“Oh dear, you’re as handsome as the day we first met,” she said.
I walked over to her, and she pulled herself up gingerly out of the chair. She placed her lips gently against mine. “I was always afraid of what being frozen was going to do to your face. I just never suspected that it would be any of my concern.”
“Here I am,” I said awkwardly.
She started sobbing. I held her tight. She felt so little, like a fraction of her former self. My eyes felt heavy, but the tears wouldn’t fall.
“I always used to say that I’d trade anything, anything at all, for another day with you . . . ” She smiled, her face streaming with tears.
“You and Colt are all I’ve thought about. There were times when I didn’t know if I’d make it here alive, but I kept pressing on. I didn’t want to live if I wasn’t with you.”
“Were you hurt? They say that disease makes people do terrible things.”
“Just a little bit from the freaks. There was a doctor, though, and he fixed me up. Then I got shot. By our own troops, if you can believe it,” I said, laughing. “Look at this.” I opened my shirt to expose the massive scar on my chest. “It happened just a few days ago, and here I am, good as new. I just have to take one of these pills every eight hours.” I held up the little bottle and shook it.
“It’s shocking what they can do. Do you remember what Restora said when we signed you up for the service? That it would take hundreds, maybe thousands of years before they could bring you back?”
“If they could do it at all. Those Chinese . . . they are something else. I don’t know what they did to me, but I feel better than I did before the accident.”
“Do you remember everything?”
“Everything. Like it was yesterday.”
“Then you must be disappointed by this little old lady you found living in our house.”
“Never. The only person I’m disappointed in is myself. I never should have left you alone. I was rash. Impulsive. I threw our life away, for what? I’ll never forgive myself for that.”
“Royce, you have to forgive yourself. Do you know why?”
“No.”
“Because I’ve forgiven you.”
I didn’t know what to say. Her intent was a hard thing for me to accept.
“Colt told me why you flew home that night.”
“I wanted to make our date.”
“You’re a sweet, sweet man, and we had a wonderful twenty-five years together. Can’t we just let the past be the past?”
“I’m trying. I really am. It’s hard for me because it doesn’t feel like the past. It feels like everyone changed except for me.”
“Is that why you were so mean to Gary?”
“Don’t even get me started with him.”
“I’m eighty-five years old, Royce. Gary turns ninety in January. We married thirteen years ago, after he lost Donna. It just felt right. We take care of each other. We keep each other company.”
I stared at the floor like a hurt little child while she spoke.
“Oh, Royce, it’s not like we’re a couple of twenty somethings running around christening every room in the house.”
“You mean like we did?” I asked with a sheepish grin.
“Of course I do. You gave me the best years of my life. No one can take that away from us.”
“I’m sorry, love. You’ll have to forgive me for what I said to Gary. It’s just that . . . you don’t know what I went through to get here. That virus is a horrible thing, and all along I had this image in my head—I was driven by it—an image of you and Colt, of our life together before the accident. I think I secretly wished that nothing had changed. That I’d get here and my life would return to what it was. Now that I see the two of you here in the flesh I know that the world just kept on spinning without me.”
“Royce, we’re still here. We’re your family, and nothing can change that. Just focus on us, don’t be distracted by everything else.”
“Like another man sleeping in my bed?”
“Yes, like another man sleeping in your bed. You’ll have to embrace this world for what it is. There’s so much you haven’t seen yet. Like the girls, have you seen the girls?”
“Just a picture when I was over at Colt’s place.”
“They will melt your heart. You’re going to adore being a grandparent. It’s simply wonderful.”
“Hey, that reminds me. Colt invited me to dinner tonight so I could meet the girls. Why don’t you and Gary come along?”
“Are you sure?”
“Sure. Like you said, we’re family.”
68.
We spent the next few hours catching up. The time flew. Age hadn’t tarnished her wit and penchant for breakneck conversation. Talking to her in our living room for hours on end reminded me of when we first started dating. We’d stay on the phone late into the night. She got me up to speed on our friends and family—who was still alive, who had died, who got divorced, who came out of the closet, the whole nine yards. It was a lot to take in, but it sure did bring me into the present.
We were interrupted when Colt came barging through the front door.
“Some things never change,” I said. “The kid still doesn’t knock.”
“Are you kidding, Pop? Why would I?”
“Hey, I invited Mom and Gary to dinner tonight. Is that okay with you?”
“Sure, that’ll be great. Hey, Mom, you mind if I borrow Dad for a bit?”
“Of course, honey. I should probably give Gary a call and let him know it’s safe to come home now.”
“Safe? What’s that supposed to mean?” Colt asked.
“Nothing,” I said. I gave her a sarcastically dirty look and ushered Colt toward the open door. “Where are you taking me?”
“Come on, it’s a surprise.”
“Ooh, I like surprises,” I said, rubbing my hands together in anticipation. We stepped out front and closed the door behind us. “Hey, come check this out.” I led Colt onto the deck and pointed at a wave that danced across the reef below. “Look how good it is. And there isn’t a soul out!”
“That’s the thing, Dad. I got off work early because the freaking commandant himself called me. He said that you and the woman you were with are war heroes.”
“War heroes? That’s silly. We aren’t even soldiers.”
“The president himself is going to give you the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
“This whole world is off its rocker.” I shook my head. “I guess if it gets you off work it can’t be all bad.”
“Ya, that’s the thing. The commandant told me I’ve been reassigned. He says my new job is to make sure you get acclimated and get plenty of R&R. He said nothing is off limits. We can do whatever you want.”
“Cool, where’s the nearest strip club?”
“Hardy, har. Just stay here for a second, okay?”
I stayed on the deck, mesmerized by the waves. I don’t know how long Colt was gone, but he returned with a surfboard under each arm. Towels and wetsuits were draped across them. I recognized the board under his left arm as my own.
“No, you didn’t!” I grabbed it from him and studied it. I remembered every curve and indentation down to the slightest crack in the fiberglass. “Where did you get this?”
“I kept it. You know, to remember you by.”
“That’s awesome, son.” I gave him a hug. “So I take it we can go surfing?”
“Nothing’s off limits. Here, put this on.” He handed me what looked like a fullsuit, but it was thin and light like a Lycra rash guard.
“You know I don’t like rash guards. I’ll just trunk it.”
“That’s a wetsuit. You’re not going to believe how warm it is. You’re going to need it, too. I checked the buoys, and there must have been some upwelling because the water is really cold for summer.”
I grabbed a towel, threw it around my waist, and stripped off my clothes. The wetsuit slipped on like a pair of skintight silk pajamas.
Colt was right—it was impossibly warm and flexible. We shared a bar of wax, then ran down the street to the beach access. After a quick paddle out to the break, we were taking turns on the rolling, pristine waves the ocean churned out like a machine. Surfing with my son in perfect waves at an empty break where I’d battled crowds most my life was an impossible treat. It was just like that wonderful, fateful day we shared in Mexico, but the flavor was so much sweeter after everything we’d endured to get there.
Colt caught a long wave, and behind it, the ocean went flat as a lake. As I sat on my board alone, waiting for another set to come, I was overcome by my good fortune. Life sure had its ups and downs, but as long as there was life, there was opportunity, and I was going to make the most of what I’d been given.
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