Epilogue
Rafael
Three weeks later
“That was fun,” Henry says, kicking off his skates.
“Yeah, except for the two times I fell on my ass,” I say.
“You mean five times,” Derrick says, his shoulder tapping mine.
I shove into him and he laughs. “Yeah, because you were much better.”
“I mean, we all know I was the best one out there,” Leslie says.
“I’ll take second best, then,” Henry chimes in.
We all laugh. “You were very good. You must have ice skated a lot before.”
“Yeah. Every winter with my sister.”
“So he’s had practice,” my brother quips.
“Still super impressive,” his wife chirps.
“Very much so,” I say, kissing his cheek.
“Gross. Get a room.”
“I’ll remember to tell you and Leslie that later, the moment you decide you both miss each other at the restaurant.”
He rolls his eyes and laughter fills the space again.
It happens a lot the rest of the day. We all have dinner together and then head to my parents’ house for family game night.
My dad already has Monopoly picked out by the time we get there, and Mom grabs Henry by the arm, telling him about the art show she recently went to.
Smiling at how happy the people in my life are while around me, I feel my pockets for my phone to capture some of these moments. “Darn. I forgot my phone in the car. I’ll be back.”
“Do you really need it?” my mom gripes.
“Yes. I want to take some photos and maybe check in on Huey. I just recently started leaving him with a sitter and I’m still nervous over it.”
“Okay. Hurry and get it, then,” she says.
“Yeah, hurry and get back to me.” Henry grabs at my shirt to whisper low in my ear.
“Always,” I say, kissing his cheek.
I exit the front door and I’m halfway down the sidewalk when I spot Rory across the way. He smiles at me, lifting his hand in a wave. I freeze in place, one side of my mouth moving, and return the gesture with a wave of my own before proceeding to get what I came out here to get.
It’s crazy to think in another time it would have been him.
He gave up on me, but I’m no longer mad at him over it.
I no longer feel pain in my heart when I think of him.
I’m not going to lie; I still get a little sad seeing him, but not for that reason.
I get sad over him having to pay the terrible price for getting closer to the person he should have distanced himself from.
But things happened how they did, and no matter how hard it is to move forward, at least I finally can without all the what-ifs following me around.
I want to say I put all of it behind me and don’t have to worry about getting blood on my hands again, but unfortunately, since two other men appeared in the films who the cops can’t seem to identify, I can’t.
Not until I find them and put them in the ground with the rest of them.
I have no doubt the side of me I once I thought I had to be afraid of will either.
With my phone in my hand, I close the car door and rush back to the man I don’t think I’ll ever slow down for.
“You’re back,” Henry says when I slam the door behind me. He’s on the couch next to my mom, flipping through baby pictures of me in an album. She’s describing the next few she lands on and I scoff.
“I am. Here I was hoping I’d be safe from her showing my boyfriend everything embarrassing I did as a child.”
“I might not be able to see it, but unlike you, your mom is very good at descriptions.”
I laugh, joining the rest of my family and sitting next to Henry.
I whisper in his ear about how the pecan trees look like pecan trees.
He laughs, rubbing his face against mine, and I let my mom take over the rest of the descriptions while I watch how much his face lights up with each memory she goes over.
When she reaches the end where there are blank spaces, Henry turns to me and says, “Ready to use that phone to capture some memories?”
I look at the blank pages, plucking my phone from my pocket with my lips hovering over his ear. “I am. Then next year, when my mom pulls out the albums again, you’ll be included in them.”
“And the year after that?” He tips his head back.
“Yes, and the year after that, and a million years after that.”
He laughs. “Yeah, I don’t think either of us will live that long.”
“Yes, but if I ever somehow found a way to, I’d make sure it was with you.”
“I love you,” he says softly, and my heart dances.
“Yo también te amo.”