Epilogue
JACKIE
Seven months later
Abrutal summer in Houston, that’s what it’d been, but Dallas wasn’t any better.
Fucking climate change. Sweat dripped down my back and hairline as I maneuvered through the walking trail in the neighborhood park nearby.
Early two-thousands reggaeton blasted through my earbuds.
I knew none of the language, but the high tempo beats kept me moving at a brisk pace and distracted from my tiredness.
My cell pinged through, pausing the music, and I stopped, lowering myself onto a bench a few feet away to rest and catch my breath.
Jesse:
I got everything on your list.
Are you still at the park? I’ll
meet you there.
Perfect! Yes, I’m still here.
Heading back to my car now.
Trekking back to the parking lot where my car sat, I pulled out my earbuds and secured them back in their case inside my fanny pack.
Yes, I’m wearing a fanny pack. Judge me if you want.
Once I arrived back to where my Toyota was parked, I used my remote to start the engine so the air conditioning could cool down faster.
Walking around to the trunk, I popped it open and located a bottle of water to hydrate with.
I’d chugged about half the bottle when Jesse’s truck zipped in beside me.
They drove that thing like it was a compact car, which sometimes scared me.
A few hours later, after I’d decorated the space in pink and white rose petals and flameless tealight candles, with the help of the crew, I heard the sound of keys turning the lock on the front door. I patiently waited in the foyer with a bouquet of the same pink and white roses.
“Honey, I’m ho—” and the moment she saw me, her face lit up.
This woman was so damn vibrant. I couldn’t get enough of her.
She beamed up at me and accepted my gift.
Looking beyond where I stood, she gasped in amazement, because not only had I set up a romantic scene, but her framily and my sister were here, too, to surprise her.
“You did this all for me?”
“Well, I may have had a little help,” I pinched my thumb and forefinger together, leaving a little space in between. She gazed over my shoulder to see everyone standing in the living room. Their smiles joining ours created a space so bright we didn’t need the lights on.
“Thanks bestie, but babe let me go shower right quick. It was a busy day at the clinic. You’re free to accompany me,” and she threw her signature flirty wink at me. I heard a groan from my sister and whistles from everyone else, causing me to cackle out loud.
“No, ma’am. Wash up and come back.”
“Yes, ma’am!” and she saluted me playfully. I was thankful and glad to have these people here to be witnesses and a support system for what I had planned
All of us were sitting on the plush carpet of the living room floor in the townhome Sarah and I now shared.
I’d moved in with her about two months ago, after a few months of us having made things official, once we both got our heads out of our asses.
I’d added a few touches here and there. Family photos, a few of my favorite book covers I’d created and had framed, and some bookshelves I’d gifted to her that stood on either side of her entertainment center.
They were sturdy cherry wood I’d had custom made.
I gazed down at our cross-legged positions, her toenails pink and mine purple. We’d spent last night painting them for each other after another marathon session of sex where we incurred multiple mutual orgasms. Sapphic sex was top notch. We napped then woke up refreshed and played mani/pedi.
In the middle of the group circle sat an empty wine bottle that had been finished off. It was a symbol of the starting point to our story of forever.
“Jackie, my love, what are we doing? This is silly. We aren’t sixteen anymore.” She laughed at me, her eyes bright with love shining in them.
“I was feeling nostalgic, babe.” I shrugged. Everyone playfully swooned around us, and I laughed out loud.
“Oh, fine.” She acquiesced.
I spun the bottle, but it stopped with the neck pointing in the direction of Jesse and the couch. I used my fingertip to guide it a little further, so it pointed at the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. And this was the moment I made that happen. My fingers were crossed, in my head.
“Well, well, well.” Sarah had such a smart mouth. Sassy too.
I leaned forward, the mirror image of our first kiss during that game of spin the bottle all those years ago.
I planted my eager lips on hers, gently pushing her back to a lying position so I straddled her.
Normally Sarah took control, but I needed to lead this moment.
I had a plan to execute, and there was a piece of jewelry burning a hole in my right pocket.
We were now making out like horny teenagers, and I was so wet my panties were probably ruined.
Again. I took hold of her wrists and anchored them above her head with my left hand.
I reached into my pocket and slid my hand across the carpet up to her left.
I pulled it back down. Rising to a sitting position, I looked down at her lust-filled expression and could do nothing but smile.
My eyes filled with unshed tears. This beautiful, bold woman had changed my entire life unexpectedly.
My sister covered her eyes jokingly while Sakora whooped and hollered at our display of affection, causing my cheeks to redden some with embarrassment.
