Gunther makes it a point to visit Jackie's mother at least twice a month. It's hard at first, but he quicky realizes that it helps him to talk about it (about her), because it feels like he hasn't completely lost her when someone does bring her up. The only other person who understands his grief is Ms. Wackerman, and so he treasures each story she tells him.
"When Jackie was five years old…"
"Once, Jackie was out looking for inspiration…"
"I remember when Jackie would…"
Kick doesn't agree; says just thinking Kendall's name hurts too much, and Gunther can't find it in himself to resent his friend. Everyone has their own healing process and if Kick has to take a different path of healing, then so be it. He'd liked if they could travel it together, but sometimes people grow up together, and sometimes they grow up apart, but what matters is how they handle that whether its during or after. Maybe one day they'll be able to talk about the girls again.
"She was always so relentless," He takes a sip of tea, "A real force to be reckoned with, and I loved that."
Ms. Wackerman smiles, "Yes, my Jackie rarely let anything get her down." She looks out the window, eyes growing distant with a touch of sadness, "Got that from me."
I'm glad. He thinks. It's better that she took more after you and not-. Out loud he says, "You should've seen her when we tried to get a picture she took of Kick, pretty sure that made history."
Afterwards he always goes to the beach, watches the waves and sings Jackie's favorite folk song till the sun has long left the sky. He sticks to this routine for three years, and it's an unspoken understanding that he and Kick don't share the beach at the same time. And so it comes as a surprise one day that he looks up to see his best friend just as Gunther steps onto the sand. He watches for a moment as Kick stares out to sea, and he wonders if maybe they can finally talk about what happened?
No. Something inside him whispers, not yet.
Instead, he heads towards a rocky outcrop that gives him a better view of the beach and the waves. Sometimes the lighting will play tricks on him, but he doesn't usually mind, except for a moment he swears Kendall is looking up at him from the water and it leaves him reeling, as if someone has a grip around his heart. But he blinks and the image is gone.