One More Lantern
The following October, Lucy stood in the kitchen of the apartment she and Ben had rented in November.
There were library books on the counter, firefighter boots by the door, and a calendar on the refrigerator covered in two kinds of handwriting.
Ben's handwriting was worse.
He denied this.
"We're late," Lucy said.
"We are three minutes early."
"For normal people."
"I live with a normal person?"
Lucy threw a dish towel at him.
Ben caught it.
The apartment was not perfect.
One cabinet door stuck when the weather changed. The bedroom radiator clanked. Ben kept leaving mugs in places no mug should reasonably be.
Lucy loved it.
They walked to Cedar Street carrying a box of paper lanterns.
The festival had grown again. The dual-city literacy program now operated in five neighborhoods. Priya had become assistant branch manager. Mara had finally stopped claiming full credit for Lucy and Ben's relationship.
Mostly.
At the courtyard gate, a group of children waited for lantern supplies.
Lucy handed over the box.
A little girl looked up at Ben.
"Are you the firefighter?"
"Sometimes."
"Are you Lucy's husband?"
Ben choked.
Lucy laughed so hard she had to hold the gate.
"Not yet," Ben said when he recovered.
Lucy stopped laughing.
He looked at her.
Not yet.
The words hung between them, warm and unhurried.
Lucy smiled.
"Come on," she said. "We have a lantern walk to run."
Ben took her hand.
"You mean attend."
Lucy looked toward the volunteers already handling everything.
"Right. Attend."
They walked into the courtyard together.
The lights came on one by one.
And for once, Lucy did not check whether anyone needed her.
She was exactly where she wanted to be.