Saving Rain

by Kelsey Kingsley

Grampa glanced at me across the truck and lifted one side of his mouth in a smile that made me feel weird and confused. “What?” I asked before taking a bite of my Big Mac. He stretched his arm out to lay it across the back of my seat. “I don’t think I've ever told you how proud I am of the young man you're becoming.” “Oh …” I looked at the burger in my hands and shrugged. “Thanks … I think.” Grampa laughed and gripped the back of my neck, giving me a little shake. “I mean it, Soldier. Gramma and I … we have tried so hard to do right by you and your mother. And I know we've made mistakes—of course we have. God, we’ve made a lot of them. And sometimes, I'm not even sure we've done the right thing at all. I mean, there were a couple of times, I—you know what? Never mind.” I stared at the gooey mess of cheese and meat and lettuce, even more confused than I’d been before. “What?” “Nothing. It doesn’t matter. I’m just saying, all things considered, life could've been worse—so much worse. And the fact that you are such a smart, kind, good kid tells me that, even if we haven't always made the right choices, we never ever went wrong with you. There’s gotta be something to be said for that.” I turned my head to look at him then, forgetting entirely about the burger in my hands, even as shreds of lettuce fell out and onto my lap. I knew what he was talking about now—Mom's drinking; the parties she went to and the people she hung out with; the trips Gramma and Grampa sent her on; the...