Nicholas Sparks - A Bend in the Road

“You’ve already seen it.”

“I know. But you can show me again.”

“You don’t have to. I wanted Miss Andrews to see it.” “Well, I’m sorry about that. Maybe you can bring it to school tomorrow and show her then.”

Jonah shrugged. “That’s okay.”

Miles looked at him closely. “What’s wrong, champ?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you sure?”

Jonah didn’t answer right away. “I guess I just miss her, that’s all.”

“Who? Miss Andrews?”

“Yeah.”

“But you see her in school every day.”

“I know. But it’s not the same.”

“As when she’s here, you mean?”

He nodded, looking lost. “Did you guys have a fight?”

“No.”

“But you’re not friends anymore.”

“Of course we are. We’re still friends.”

“Then why doesn’t she come over anymore?”

Miles cleared his throat. “Well, things are kind of complicated right now. When you’re a grown-up, you’ll understand.”

“Oh,” he said. He seemed to think about that. “I don’t want to be a grown-up,” he finally declared.

“Why not?”

“Because,” he said, “grown-ups always say that things are complicated.”

“Sometimes they are.”

“Do you still like Miss Andrews?”

“Yeah,” he said, “I do.”

“Does she like you?”

“I think so.”

“Then what’s so complicated?” His eyes were pleading, and Miles knew then with certainty that Jonah not only missed Sarah, he loved her as well. “Come here,” he said, drawing Jonah close, not knowing what else to do.

Two days later, Charlie pulled up in front of Miles’s house as he was loading a few things into the car.

“Taking off already?”

Miles turned. “Oh… hey, Charlie. I figured it’d be better if we got going a little early. I don’t want to be stuck in traffic.”

He closed the trunk and stood. “Thanks again for letting us use your place out there.”

“No problem. You need a hand?”

“No. I’m just about done.”

“How long you gonna stay?”

“I don’t know. Maybe a couple of weeks, until just after the New Year. You sure it’s okay?”

“Don’t worry about it-you’ve got enough vacation time to spend a month up there.”

Miles shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe I will.”

Charlie cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, by the way, I came by to let you know that Harvey isn’t going to press charges. Seems that Otis told him to drop it. So, officially, your suspension is over and you’ll be able to work again when you get back.”

“Good.”

Jonah came bursting out the door, and both of them turned at the sound. Jonah called hello to Charlie, then turned around and ran back inside as if he’d forgotten something.

“So is Sarah going to join you up there for a few days? She’s more than welcome to.”

Miles was still looking toward the door, and he turned back to Charlie. “I don’t think so. Her family is here, and with the holidays, I don’t think she’s going to make it.”

“That’s too bad. You’ll see her when you get back, though, right?”

Miles dropped his gaze, and Charlie knew what that meant. “Not going so well?”

“You know how it goes.”

“Not really. I haven’t dated in forty years. But that’s a shame.”

“You don’t even know her, Charlie.”

“Didn’t have to. I meant that it’s a shame for you.”

Charlie pushed his hands into his pockets. “Listen, I didn’t come here to pry. That’s your own business. Actually, there’s another reason. Something I’m still not exactly sure about.”

“Oh?”

“I got to wondering about that phone call-you know, when you let me know that Otis was innocent and suggested we stop the investigation.” Miles said nothing, and Charlie squinted at him from beneath his hat. “I take it you’re still convinced of that.”

After a moment, Miles nodded. “He’s innocent.”

“Despite what Sims and Earl said?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re not just saying that so you can handle this on your own, are you?”

“You’ve got my word on that, Charlie.”

Charlie searched his face, sensing that he was telling the truth. “All right,” he said. He brushed his hands against his shirt, as if wiping them off, then tipped his hat. “Well, listen-have a good time up there at Nags Head. Try to do some fishing for me, okay?”

Miles smiled. “You got it.”

Charlie took a few steps, then suddenly stopped and turned. “Oh-wait, there’s one more thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Brian Andrews. I’m still a little foggy on why you were bringing him in that day. Is there anything you want me to take care of while you’re gone? Anything I should know about?”

“No,” he answered.

“It was… what? You never were real clear about it.” “A mistake of sorts, Charlie.” Miles studied the trunk of his car. “Just a mistake.”

Charlie gave a startled laugh. “You know, that’s funny.”

“What is?”

“Your choice of words. Brian said exactly the same thing.”

“You talked to Brian?”

“I had to check in on him, you know. He had an accident while in the custody of one of my deputies. I had to make sure he was doing okay.” Miles paled.

“Don’t worry, I made sure that no one else was home.” He let that sink in, then, bringing his hand to his chin, he gave the appearance of someone groping for the right words. “You see,” he finally went on, “I got to thinking about those two things, and the investigator in me had the feeling that they just might be connected somehow.”

“They weren’t,” Miles said quickly.

Charlie nodded, his face serious. “I thought you might say that, but like I said, I had to make sure. I just want to be clear-there’s nothing I should know about Brian Andrews?”

Miles should have known that Charlie would figure it out. “No,” he said simply.

“Okay,” Charlie said. “Then let me give you some advice.”

Miles waited.

“If you’re telling me it’s over, then follow your own advice, okay?”

Charlie made sure that Miles heard the seriousness in his tone.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Miles asked.

“If it’s over-if it’s really over-then don’t let it screw up the rest of your life.”

“I don’t follow you.”

Charlie shook his head and sighed.

“Yes, you do,” he said.

It’s nearly dawn now, and my story is almost over. It’s time, I think, to let you know the rest.

I’m thirty-one years old now. I’ve been married three years to a woman named Janice, whom I met in a bakery. She, like Sarah, is a teacher, though she teaches high school English. We live in California, where I attended medical school and did my residency. I’m an emergency room physician, out of school for a year now, and in the past three weeks, with the help of many others, I’ve saved the lives of six people. I’m not saying this to brag, I’m telling you this because I want you to know that I’ve done my best to honor Miles’s words to me in the cemetery.

I’ve also kept my word about telling no one.

It wasn’t for me that Miles made me promise silence, you see. My silence, I was convinced at the time, was for his own protection.

Believe it or not, letting me go that day was a crime. A sheriff who has absolute knowledge that someone has committed a crime must turn that person in. Though our crimes were far from equal, the law is clear on this point, and Miles broke the law.

At least that’s what I believed back then. After years of reflection, however, I came to realize that I’d been wrong.