Naomi tossed the last garbage bag into the trash can and sat across from her father on the front porch steps. He was playing with a red coin, his one-month sobriety token, flipping it through his fingers. She leaned against the rail, gazing at the stars in the cloudless sky. They sat in comfortable silence, neither wanting to disturb the rare peaceful quiet of the night. The sound of gunshots and sirens blaring in the distance were common. Even though Naomi lived only a few miles away, she worried about her grandmother and Chuy living in such a dangerous neighborhood.
“Did you have a good time, Mijita?” Javier asked.
“I loved it, Dad.” Naomi glanced down at the brown bottle he held.
“It’s root beer,” he said, reading the expression on her face. “I know you’re worried that I’ll start drinking again. You have my word that I won’t.”
“Do you keep in contact with your sponsor?”
“Every day.”
“Good.”
Her father grew quiet for a moment. He shifted and cleared his throat before he spoke. “There’s something I want to give you.”
“Dad—”
“Before you say no, let me explain.” He patted the spot next to him. “Come over here.”
“But—”
“Please, this is important.”
She slid across the step, and uneasiness swept over her as she waited for her father to speak. The last time he had made the face that he was making now was when he’d had to tell her that her mother had died.
He dug into his pocket and pulled out a delicate silver necklace. Sparks of blue and white shimmered off the tiny diamonds that lined the cross as he dangled it under the porch light—her mother’s necklace. Tears swam in her eyes as she remembered sitting on the hospital bed, her mother pale with pain, dark circles underneath her eyes, her cheeks gaunt. Whenever she’d traced the necklace, peace had flickered in her eyes. Her faith had been so strong; it was something Naomi wished she had too.
She slid her fingers over the pendant, feeling the cool touch of the silver. Since her mother had died, her father had kept the necklace in a small velvet pouch he always carried it with him. “I can’t.”
“It’s yours,” he said, his voice sounding loud in the quiet night, even though he spoke with a whisper.
Naomi dropped her hand. “It belongs to you.”
He picked up her hand and flipped it over. Dropping the necklace into her palm, he stared at it for a moment. “No, it belongs to you.”
“Dad, I—”
“Did you hear what I said?”
“Yes, but—”
“I’ll feel better knowing you have this. You’re grown up and have a full life ahead of you. You need to go out. Meet someone special. When was the last time you went on a date?”
Naomi grimaced. There was something about watching her father lose the love of his life that had put the dating scene in perspective. She thought back to all the guys she had dated before. She couldn’t think of one she’d cared about as intensely as her parents had cared for each other.
“I’m not interested in dating, at least not for now.”
Javier shook his head. “Don’t close yourself off from love, Mijita. When the time is right, the person will find you. All you need is to have faith.” He took the necklace from her hand and fastened it around her neck.
Naomi studied his face and wondered why he was acting so strangely. He seemed to want to tell her more, and she waited quietly, hoping he would. Instead, he sighed and stood.
“Where are you going?” she asked, surprised that he was leaving.
“Work.” He took the car keys out of his pocket. “I’m doing some office cleaning at night.”
“You have two part-time jobs?”
“I’ve got a lot of bills to catch up on. Don’t look at me like that.” He tapped the frown line at the center of her forehead. “You’ll get wrinkles before you’re thirty.”
“Now that you’re better, maybe you could get an IT job.” She glanced away, knowing that even his degree in computer science couldn’t erase the trail of reprimands he’d gotten from his previous employers. She couldn’t help but hold on to the hope that, in a big city like Houston, someone would give him a fresh start and he could find a job before the technology world flew by.
“Maybe.” Javier turned the key in the ignition, and the lights encircling the Mustang flickered to life.
“You and Chuy did a good job.” Naomi stood back to get a better view. “It’s really cool. You two should go into business together.”
“That’s not a bad idea. Although, knowing Chuy, he’d eat up all the profits.” He put the car in reverse. “See you tomorrow. Don’t forget to put on your helmet.”
“I always do.” She waved.
He was halfway down the street when, out of nowhere, she had a strong desire to run after him. She shook her head and berated herself for acting silly.
I’ll see him tomorrow. She started the bike and rode in the opposite direction.
***