Epilogue
“A nd that, boys, is how your Grandpa Gary and I fell in love.” Mary leaned back against the pillows, her two grandsons snuggled deep in her arms.
The clock on the wall said it was well past the boy’s bedtime. Hers too. She could hear Gary snoring like a hog in their bedroom across the hall.
“You could have left out the kissing part.” Patrick looked up at her, a frown on his face.
“The kissing part?”
“Yeah, the kissing part,” Patrick said again. “The part where you and Grandpa first kissed.” Jacob had looked drowsy but now he perked up, wide awake.
“Oh.” Mary hadn’t thought that an eight-year-old and a six-year-old would pay much attention to that. It was a good thing she had creatively edited some of the R rated parts out of the story. And now that she thought about it, perhaps the retelling of the dream she had in Jack Thompson’s lobby was not exactly age appropriate.
“Come on now. Up and at ‘em. Your mother and father are going to be home soon. Remember, if they ask, we were all in bed by eight thirty.” Mary tried to sit up, but her tired bones wouldn’t let her. That and the fact that both boys still hadn’t budged. Perhaps the second bowl of pistachio ice cream had been a strategic miscalculation.
Jacob’s eyes were still full of questions. “Do you and Grandpa still play pickleball?”
“We still dink from time to time,” Mary said. Then under her breath she added, “And bang on special occasions.”
“What about Purrfect?” Patrick looked concerned. “What happened to her?”
Mary smiled as she thought about Purrfect. In many ways, that cat was responsible for bringing Gary and her together. She took a deep breath, choosing her words carefully. “Purrfect lived a long and happy life,” she said at last. “Right here in this house. With her family. Me. Your grandpa. And your father Kyle.” Mary had to take another deep breath to continue. “When her time was done, she went to sleep in my arms while Grandpa rubbed her favorite petting spot. Right behind her ears.”
Patrick gave an enormous yawn, which set off a chain reaction with Jacob.
Then Mary yawned too. “Okay, it’s definitely past bedtime, for sure.”
“Next time, can you tell us a story about Aunt Janet?” asked Jacob.
“I want to hear one about Uncle Ralph,” said Patrick.
“I’m afraid both of those stories are going to have to wait until you’re older,” said Mary. “Much older. The Aunt Janet story is going to require a couple shots of tequila, since it involves Cancun. And another drooling ass, come to think of it. And for the Uncle Ralph story, I’m going to need you to sign a waiver.”
Patrick gave another yawn, and Jacob’s eyes fluttered.
“I’ll tell you what,” said Mary. “If you both go to sleep right away, I will tell you the story about how your mom and your dad met next time.” Although, Mary thought, that one was going to need a lot of creative editing, too. And tequila wouldn’t hurt either.