A Love to Live For Read Online Free Page B

A Love to Live For
Book: A Love to Live For Read Online Free
Author: Nikita Heart
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going out with a guy, though, appeared to be harder than I thought. I waited until after my Dad’s afternoon nap, just so I could have time to gather my courage, sort out my thoughts and prepare a script inside my mind, and also because my Dad was in his best mood just after he had his nap. In spite of that, though, I still felt a lump in my throat as I approached my Dad in the backyard, sitting in his favorite chair and drinking a glass of lemonade as he looked at the garden which my older sister now tended and where I supposed she still envisioned my mother, kneeling over the plots and watering the plants while singing her favorite church hymns.
    For a moment, I felt like I was five again, struggling to tell my Dad that I had broken his favorite coffee cup. This time, though, I had something more important to tell him, maybe not as upsetting but I was afraid just the same.
    Still, I knew I could not run away from this task, though and I had to do it now, before the whole town learned that I was going out with Joseph, which could only take hours in a town as small and tightly knit as ours, and my Dad found about it from someone else, which was likely.
    Swallowing, I opened the door to the backyard. Hearing the door creak, my Dad turned his head and smiled at me.
    “How’s your work going?” he asked.
    “Good,” I answered as I took the empty chair beside him. That wasn’t a lie exactly since I only had three more illustrations to go, as well as the cover.
    “Lemonade?” He offered me the pitcher.
    I shook my head. “I’m alright.”
    He frowned. “It seems to me like you’re about to tell me something serious,” he said, letting me know that in spite of his increasing memory lapses, he could still be perceptive. “Well, don’t keep me in suspense.”
    I took a deep breath. “Dad, I…I’m going out with someone.”
    He stopped in the middle of drinking his lemonade, which was enough to let me know he was surprised by my bit of news, if not shocked.
    He set his glass down on the table slowly, and for a moment, said nothing, his silence reminding me of the silence from the jury before they gave their verdict. Then, all of a sudden, he smiled.
    “Well, it’s about time, isn’t it?”
    I couldn’t describe my relief at hearing those words. “You mean you’re not upset?”
    “Why would I be?” he asked. “It’s not wrong to go out with another guy, after all. In fact, it’s perfectly natural for a beautiful woman your age.”
    I just smiled.
    “So, who’s the lucky guy?”
    I took another deep breath. “Joseph.”
    At once, the gleam in his eyes faded. “Does he know you know the truth about him? About his condition?”
    I nodded. “He’s not mad that you told me.”
    “And he still asked you to go out with him?”
    I nodded again.
    “And you accepted in spite of knowing it?”
    I gave another nod.
    He sighed. “Well, I would certainly feel better if it was someone else. No, that’s not right. I actually like Joseph and I think he’s a good man, but it would’ve been better if…if…”
    “If he wasn’t dying?” I supplied him with the words.
    He looked into my eyes. “Do you love him?”
    “I don’t know that yet, Dad,” I answered truthfully. “I don’t even know how much I like him but I agreed to go out with him to find out.”
    “And if you do find out and then you lose him, will you be strong enough to overcome that loss?”
    I shrugged. “I guess I’ll cross the bridge when I get there.”
    “I see,” he said. “Well, everything happens for good reason. I will pray for you and Joseph and hope that both of you can find happiness and fill each other with strength.”
    I placed my hand over my father’s. “Thank you, Dad.”
    I gave him a kiss on the forehead then went back inside the house.
    Inside the kitchen, Abigail gave me a smirk. “So you and Joseph are together now, huh?”
    I frowned at her. “As usual, your talent for eavesdropping astounds me, but please,
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