Epilogue
Ten months later.
A day in the life of an unlikely princess…
It’s a sunny August morning, and we’re having breakfast on the patio. It looks out onto the lake, and I can see it’s already a busy Saturday. Sea-Doos and boats zoom by, kids being pulled on tubes in tow. It’s summer in all its glory. Sonia has the day off, and Madeleine, a pretty middle-aged brunette, is here instead, tending to our breakfast. I ask her if I can help, and she shakes her head. “Absolutely not,” she says. “You’re the birthday girl.”
I smile, not believing that I’m already twenty-nine. It seems like just yesterday when I was still in high school, when life was all about boys, fussing over my pimples, and saving to buy the latest pair of jeans. Now I’m a woman with a child and a significant other. I feel very grown-up.
“How about it, birthday girl?” Colton quips. “You want to go tubing on your birthday?”
I laugh. “No, thank you.”
“Don’t you worry.” He helps himself to another scone. “I have something much better planned for you this afternoon.”
I perk up. “Oh, what could it possibly be?” I say playfully. The possibilities are endless.
“Can I go tubing today, Mommy?” Christian asks. “I know it’s your birthday.”
I smile. “Of course. You go with Colton and have fun.”
“Oh, to be a kid again.” Tony sips his coffee. He’s already finished his omelet and bacon. I’m still working on mine. He sets down his mug, and reaches into the pocket on his wheelchair. He pulls out a shiny box topped with a blue ribbon, and stretches his arm in my direction. “Here you go, sweetie.” Sweetie is what he calls me. It’s kind of cute.
My breath hitches. I’m so moved. “Oh, you didn’t have to…”
“Of course I did,” he argues. “You work so hard. You deserve nice things.”
“Open it!” Christian cheers.
I smile wide as I pull at the ribbon, and dig into the wrapping. A blue Tiffany box is revealed, and I know it’s jewelry. When I lift the lid off of the box, I swallow hard. It’s a beautiful necklace, a large diamond studded star on a silver chain. “Oh my, it’s gorgeous. Thank you so much, Tony.” I’m officially tearing up as I stand, and round the table to give him a hug.
“Happy birthday, sweetie.”
I glance over at Colton, who’s just sitting there quietly, watching me as if I were the most beautiful thing in the world. He stands, and takes the box from me. “Let’s try it on.”
I grab my hair and pull it up, excited. His faint touch sends shivers down my spine as he wraps the necklace around my neck and clasps it.
“Why a star?” I ask Tony.
He smiles. “Because you’re a star of course,” he says. “And also because stars always make me think of Hollywood and movies, and you love movies as much as I do.”
“Speaking of which…” I say, “which one are we watching tomorrow night?”
“I was thinking of Goodfellas,” he tells me. “It’s a classic.”
I perk up. “Yes… love!”
“Will you be joining us, Colton?” Tony asks his son.
He smiles as he reaches for his smoothie. “Most likely.”
We polish off our delicious breakfast, and say a long goodbye to Tony. We have a busy day ahead, and first on the agenda is a visit to an old friend.
* * *
The cemetery is quiet today. It’s just us three, and one other family in the distance. Colton holds my hand as we walk quietly toward Judy’s grave, and I hold Christian’s. My heart is full of emotion as we near it, as it always is.
Christian sets the bouquet of flowers I’ve brought down; a mix of purple lupines and lavender, picked from her garden. Her children have put her little cottage on the market, but it hasn’t sold yet. She used to love picking her flowers and offering them as a gift. And now it’s our turn to return the favor.