Her own smile dropped suddenly at the sight of me on the verge of crying. Little did she know these were happy tears. I took her hand that was already in mine and sat it on my heart.
“Sarah Madeline McDougal. The love of my life. The brightest star in my sky. The flame that lights me from within. You have made so unbelievably, astonishingly happy. When we reunited, I was putting the broken pieces of my life together, but you became the superglue that was the solution to it all. I was hoping, wishing…” I trailed off, trying to get the nerve up to finish the question on the tip of my tongue.
I slid the ring on her left, fourth finger.
Her eyes became so big I thought they’d pop out of their sockets.
Fat tears streamed down her cheeks, and she leaned up to a sitting position, bringing us face to face.
She looked down at the white gold band with a three-carat, ethically sourced, pink diamond flanked on both sides by smaller white diamonds.
“Marry me.” I finally got the words out in a breathless whisper.
Speechless for the first time, Sarah just stared as the tears continued. She moved her hand around in the light, causing the stones to twinkle. Her breath caught, and the next thing I knew, she was the one on top as usual.
Sarah began kissing me all over, causing me to burst out in a fit of giggles. “God, I hope that’s a yes,” I pleaded.
“Jackie Rachelle Taylor, how could I say anything but ‘yes’? I love you so fucking much. I’ve loved you since that first spin and that first kiss.
” She wiped the salty streams that had smeared her trails down her freckled face, giving me a smile that brightened up her entire face and woke up the butterflies in my stomach.
Flashes of a phone camera went off around us as someone took photos and video footage of the proposal.
The sounds of sniffles and clapping hands echoed off the living room walls, creating a space of love, acceptance, and safety.
“Thank fuck,” I continued giggling wiping the wetness now seeping out of the corners of my eyes. I pulled her warm, soft body down to mine and held her closely. My new fiancée. “Because I love you with my entire soul.”
Sunday morning, we all congregated around our outdoor table at one of the local bars for brunch and a drag fashion show.
Excitement consumed me being out with my new fiancée and our crew, experiencing another first. I couldn’t stop smiling.
Looking down at our fingers interlaced, Sarah’s engagement ring twinkled under the rays of the midday sun.
She caught me looking and kissed me softly on the back of the hand.
“I’ve got to get you one too. We’ll go shopping soon, love.
I promise. You deserve exactly what you want.
” My cheeks reddened and my heartbeat galloped like a herd of wild mustangs.
A small nod was all I could manage to acknowledge her statement.
Sweltering as the weather was, I opted for water to keep me hydrated.
Sarah ordered a sweet tea, and everyone else ordered the special two-dollar mimosas.
We decided on some light appetizers to share throughout the show.
Thankfully, the outdoor seating had plenty of shade due to the umbrellas lodged in the center of each table, though they didn’t do much to cut through the lingering humidity.
Within moments, the show’s emcee marched out on the runway to announce that today’s fashions were created by Palestinian-American designer Rena Said.
Her work encompassed a wide variety of pieces, including accessible garments for those with mobility aids.
Rena catered to those that every day designers tended to ignore, including fat people, physically disabled people, and those who wanted more androgynous looks.
Drag kings and queens of all sizes and shapes modeled outfits from Rena’s latest line.
It was fun as hell, because they didn’t just walk the runway, they entertained the crowd.
Each individual displayed their own signature look, down to hair and makeup, with bold strokes of colors and glitter adorning their faces or false facial hair in the case of the some of the kings.
Guests ooohed and aahhed, and once the show was over, Rena and all the kings and queens paraded themselves out to thunderous cheers and applause.
Rena accepted the mic and proceeded to thank all participants and attendees.
She informed the crowd that today’s funds raised would go to help a local twelve-year-old autistic girl named Tamia Glover.
She required a high level of care from her support system and a special custom wheelchair was something she needed for outings that took a lot of walking and standing.
“On your tables, you’ll see a placard with a QR code. Scan that, and it’ll take you directly to the fundraising link. The servers will keep all tips but proceeds from meals and separate donations through that link will go directly to Tamia and her family. They thank you, and so do I.”
People throughout the outdoor crowd pulled out their phones and scanned the cards on their tables. Seeing people care about their fellow humans in ways like this helped me better understand the concept of community and being about the people, not just being among them.
I glanced over at my beautiful, freckle-faced fiancée, and pulled her in for a slow kiss.
Since being with Sarah, she’d opened my eyes to so much, especially being in community with other queer people, and I held so much gratitude in my heart for her love and presence in my life.
I’d never love anyone else the way I loved her.