“She had me there.”
His granddaughter had made him a deal.
She would be brave for the doctors if he would be brave enough to wear the nails she designed.
All ten of them.
No cheating.
No taking the polish off before he came back.
Walker agreed.
Then she made him promise.
That part mattered.
He told us she had lifted one little finger from beneath the hospital blanket and made him hook his finger around hers.
“Promised her I’d come back today looking exactly like that picture.”
He nodded toward the purple nails.
“So here I am.”
I looked down at my own hands.
A few minutes earlier, I had been watching his like they were evidence of danger.
The scars hadn’t changed.
The calluses hadn’t changed.
Only the story attached to them had.
Across the room, the woman who had pulled her purse closer was staring at the floor.
I wondered whether she was remembering the same thing I was: how quickly we had decided who Walker was before he had spoken a sentence.
Tina turned his phone back toward him.
“What time do you need to be there?”
Walker checked the clock.
“Visiting hours aren’t the problem.
I told her I’d be back before she eats dinner.”
Tina looked at his nails.
The polish was still tacky.
“Don’t touch anything.”
Walker raised both hands like a man surrendering.
“Yes, ma’am.”
That finally broke the tension.
A few people laughed.
Even Walker did.
Tina moved the drying fan closer and inspected every nail.
The yellow glitter on his left ring finger was lighter than the drawing, so she added another careful line of tiny stars.
Walker watched closely.
“That’s the finger that matters?” she asked.
He nodded.
“She pointed to that one twice.”
“Then we’re not disappointing the client.”
“No, ma’am.”
A phone buzzed on the table.
Walker looked down.
His whole expression changed.
He tapped the screen with the side of one knuckle, trying not to ruin the polish.
“Hey, kiddo.”
His voice was still deep, but every hard edge had disappeared.
We couldn’t hear the girl on the other end.
Walker listened.
“No, I didn’t chicken out.”
He looked at Tina.
Tina grinned.
“Almost finished.”
He listened again.
“Purple.
Yep.”
