Diversions: Side Trip
“Wade, do you ever think about what you would do if you had a second chance? Would you take it?” Quinn watched several parents shepherding their children to the next exhibit.
Wade finished her bottle of water before replying. “That would depend on the situation. Anything in particular?” she inquired as she wiped her mouth with a paper napkin.
“No, just thinking,” Quinn lied as he turned his attention back to his cotton candy.
Throwing her bottle in the recycle bin, Wade rolled her eyes. “Quinn, you think too much. Why don’t you relax for once?”
“I’m relaxing!” he protested holding his hands up in the air. “I’m enjoying this!”
“Don’t you love it?” Wade asked cheerfully as she watched the little children laughing gleefully at the polar bear of unusual color.
“Well Wade, it depends,” Quinn replied as he pulled off a tuft of pink cotton candy and maneuvered the wisps of sugary goodness into his mouth.
Still licking the sides of his mouth, he continued. “… you’re paying.”
Wade smirked as a vendor walked by with souvenirs. “Now you are.” Wade held out her hand Peg Bundy style. “I used most of it for admission.”
Quinn did his best Al Bundy imitation, grimacing as he paid out the contents of his pockets. “Don’t spend it all in one place.”
Wade was gone before he could add, “Give me back the change.”
Quinn went back to eating his cotton candy, enjoying the sweetness.
“Daddy! Mommy! Where are you?” cried a little girl a foot to the right of Quinn. “Mommy! Daddy! Don’t leave me!”
Quinn looked down and saw a girl about three years old wearing a yellow dress, white socks and shoes and a red bow in her dark hair.
Crouching down, Quinn smiled at the girl asking gently, “Are you lost? I’ll help you find your Mommy and Daddy.”
The child wiped her tears with her hands and began to sniffle. “Help me. My name’s Sarah. What’s yours?”
“It’s Quinn. I have a friend here too. Her name is Wade. We’ll help you find your parents. Are you hurt? Are you hungry?”
The girl raised her arms. “I want to be higher so I can see Mommy and Daddy.”
Quinn happily obliged, picking up the brown-eyed girl. “Let’s see if Wade’s back.”
“Thank you Quinn,” she politely replied as she searched the crowd.
“Well hello. Looks like you have a new friend Quinn.” Wade held up a paper bag full of booty.
“Sarah, this is Wade. She’s my friend. She’s going to help us find your parents.”
“That’s a pretty name for a girl,” Sarah remarked as she stared at Wade’s bag.
Wade smiled at her, “Do you want to see what I have?”
Quinn saw the mischievous twinkle in Wade’s eyes. In horror, Quinn’s expression asked, “You used all one hundred dollars?!?!?”
Wade ignored him as she pulled out a two-foot high stuffed purple polar bear. Sarah clapped her hands then pointed to the live one several yards from them.
“I want you to have him.” Wade handed the bear to the smiling child who gratefully accepted it.
“His name is Arturo. Thank you Wade.” Sarah hugged the bear, her face full of happiness.
“Arturo? You got to be kidding?” Quinn’s jaw dropped at the mention of his mentor’s name.
Sarah turned to Quinn, her eyes boring holes into his head. “Don’t make fun of him, Quinn,” she retorted with fury.
“Um… sorry… uh…” Quinn quickly lowered her to the concrete. “Arturo’s a fine name, Sarah.”
Sarah turned her attention back to the bear as she wandered a couple of feet from them. She giggled as she whispered into the bear’s ear.
“I wasn’t imagining, was I?” questioned Quinn in low tones as he leaned forward toward Wade.
Wade shook her head no. “This is too freaky.”
“Sarah!” called two anxious voices in unison.
“Sarah! Where are you?” called a worried mother.
“Sarah! Time to go my child!” called her father.
Sarah looked up and searched the crowd. “Mommy! Daddy! I’m over here with Quinn and Wade! Mommy! Daddy!”
Wade picked up Sarah. “Do you see them?”
Quinn grabbed Wade’s bag and searched the crowd. “Do you see them Sarah?”
“Daddy!” Sarah exclaimed, hugging the bear tighter.
Wade and Quinn spun around 180° and stared in disbelief.
“Sarah! Now where have you been hiding? Don’t you know we have to go soon?” The irritation in his voice vanishing as he began to smile.
Still dumbstruck, Wade handed her to her father.
Father and daughter reunited. Hugs and kisses exchanged. Happiness restored.
Wade looked over to Quinn. Sarah’s mother was whispering something into his ear before rushing off to her family.
Mother and daughter reunited. A family restored. Tranquillity and contentment reigns.
“I’d like to thank you Miss Welles and Mr. Mallory in finding our daughter. She has a way of disappearing, but she always knows whom to trust. Come along my favorite ladies. We can’t miss the walk on the Azure Gate Bridge and the Easy Bake Oven retrospective.”
“I wanna activate the timer! My turn!” She grabbed at her father’s hand as he pulled out the timer from his coat pocket.
“Honey, aren’t you forgetting something?” her mother coaxed, pointing to the bear.
“Thank you Wade for this present. Thank you for helping me find my Mommy and Daddy! Bye bye!” Sarah activated the whirlpool of light and wind.
Wade rubbed her eyes in disbelief as a familiar red vortex appeared in front of Sarah’s family.
“Wade let them go!”
“Are you crazy! She tried to kill me!”
“I said NO!” Quinn grabbed her arm before Wade could do anything else.
“It’s the Professor! OUR PROFESSOR!” Wade begged as the family walked into the light.
“I know Wade,” Quinn replied bitterly as he let Wade go after the gateway was closed.
“Why Quinn? Why?” sobbed Wade, feeling the loss once again.
“Because Logan said she forgave me and thanked me for her second chance.”
An empty bag
Holding a memory
Of one loss
Twice taken away
Ripping a second hole
In their hearts
The emptiness paving
The way for a
Second chance at forgiveness
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