The Hat

 

During the ride, I bought us each a box of cookies. Tabitha went with Thin Mints, and I got Savannah Smiles. We didn’t know if we were supposed to eat them or not. Neither of us felt particularly hungry. Not to mention that there were a number of mysteries that had yet to be solved. For example, the mystery of where exactly we were going.

On the dashboard, Miko’s GPS screen displayed 831 Hickory Avenue.

“Hickory’s my street, but that isn’t my house number,” Tabitha said. “Why would my mother send us to that address?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know, but we’ll find out soon enough.”

Tabitha gave me a hard stare. She must’ve had a thousand questions, most of which I could not answer. “You’re sure this is real? You talked to my mom?”

I nodded. “I wouldn’t lie to you. Not about this.”

“Well, what did she tell you?”

“Everything,” I said. “Look, it’s hard to describe, but your mom put thoughts into my mind, her thoughts, and they told me things.”

“Like what things?”

“Like her nickname for you was ‘Petal,’ as in flower petal.”

Tabitha softened ever so slightly. “Mac could’ve told you that before his accident.”

“And your mom heard your prayers,” I said. “All of them.”

Tabitha’s stricken face told me she wanted to believe me. She wanted this to be true. But she simply couldn’t convince herself. Tabitha’s two wolves were still battling.

“She wants you to know it wasn’t the hat thing that caused her to get sick,” I said.

Tabitha’s eyes narrowed. “The hat thing?”

“You and your mom were going ice skating on Lake Mansel, and she told you to wear a hat, but you wouldn’t do it. You guys argued, a big fight. Later, when your ears were freezing at the lake, your mom gave you her hat to wear. The next week, she was sick. Her cancer had come back. And ever since then, you’ve secretly thought it was because she gave you her hat.”

Nodding, Tabitha’s voice cracked, “My friends were skating. I wanted to look cool. I was so stupid.” Hands flying to her face in shame, Tabitha tried not to cry, but there was no stopping it. Tears fell onto the tips of her fingers.

“Listen to me, okay? Your mom wants you to know it wasn’t the hat. It had nothing to do with her getting sick, Tabitha. She’s never been more proud of you, watching the brave girl you have become. And she will always-always love her Petal.”

Reaching out, Tabitha took my hand in hers.

Through my sunglasses I saw her aura changing. Warm, inviting colors of relief and gratitude overtook harsh streaks of shame and pain. There was a beauty to the process. It reminded me of a time-lapse YouTube video of flowers blooming in fast motion.

For that moment, Tabitha’s good wolf had won.

But someone else in the Subaru was crying, too.

“Almost there,” Miko said.

Our Uber driver glanced at us with streaks of black mascara running down her face that made her look totally racoony. She blubbered, “Oh my God, I got to tell you guys, the hat story, it got me right here.” She pointed to her heart. “I’m crushed!”

Through Miko’s windshield I spotted a dog in the road. I gasped in horror.

It wasn’t just any dog.

It was Leon!

Miko was about to crush my dog.

I shouted, “LOOK OUT!”