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Kennesaw
Mountain helped. The topography around metro-Atlanta is hilly but consistent.
The mountain was like a massive pimple on clear skin. It was also twenty miles
from my apartment. And two miles off of my planned route.
    Leaving the asphalt I found myself walking on a trail
through the woods. I didn’t know why I was deviating from my route until I
reached the spot. She was sitting on a boulder with a beaming smile. My God,
she was beautiful.
    “I’ll never get tired of this view,” said Sam. “Do you
remember the first time you brought me up here?”
    “How could I forget?” I said, taking off my backpack and
sitting beside her. “It’s where I made my first move on you. Do you remember
what you did to me?”
    “That, I’ll never forget,” said Sam, laughing. “I wish you
could’ve seen the look on your face when you leaned in all cocky and glowing.
It was priceless.”
    “I wasn’t sure what to do after you told me it needed to be
the best kiss of your life, or it would be our last.” I said. “I wasn’t
expecting that.”
    “It was the best kiss of my life, sweetheart,” said Sam,
reducing the laugh to a warm smile. “It really was.”
    She reached over and took my hand in hers. As she turned
away from me to admire the view, I kept my eyes on her. She was flawless. She
was as bright, radiant, and real as I ever remembered. It was good to see her
after what I had to do earlier in the day.
    “I did hear him,” said Sam, holding her stare outward.
    “Hear who?”
    “The man you were hurting,” said Sam, turning to look me in
the eyes. “I heard him apologize to me.”
    I dropped my head. I felt ashamed for using that beautiful
face as the reason for ending their lives in such a horrific way.
    “I’m sorry, baby,” I said. “I shouldn’t have used your
memory like that.”
    “And I want you to use it every time,” said Sam, getting my
attention. “They killed three people like they killed me, probably more. They
were going to take from you, beat you, and then burn you. And they wouldn’t
have stopped unless we stopped them. Do you remember feeling me steady your
hands?”
    “I do.”
    “I will always steady your hands. I will always be with
you.”
    “You’re okay with what I did?” I asked.
    “I’m okay with anything you have to do to stay alive, to
keep you from getting hurt. Anything.”
    “I miss you so much,” I said, unable to hold back tears. “I
wish you were with me. It’s like the entire world has stopped working. I’m
scared, Sam. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
    She reached up, pulling me into her. The smell of burnt
flesh disappeared as I inhaled her perfume. She ran her fingers through my hair
as she squeezed me tighter into her shoulder.
    “It’s okay,” whispered Sam. “It’s okay to feel this way. Let
it out, sweet boy.”
    I did. I can’t remember the last time I cried.
    “Help her,” said Sam.
    “Help who?”
    A high pitched bark at my side caused me to turn away from
her. The tiny dog wasn’t much bigger than the shoe it was trying to bite. I
smiled and turned back to Sam.
    I missed her the second she was gone.
    “Easy big fella,” I said, reaching down and picking up the
yelping varmint. “Where did you come from?”
    I stood and looked down the trail. I had to squint to see
the elderly woman leaning against a tree. Even at that distance I could tell
she was trying to stabilize herself. I grabbed my pack and made my way down
with Varmint.
    “Oh, thank you, Jesus,” said the old woman. “I don’t know
what got into her. She just took off running.”
    “I think she wanted my shoes,” I said, handing her the dog
with the leash dangling.
    “You scared me to death, Scarlett. Thank you so much, young
man. My name is Emma.”
    “You’re very welcome Ms. Emma,” I said. “You really
shouldn’t be out here by yourself.”
    “Being by myself isn’t a choice,” said Emma. “My girlfriend
Gladys hasn’t come around in two