She said “I want to tell you about the time I got lost. I want you to know that when you found me that was the second time that you scared me. The first time was when I was four.” She just looked at me for a few seconds then continued. “I was four and grandpa, Uncle Mike and Aunt Debbie brought me, mom and my two brothers to your house. They were talking to you and you looked as sad as I felt so I got into your lap. I was sitting there and you pulled me tight to your chest and held me. After Uncle Mike stopped talking you screened and almost knocked me on the floor. I didn’t know why then and didn’t for awhile till Aunt Debbie took me to church one Sunday and to the graves. After I asked who they were and she told me.”

I saw a tear stat to roll down her cheek so I whipped it away.

She said “after that every Sunday we would go to church and Aunt Debbie would tell me stories about Amy, you and Emily. Afterwards we would both cry, but I also feel better.”

I whipped away a few more tears both hers and mine.

She said “It was the next year that I asked where you were and she told me about what happen. I felt so bad and when I heard grandpa and Uncle Mike talking about you and I heard them say that no one could have made it through the winter. I cried every Sunday at the graves till I found the wild flowers”.

Paula was openly crying now and for some reason I pulled her to me. She laid there with her head on my chest crying for a while as I rubbed her back.

Once she stopped crying she continued. “I was so happy that you were alive. I told everyone you were alive but grandpa told me that anyone could have put them there. I knew you were.”

She stopped talking and just laid there in my arms. She looked and said “when the first snow came I made Aunt Debbie take me to the graves because I was sure that we would see your foot prints. When they weren’t there Aunt Debbie said that you may not have been able to get down or that you went south.”

What she told me next had me crying and her holding me. She said “we didn’t have any flowers to put on the graves so every Sunday I would lay down on the graves and make snow angles for you”.

Once I stopped crying I kissed her forehead and thanked her.

She said “I waited all winter and once it started to warm up I sat down with Aunt Debbie and told her that we need to let you know it was time to come home. So she wrote the note to you and I left it at the graves. It was two weeks before you took it and I waited all summer for you to come home”. She put her head back down on my chest then continued. “I cry so hard the day we found your note”. Then she started crying again.

When she stopped she looked back up at me and said “every year I waited for you to come and stay but every year you would leave so when the Girl Scout said we were going for a hike up in the hill I planned to fine you and if you wouldn’t come home I was going to stay with you”. Then she giggled and said “it didn’t work out like I planned”.

She giggled again saying “you know you look nothing like the picture I have of you”.

We both started laughing. After we stopped laughing she sat up and said let’s eat. She pulled out some fried chicken that smelt wonderful. My mouth was watering just thinking about it. I couldn’t remember when the last time I had any and I told her so.

She said that she got up early this morning to make this for us and that she had been planning it all winter long.

It was the best meal I had ate since the accident, fried chicken, potato salad, fresh homemade rolls and ice tea.

All through the meal I keep telling her how good it was. When she said wait for dinner I guess she saw the worried look.

She laughed and said “Aunt Debbie is making it and I will meet her at the end of the trail and bring it up”. I relaxed a little bit after that.

After we finished I helped her put everything away, she stood up and took my hand and walked us to the trees by the lake. She pointed to a group of people in the park and said “see those people”. I just nodded. She said “they are my mom, my two brothers and their families, my grandparents and some of my cousins”.

I looked at her and asked her why she wasn’t with them. She laughed then said “I can go join them but only if you will join me”. When I didn’t say anything she said “I understand, mom knows we are here. I told her last night what I wanted to do”.

She pulled me down and said let’s watch. As we sat there she said “over the winter I was so scared that you might have got caught in the snow and mom knew something was wrong. So I told her that I had lied to her about where I was most of the summer. Then I told her about asking you to stay one more week because I wanted to tell you about my dance even though you said you needed to get going. I just knew if something happen to you, it would have been because of me”.

I whipped away a few tears and pulled her close to me and told her if anything happens to me it would not be her fault. Last fall I choose to stay knowing the risk but I felt it was more importation to be here for you and it was worth the risk.

We just sat there with her head on my shoulder and my arm around her waist. We watched as her families picnic ended and everyone leaving but for one person standing by the lake looking in our direction.

Paula stood up and helped me stand, she said that’s my mom, she has always wanted to thank you for letting us live in your house. She slowly started to pull me through the trees while asking me if I trusted her.

As we came out of the trees she walked us to the edge of the lake, then she waved to her mom who returned the wave. I saw her put her hands to her face and I heard her yell “thank you”.

I just waved and she returned it then turned around and started to walk back to town.

Paula led us back into the trees and once we were in the clearing she hugged me and thanked me for doing that for her and her mom.

I looked at her and she said “even after everything that Aunt Debbie and I have told her I don’t think that she truly believed but she will now”.

She still had her arms around me so I pulled her in tighter for a hug.