What Happened to the McCrays?

by Tracey Lange

It was hard for someone to think about a new relationship when they were still so bitter about the last one.

The corner of her mouth tugged up. Almost a smile, but not quite.

Losing Charlie had created a chasm between them, and it was so dark and so wide and so bottomless they just couldn’t reach each other again.

That was the flip side of small town living, a fierce loyalty and pride came with it.

Without his gravity she felt weightless, like she could just float away and disappear. Sometimes, that’s exactly what she wanted.

But it was the pain that fueled her, got her through each day. She didn’t know how to function without it.

Kissing her was like experiencing something new and coming home at the same time.

Pain and happiness weren’t mutually exclusive, they could coexist in the same moment, in the same memory.

“You know, I think that’s how grief works. You have to feel it so you can heal it, not bury yourself in it. You get through it, and each time it’s a little less.