Booktree.ng_Forgotten-Witness

Stephen made a turn and the harbor came into view. The sun
was low and the light rippled over the water. The white boats
were startling against the blue. Some had tall sails and others
fly away bridges and satellite dishes. There was a lot of money
in the world, and a lot of beauty, and none of it mattered when
a heart was broken. Stephen pulled into a parking space
marked Keoloko, ratcheted the emergency brake, and
contemplated the silhouette of Maui on the horizon.
“It’s a rough shake, Josie. I know that,” Stephen admitted.
“My dad had Alzheimer’s before they really knew much about
it. He forgot everything but me. Funny that.”
“At least he remembered you,” she answered.
“It’s not as fine as it may seem. He was so angry. That’s
what Alzheimer’s does. Makes a man angry and scared and he
expected me to fix it. He was angrier still when I couldn’t.”
“What did you do?”
Stephen’s body answered the question before he voiced it.
He was lost and disheartened for a moment. Keoloko was
gone, replaced by a good son remembering a dying father.
“I endured the slings and arrows. Not a word of love or
gratitude he had for me. When he passed, his death left quite a
void. Him going that way wasn’t exactly how I imagined he
would end his days.”
“Finding my mother wasn’t how I imagined it would be,
either.” She laughed sadly at the understatement.
“I know what you imagined.” He nudged her a little, held
out a hand as if he were showing her the future. “You saw her
across a room, tears come to her eyes, you take her in your
arms, she tells you she’s been looking for you all these years.
She tells you it’s a miracle.”
“Something like that,” Josie agreed. “But then I realize all
she would have to do was Google me if she wanted to find me.
She’d get a bunch of hits and send me an email.”