That was the best time to take a walk, and with Eli in his favorite blue rain boots, they'd explore the neighborhood, letting Eli stomp in the puddles and pick up the acorns, pinecones, and bits of bark and leaves that inevitably shook free after a storm.
"This is for you, babe," he whispered, some part of him wondering if she knew what he was thinking. If she understood how much he cherished those memories. Or if in some way that he couldn't comprehend, she still remembered, too.
With a sigh, he slid out of bed, then stumbled into the kitchen to get the coffee brewing. Once the machine was gurgling and the aroma of coffee began to fill the room, he turned back toward the hall, intending to go wake Eli. To his surprise, he met the boy coming in, already awake and fully dressed in pressed khaki slacks, a button down, and a sports coat.
"Looking spiffy, son," Tyree said, pride rising in his chest. They'd had their problems, especially right after they lost Teiko, but the boy was turning into one hell of a young man. And damned if Tyree couldn't see Teiko in the boy's looks, his mannerism, his smarts.
A petite Japanese woman, Teiko had made up for her small stature with a sharp mind and a big personality that Eli had inherited, along with his mother's eyes and a lighter skin tone than Tyree's deep burnished dark. And whereas Tyree was a large man, with the kind of broad shoulders that meant he had to have his suits tailored, Eli had a leaner build, inheriting only his father's height.
Looking at his son now, Tyree couldn't help but think that he and Teiko had made one damn good-looking kid. "You're gonna get that jacket soaked, you know. Your mom won't care if you're casual. I'm gonna put on jeans, a T-shirt, and a windbreaker myself."
Eli lifted a shoulder, then looked down at the floor. "I'm okay like this," he muttered, then lifted his head, his eyes looking guilty. "It's just that I need to go to the hospital today. Dr. Hanson's showing us all some stuff in the lab."
Another wave of pride swelled. Eli had recently been selected to participate in an exclusive internship at the nearby hospital, a position that both father and son considered a solid stepping stone toward Elijah's dream of going to medical school.
That pride, however, was laced with something cold and hollow. "You're not coming with me?" He glanced at the clock. Already six-fifteen. He needed to throw some clothes on if he wanted to get there on time.
"No," Eli said quickly. "I'm coming. It's just that after ... I mean, I can't come back here with you like we usually do. Because of the work, I mean." He scratched his eyebrow with his forefinger, a nervous habit that Tyree recognized as one of his own. "I mean, that's what Mom would want, right?"
The tension drained from Tyree. "One hundred percent. Why don't you pour us a couple of travel mugs of coffee while I go get dressed."
By the time he got back, Eli had the coffee ready to go and Tyree's car keys in his hand. The cemetery was on the other side of town, and traffic was a bear because of the weather and rush hour, but they made it with five minutes to spare.
They put down a tarp and knelt beside the marker--Teiko Johnson, beloved wife and mother. Beneath that, her birthday and the date she died. Seven years ago today. The rain had stopped, but the air was still damp, and the whole world seemed shrouded in gray.
"You okay?" Elijah asked. "I mean, you seem distracted somehow. More, I mean. More than usual for today."
Eva, Tyree thought, but he only nodded. Then he took his son's hand and said, "Quiet. It's time."
The cemetery spread out over the top of a small hill in Northwest Austin, and as Tyree and Eli looked to the east, the gray of the rain took on shimmers of gold and orange. Muted because of the clouds, but at the same time the colors seemed to dance in the air, reflected on the small drops of water that surrounded them.
They sat there, watching the sun rise above the horizon. As the colors changed. As the world came alive. And when the sunrise gave way to the full light of day, Tyree sat back on his heels and sighed. "Sunrise was your mom's favorite time of day."
"I know, Dad. You tell me every year. She liked it better than sunset because the sunset meant the end, and she loved beginnings."
Tyree blinked, his eyes suddenly damp and his throat thick. "I don't want you to forget."
"I know. I'm trying not to. I remember Christmas," he added. "She always got us up before dawn. And one day we walked on a beach in the dark, and then we made a sandcastle as the sun came up." He sighed. "But I've forgotten a lot."
"You were five on that beach trip. We'd gone to Port Aransas." He pressed his hand to his son's shoulder and squeezed. "And it's okay to forget," he said, even though he kicked himself hard with every one of his own lost memories. "Just hold tight to what is clear in your mind. And never forget that your mom loved you. That I love you."
Eli looked at him, his eyes seeming wiser than his sixteen years. "I know, Dad. I love you, too."
* * *
Back home, Tyree spent the day as he did every year, the only difference being that today Eli wasn't with him. He made a big batch of jambalaya, downed a steady stream of bourbon, then settled onto the couch to watch Blade.
They'd seen the movie on their first date, even though he'd tried to do good by selecting what he considered a girl-friendly date movie, specifically, How Stella Got Her Groove Back.
But as soon as they'd arrived at the cineplex, Teiko had taken one look at the marquee, put her hands on her hips, and asked him why they weren't seeing Blade instead. Because, action. And, she'd added, Wesley Snipes was a bonus.
God, how he'd loved her.
He wasn't sure if he was luckier than most or cursed to have had that kind of passion. The kind of love that sunk into the marrow and made you part of the other person. That almost killed you, too, when you lost them.
He rubbed his eyebrow and sighed. The truth was, he would have withered away after Teiko died if it hadn't been for Elijah. That boy had been the wellspring of his strength.
And after Eva? After he came back from combat to learn that he'd lost her? That she truly, for certain, would never be his?