Rusty, wait!”
I ran out into the hallway, but Mom stopped me. “You need to stay here. Give them some time.”
“Give who time? What’s going on?” I walked down the hall a little, far enough to see Diane, sitting on one of the chairs in the lobby crying. Mr. Peterson stood next to Rusty, his hand on her shoulder.
“Why did he call her Cheryl?” I asked.
“Riley, you need to stop staring and come back here.”
But I couldn’t stop staring at the woman and the girl, who I just now noticed looked very much alike. Both had auburn-colored hair and the same fair skin tone. Both were tall with an athletic build.
And now they were hugging each other.
Could it be?
“Hey!” My brother yelled out into the hallway. “Are we gonna eat this ice cream before it melts?”
“I’ll get spoons,” I shouted back, and I charged into the lobby. I wanted to go join Rusty and her dad and ask Nurse Diane a few important questions.
“Slow down, girl,” Mom had followed me and grabbed my shirt as I ran toward my friend. “This isn’t a good time.”
“But you don’t understand! I’ve been praying for Rusty to find her mom. I just want to go talk to her.”
“It’s not your business right now.”
“Why not?”
That’s when I heard Mr. Peterson’s raised voice. Actually, everyone in the lobby could probably hear it.
“Forgiveness? How can you talk about forgiveness? Do you realize what you’ve put me through all these years? I didn’t have a wife, and Rusty didn’t have a mom! We’ve struggled to get by, and there were times when I thought I’d lose Rusty because I couldn’t provide for her. All because you left! YOU, Cheryl. You left. You left your daughter. You made your choice.”
Then Mr. Peterson grabbed Rusty’s arm and led her away toward the elevator. Rusty still held her locket in her hand, and she turned to look at her mom, tears streaming down her face. Diane stood there, her shoulders heaving up and down. She watched as Mr. Peterson and Rusty boarded the elevator and disappeared.