My Michelle

"Lee, it's so good to see you." She said as she moved forward to hug me tightly.

"It's good to see you too mom, I'm sorry I haven't been around sooner." I started, but decided not to try to make excuses for my absence.

Her mother let me go and then took a good look at Haley.

"Haley, what did you do to your hair?"

"She did something to her hair?" Haley's father asked as he looked at her, he had walked out of the kitchen as he heard us speaking.

"Oh dad! You'll never change." And then to her mother "I decided it was time for something different, I thought I'd like to see what it would be like shorter." I knew she had cut it short in order to look like Michelle, but I don't think either of us was going to tell her mother that.

"You're staying for dinner tonight, I don't want to hear any excuses." Her mother said emphatically.

"That's why I'm here. I've been eating my own cooking for far too long, I really do need a good meal."

I looked at Haley out of the corner of my eye as I saw her grinning slyly, she had been feeding me pretty well herself for the past few days, but I wasn't going to let her mother know that either.

We had a wonderful dinner and talked for several hours, mostly pleasant with only a few sad memories of Michelle. It would take a long time for each of us to learn to live without her, but now I felt we were getting closer to that point. I also knew that I would stay much closer to all of them, Michelle was too big a part of each of us to lose that.

I took Haley back to her apartment after a pleasant evening with her parents, she would be living there once again.

"I meant what I said Lee, I don't want to lose you. I do love you, not as Michelle did, but probably more than just as a sister. Always remember, I'm here for you any time. And if I feel the need, I'm definitely going to seek you out to help me through any difficulties I might be facing."

I could see the tears in her eyes, but she blinked them away and was soon back to a more normal composure. We hugged each other tightly and she kissed me, not a sisterly kiss but not quite as passionate as lovers might share either. I knew we would be closer than most. I felt certain that Michelle was looking over each of us now, happy that we were able to move forward and not paralyzed by her absence. I drew comfort from the feeling I got last night as Haley and I made love, not just the sexual pleasure, but the feel that maybe Michelle was guiding us together. Who knows, maybe Haley's little joke about biblical brothers and sisters wasn't as much of a joke as she might have suggested.