The first truly warm Saturday arrived in late spring

I woke before dawn and made coffee in the blue mug Laura had chipped years earlier

The house was quiet except for the refrigerator and a bird singing outside the kitchen window

I put on the old denim jacket Laura had always said made me look like a teenager

Then I carried her notebook to the garage

The Mustang waited beneath a clean cotton cover

I pulled the cover away and stood looking at the red paint

The car was not perfect

There were small scratches on the door and a faint mark near the rear wheel

The upholstery showed its age and the dashboard still had a tiny crack

Laura had never wanted a museum piece

She wanted a car we could drive together

I checked the tires and lights and reviewed the latest inspection paperwork

Then I placed her notebook on the passenger seat

I started the engine and listened until it settled into a steady idle

I opened the garage door and backed slowly into the driveway

Irene was watering her flowers across the street

She looked up and waved

I waved back

A few houses away Colin stood beside his mailbox holding a newspaper

He raised his hand as the Mustang passed

The neighborhood looked ordinary in the morning light

That was the greatest change of all

I no longer expected every passing car to bring another notice or threat

I drove out of the subdivision and followed the county road toward the hills

The fields were green and the fences cast long shadows across the grass

I kept the windows open even though the air was cool

Laura had always liked it that way

At the overlook I parked beside a wooden railing

Beyond the trees the valley stretched toward a river that caught the sunlight

I turned off the engine and sat without moving

The silence felt different from the silence of the empty house

It did not ask me to forget anything

I opened the notebook to the last page

Beside the crooked heart Laura had written that our first drive should be somewhere with a view

I looked across the valley and smiled

I told her we had made it

My voice sounded strange in the quiet car

I stayed until the sun climbed above the trees

Then I took a photograph of the Mustang against the landscape