’t have to be someone who has legal custody of you. Maybe a parent can just be someone who loves you and would do anything for you.”
He looks up at me, but he doesn’t say anything.
“Maybe,” I conclude, “a parent can be someone like me.”
We try to stay awake, but our eyelids grow heavier, and just past one in the morning, as Logan and I are wishing on stars and Frankie and Katelyn are holding each other close, we drift off to sleep.
I WAKE UP the next morning in my own bed, startled, despite myself, to realize how easily we’ve been transported back to Atlanta. I feel a pang of longing for the day the four of us shared, but Logan was right; I don’t think this gift of additional days is meant for fun and games. I think it’s meant to let us attain the things that really matter in life. And when everything is stripped away, vacations and possessions don’t mean a whole lot. The things that count are the things you hold in your heart.
I spend the next ten repetitions of the day going through the same motions. Each day, I save Merel. Each day, I visit with Logan, and we talk about everything—our fears, our dreams, the things we’ll miss when we’re gone. Each day, I smile to myself as I watch Frankie and Katelyn grow more and more smitten with each other. I also continuously fend off Sheila’s suggestions that I need to get laid, and I avoid Dr. Frost’s office like the plague. I run into Jamie here and there, but each time, I’m careful to exchange only a few pleasant words with him, although he seems to keep materializing wherever I am. I know I’m developing feelings for him, and it scares me, because they’ll always be one-sided.
On the sixteenth day, as I touch the tree and ask it for one more day, I hear a whisper through the branches. “Listen to your heart,” says a small female voice.
“What?” I say aloud, startled. I look around, but there’s no one else nearby. I lean in a little closer and, feeling foolish, I ask the tree, “Are you talking to me?”
“Love tells you everything you need,” the tree whispers. “But you have to trust in it.”
“What do you mean?” I ask. But the tree is silent.
I ask a few more questions, but when I don’t receive an answer, I back away, mystified. I take the elevator up to the eighth floor and make a beeline for Logan’s room.
“The tree talked to me,” I blurt out as I walk through his door.
He looks up and grins. “Oh good! What did it say?”
“That I should listen to my heart and trust in love. But seriously, Logan, why is this the first time I’ve heard from it?”
“It means you’re learning.”
“Learning?”
Logan nods. “The tree begins to talk with you once you’re on the right road.” His smile fades a little as he adds, “But I think when it talks to you, it also means you’re a little closer to the end. It’s guiding you exactly where you need to be.”
“But I’m not ready for this to end yet!”
“Don’t worry. It’s been talking to me for months now, and I’m still here.”
“What’s it saying?”
Logan hesitates. “That being part of a family means wanting the best for someone, and loving them, no matter what.”
I smile at him. “Smart tree.”
“The tree knows everything , Jill. That’s why I think it’ll be okay when it’s finally time to go too.”
“How do you know when it’s time to go?”
“I think the tree tells
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