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In the garage, Marla turned on the lights and searched the remaining boxes in the corner. After sifting through each box, and coming up empty, she sighed. “Maybe she got rid of it or gave it away,” she said, still hoping to find the star. I’ll look in the house. Maybe she brought it in.
As she turned to walk out of the garage, a box caught her eye. The box was sitting alone on an empty shelf by the window. Marla walked over to it and pulled it off the shelf. It was a medium-sized box, and she noticed the top wasn’t sealed. She set the box down on her grandfather’s old shop table under his hanging shop light. Pulling the flaps open, she was surprised to see a framed photograph lying on a stack of what appeared to be other framed pictures. She picked up the first picture and could see that it was Micah and Ben in cycling gear, holding their bikes up. They both had their cycling helmets on with sunglasses and were smiling. This is Micah’s stuff. He must have missed this box when he came to pick up his things.
She picked up the second framed picture in the box. It was a picture of Micah with two middle-aged people. They must be his parents, she thought. She smiled and could see that Micah favored his father’s facial features. She went to reach for the third picture and stopped. Her breath caught in her throat. The picture was of Micah with a beautiful, blond woman. They were standing in what looked like a park. There was a large tree cascading over them, and a park bench was behind them. They were smiling, and they appeared happy, waving at the camera. She picked up the picture. This has to be Allie. She studied the photograph. They were radiant together, and she could see how in love they were. In the photo, they were arm-in-arm and standing close together. Their sides were touching, and Micah’s arm was pulling Allie in close. She took a deep breath and bit her lip. For a moment, she wondered if Micah would ever be that happy with her. She took another deep breath when she realized she had been holding her breath.
As she went to replace the pictures in the box, something in the picture of Micah and Allie caught her eye. Something was on Allie’s waving forearm. She held the picture up under the light and leaned in closer to see it.
All of a sudden, Marla’s heart began to race in her chest, and she had a hot flash. The feeling of déjà vu returned, and Marla had a shocking realization. On Allie’s arm, Marla could see a tattoo of two small hearts intertwined with each other. Micah had mentioned they had matching tattoos, but the significance of that hadn’t dawned on her. She suddenly remembered the tattoo. “The woman ...” she gasped. She cupped her free hand over her mouth. Her legs became weak, and she fell back against the wall. She bent her knees as they gave way, and she rested on the floor with her back against the wall. Holding up the picture, she could see that her hands were shaking. This can’t be. Of all the people for him to be married to, why did it have to be her? Dear God, please don’t let this be so. Maybe I’m missing something? She searched the picture more, studying Allie’s features, but her search only confirmed what she suspected. Never would she be able to forget the look of fear and exhaustion in that beautiful woman’s slender face that fateful day.
The garage door opened, and Marla looked up to see Micah standing in the doorway.
“Hey, what are you doing on the floor?” He asked.
She just stared up at him.
He added, “I was getting worried about you. You’ve been out here for a while. It’s dark and cold.”
Marla hadn’t realized how long she had been out in the garage. She slowly struggled to her feet, still holding the picture.
“Did you find the star?” He asked.
“No ... I ... I found this,” she replied, holding the picture out for him to see.
He stepped toward her and took the picture. He stared quietly at the photo for a moment. “Where did you find this?”
Marla swallowed the lump in her throat. “It was in this box of your things. You must have accidentally left it behind. I ... I was looking for the star when I found this.”
He looked at the framed photograph again and then looked at Marla. He asked, “I guess you know that this is Allie?”
She nodded.
He searched Marla’s face. “Are you okay?” He asked.
She just stared back at him.
“Look, I know it’s hard to see this, but Allie is part of my past, and I’ll always love her. I hope to keep moving forward, though. I want a chance to make a life with you,” he said softly.
“It’s not that,” she said, shaking her head and looking at the floor.
“Let’s go inside and talk. It’s too cold out here,” he said.
Micah placed the framed photograph back into the box. He took Marla’s hand to lead her back to the house, and she relented.
Once inside the house, they stripped off their coats. Micah took a seat on the couch, but Marla continued to stand. She walked over to the fire and held her hands close to it to warm them.
Micah stood up and added another log to the fire. He asked, “What’s wrong? What happened in the garage? Is it the picture?”
Marla sat on the hearth, facing Micah, who had sat back down on the couch. The Christmas tree glistened beside her, and she studied it for several minutes. The glow from the fire reflected off the ornaments.
“Marla, what is going on?” He asked.
Finally, she spoke. “I have to tell you something, and I’m not sure how to do it.”
“Did something happen in the garage? Is it because you found the picture of Allie and me?” He asked again. “You were fine when you left the house, and then when I found you in the garage. Something changed.”
“Yes, and no,” she said.
He looked at her, confused.
“What I mean is ... well, what I’m trying to say is ... I just need to start from the beginning.”
“Beginning of what?” He asked.
“I’m afraid that what I have to tell you will change things between us.”
“Nothing will change the way I feel for you.”
Marla exhaled, feeling a pain in her stomach. She said, “Promise me, you will hear me out completely and not interrupt.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Okay.”
She began, “A little over three years ago, I was working a shift in the ER in Cincinnati. One of my partners, Marcus, had a patient who was brought in for a heart attack. It was a woman, and she was having trouble breathing. She was in pretty bad shape, and I went to ask Marcus if I could help.”
She paused and looked away from the tree at Micah.
Micah stared at her intently, listening to her story.
Marla glanced down at the floor and continued, “I volunteered to draw some labs, and I sat down beside the woman. I drew the bloodwork, and then I turned to walk away. When I did, the woman grabbed my white coat and pulled me toward her so I could hear her say something to me. She had an oxygen mask on, so I had to pull it away from her face to hear her.” Marla paused and exhaled.
“What did she say?” He asked.
Marla replied, “She told me to tell her husband that she loved him and that he should love again.”
“Was she dying?” He asked.
“Please don’t say anything. Let me finish. This is so hard for me to get out,” Marla said, closing her eyes tightly for a moment. She opened her eyes and continued, “I turned away for a second after I replaced her oxygen mask. At that moment, she coded. Marcus and I worked on her for over a half-hour trying to resuscitate her. We couldn’t get her back. She was gone.”
A tear fell down Marla’s face and onto her lap.
Micah looked at her with empathy and stood from the couch. He sat beside her on the hearth and took her hand.
Marla shook her head back and forth as more tears fell.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
Marla exhaled loudly and looked directly at him.
“You don’t understand what I’m saying,” she said.
He furrowed his brows and replied, “I think that if anyone understands, I do.”
She shook her head quickly. “That’s not what I meant. I told you to let me finish.”
“Okay,” he said softly.
She took a deep breath and felt her heart beating out of her chest. She looked at him directly again.
“The woman had a small tattoo of two small hearts intertwined on her forearm.”
Sudden realization registered in Micah’s face. He started to speak but couldn’t form a sentence. “You ... Allie ... she was the woman?”
Marla nodded. “Yes. When I saw her picture and the tattoo on her arm in the picture, it all came together. Micah, I’m so sorry that I couldn’t save her. I tried so hard.”
Micah stood and began pacing. His breathing had become labored as he exhaled several times. He put his face in his hands for a long moment, and then he looked at Marla.
“I’m sorry that happened to you. I just can’t process what you just told me. You were with Allie that day ... how can this be ... I don’t understand ...” he trailed off. He looked up at her and said, “I’m sorry, but I have to go.” He picked up his jacket, opened the door, and left.