February 2014 was a whirlwind, cold, busy, and unforgiving. I never fully recovered from the pneumonia. Looking back, I should have listened to my doctor.
Kayla and I couldn’t get together that month, but at the beginning of March, she came to my job, a couple of birthday presents in her arms.
It was so good to see her. She looked beautiful, her skin was pale, and her hair was falling loose around her shoulders. It felt like forever since I’d seen her, and God, I had missed her face.
She sat on my lap, heavy and warm, and I blew raspberries on her fat cheek. The sound of her laughter filled the room, bright and familiar, wrapping around me like a blanket. For a moment, time folded back on itself, and we were carried into the rhythm of old times, when joy was simple, and love was enough.
I loved that girl so much.
Little did I know… that would be the last time I’d ever see her alive.