Amy was calmed instantly. Her Uncle Charley meant the world to her and she would never ignore him purposefully. “Well hurry up and open the door,” she said.

Erin pursed her lips with a frown and a mini glare at Amy. She turned back to the door and opened it.

“Uncle Charley,” Erin crooned. “It’s been a while, how are you?”

The 58-year-old man with a medium muscular build, salt and pepper hair and daring gray eyes smiled at Erin.

“Good morning, Erin. It’s nice to see you again. I’m doing just fine what about yourself?”

“I can’t complain at all, please come in.”

Erin removed herself from the doorway and Uncle Charley strolled inside. His vision went straight to his niece sitting on the sofa with her legs folded underneath her and an empty plastic takeout box in her lap.

“At least I know you’re alive and well,” he said with a frown. “I’ve been calling you. What did I do this time?”

Amy opened her mouth to respond but what should she say? My feelings have been hurt by a boy and I decided to shut the world out?

The truth was, this wasn’t just any boy, and it wasn’t just hurt feelings. Her heart was broken and that was saying a lot since Amy didn’t let much get to her.

“Is this about Luke?” Uncle Charley went on after seeing Amy struggle with her response.

The question surprised both she and Erin.

“How do you know about Luke?”

“You mean besides the fact that he’s been reaching out to anyone who he thinks can get a message to you?”

If Amy were honest with herself, she could admit that made her feel slightly victorious. Let him fight for her, if he really loved her.

“So, you’re here on his behalf?”

Uncle Charley gave Amy a stern look. “Now you know better than that.”

Amy poked her lip out.

“I’m here on behalf of you. Always have been. I must admit, after hearing what he had to say, I thought I should talk to you, but unfortunately, your phone doesn’t work.”

Amy went to explain, and Uncle Charley tossed his hand up to stop her.

“Doesn’t make a bit of difference, I know where you live, and I have a key should you have decided not to let me in.”

“But I would've had I known you were on the opposite side of the door.”

“She’s lying,” Erin added.

Amy turned to her and gawked.

“I mean that in the sense that she wouldn’t have even come to the door to know it was you on the other side.”

Uncle Charley nodded in understanding. Amy pursed her lips and glared at Erin. “Tattletale.”

Erin shrugged. “I’m going to get going so you too can be alone, but Amy if you don’t come in tonight and I find out you told me you would just to keep Mariah and me from staying over, I’ll be back, and remember, I have a key too and I’m not afraid to use it.”

“Clearly,” Amy rebutted.

Erin glanced at Uncle Charley. “It was good seeing you again, take care.”

“You too.”

Erin reached for her purse and discarded her empty box before leaving. When Uncle Charley and Amy were alone they both spoke at the same time.

“I didn’t mean to ignore your calls.”

“I didn’t come over here for a fight.”

They both smiled at each other and Uncle Charley strolled to a chair that sat adjacent from Amy and sat down. He rested his forearms on his thighs as he leaned forward.

“Sweetheart, I didn’t come over here to lecture you, but I am concerned. I know how long you’ve waited for Luke to come home so I can imagine how hurt you must be.”

Amy’s face sagged, and her eyes dropped to the floor.

“You deserve happiness.”

This shocked Amy to say the least. She looked up at her uncle with wide eyes and her mouth parted just slightly.

“I know,” he said. “I’ve raised you to be tough, to know that life is hard, and nothing is given to you, everything must be earned. Love, trust, honesty, whatever you want in life. I’ve also taught you that shit happens and when it does you should pick up your lip and move on.” He sighed.

“There’s no need crying over spoiled milk,” they both said in unison referring to another wise lesson of his.

“All of that is still true. But there’s also something I didn’t tell you.”

Amy was hanging on to his words as if she was scrambling for her next intake of oxygen.

“Real love is hard to find. There aren’t many honest people left in the world nowadays. Most people do what they can to get by whether that’s being manipulative or just plain old evil. I’ve never told you this but when you were three years old when your parents were still here with us, I met and fell in love with someone that spun my entire existence. She was patient, loving, kind; always a helping hand. Then I was a little bit more stubborn than I am now.”

Amy raised an inquisitive brow.

“Believe it or not I was an asshole then.” Uncle Charley smirked and so did Amy. “But for some reason, she saw something in me that drew her my way. I never understood it. I was wild, and always at the bar with my buddies. I put her last all for the sake of clout. In my heart, I was just as in love with her as she was with me. But I was Charley Van Winkle, Captain of the baseball team and the popular jock in college. I couldn’t be seen with one woman.” He sighed. “So, I wasn’t, and I hurt her time and time again.” Uncle Charley paused again, and Amy’s throat clogged. She tried swallowing the lump in her throat, but it was no use. It was stuck and trying to close off the air to her lungs for immediate suffocation. She would’ve never imagined her uncle being that type of guy, but here he was informing her that he was. “Finally, she had enough of me, and when we broke up, it was nasty. She tried to do it quietly with grace and dignity, but I made a whole show of it on campus, pretending as if I didn’t need her.”

He sighed. “When I grew enough balls to tell my friends off so I could be with her honestly, it was too late. She’d long left me in the wind. That next summer I found out through the grapevine that she was engaged. Imagine my horror. I was sick, and karma was dealing me a slice of pie that was sour.” He paused. “I say all of this to say, if you can live without him leave him where he is. If you think he doesn’t deserve you, leave him where he is. If he’s an asshat, leave him where he is. But… if what you’re going through is just a bump in the road and something you can see yourself as a couple overcoming, ride it out. Love waits for no one. Besides, you don’t want to be like your old man. Lonely, miserable, with a bunch of regrets and constant what ifs.”

A tear slipped from Amy’s eye. She felt awful for her uncle. Not only that, but what he did in his youth still impacted him today.

“I didn’t know you were miserable,” Amy said, her voice soft and weary.

“In my love life,” he said, “or lack thereof.”

He smiled, but it was short and didn’t brighten his face. Amy moved from her spot on the couch and sat her plate on the table. She took the minor steps to her uncle and he opened up for her, letting her crawl in his lap like a child. She rested her head on his shoulder and he held on to her tightly.

“I love you, Amy. I know the saying is to listen to your head and not your heart, but that saying couldn’t be farther from the truth.”

Amy kissed her uncle on the cheek and rested her head back on his shoulder.

“Thank you for confiding in me, Uncle Charley. I love you, too.”