“I want to know her.”
Evelyn nodded.
“And after that?”
I considered.
“I don't know yet.”
She studied me.
Then smiled faintly.
“That's probably the most honest answer you could give.”
I laughed softly.
She looked toward the window.
Rosie was sitting at a small desk, drawing something with colored pencils.
Evelyn continued.
“She's been through a lot.”
I nodded.
“She has.”
“After Mara died, Rosie stopped sleeping through the night for nearly three months.”
My chest tightened.
Evelyn looked down.
“She'd wake up asking whether her mother was still in the hospital.”
For a moment, her voice trembled.
“Sometimes she'd go into Mara's room and sit on the floor beside the bed.”
I closed my eyes.
The older woman continued.
“She knew her mother had died. But knowing something and believing it aren't always the same.”
I nodded slowly.
Evelyn looked toward me.
“Then she started asking about you.”
I swallowed.
“She remembered what Mara told her?”
“Oh, yes.”
Evelyn smiled sadly.
“She knew your motorcycle was black. She knew you lived in Wyoming. She knew about the patch.”
She paused.
“And she knew you'd always come if Mara called.”
I felt tears rise.
Evelyn continued.
“One night, Rosie asked whether maybe you didn't know Mara was gone.”
I looked toward her.
“She said if you knew, you'd come.”
For several seconds, I couldn't speak.
Then whispered, “She was right.”
Evelyn nodded.
“I know.”
She looked toward the door.
“That's when I decided we couldn't keep waiting.”
I stared at her.
She continued.
“I showed Rosie the letter Mara wrote. Not every part. Just enough for her to understand that meeting you was something her mother wanted.”
I nodded.
“Then Rosie asked how to find you.”
Evelyn smiled.
“I told her I'd help.”
For a moment, she seemed emotional.
Then continued.
“She wanted to call. I suggested writing first, so you'd have a chance to decide whether to come.”
I looked toward the envelope.
The pencil instructions.
Lou's Diner.
Saturday at noon.
Wear your vest.
Come alone.
I smiled faintly.
“She was very specific.”
Evelyn laughed.
“She spent three days deciding what to write.”
I looked toward the house.
“Why the diner?”
Evelyn became quiet.
Then answered.
“Because it's where Mara and Evan used to stop whenever they traveled through town.”
My throat tightened.
She continued.
“Mara said the last happy photograph of the three of you was taken there.”
I frowned.
“The three of us?”
Evelyn nodded.
“Before the accident.”
For a moment, I couldn't remember.
Then it came back.
A trip Mara and Evan made to visit me.
We stopped at Lou's Diner before heading north.