by Ali Vali
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Epilogue
Harry walked up to the old house and noticed the two little girls playing on the porch next to the old swing. "Hello, is your mom at home?" she asked when they turned her way. The smaller of the two ran in the house and yelled for her mother, leaving Harry to look at the condition of the place she remembered.
"Can I help you?" asked the tired looking petite woman who came out. The front of her shirt was covered in baby drool, which Harry assumed came from the infant she was holding and she released a long sigh after she asked the question.
"Yes, ma'am, my name is Harry Basantes and I'd like to buy your porch swing."
The woman shifted the baby to her other hip and stared at Harry like she had lost her mind. "What is this, some kind of joke?"
"No, ma'am, I'm serious. See my girlfriend grew up in this house and I fell in love with her sitting on that swing," said Harry pointing to the swing hanging at the end of the porch. "Today's her birthday and I'd like to give it to her as a gift, so name your price." She brought her hand up to her forehead and smiled as she shielded the sun from her eyes.
"Your girlfriend's birthday huh?" She studied the swing as if appraising how much it was worth before giving her answer. "A thousand dollars," the woman said seriously.
If some nut came to her door and wanted to play games, she would oblige her. It was a good way to break the monotony of her day anyway. Harry looked at her and the smile grew bigger. After seeing the worn toys strewn about the small yard and the condition of the house she thought she would do this woman a kindness.
"I won't pay a penny over five."
"Five dollars." The outrage was evident in the woman's voice when Harry counter offered. "This is an antique, and supposedly you fell in love sitting on it. Five bucks is all you think it's worth? Maybe this girl of yours should reconsider, since you're so cheap and all."
"No, ma'am, not five dollars, five thousand. I got the money right here," said Harry as she pulled the wad out of her front pocket. She fanned the hundreds out and held them up. "Desi's worth a lot more to me than this, but that's all I got on me."
"Look, lady, I was just kidding, but if you're serious I sure could use the money. My son has to have surgery for a birth defect on his legs and I don't want it done at that charity hospital. That place is full of quacks and nuts from what I hear, and he deserves better than that."
"Do we have a deal?" asked Harry.
"We sure do. Enjoy," she said moving aside so Harry could join her on the porch and claim her purchase.
She put the money in the pocket of her shorts and watched as Harry unhooked the swing that had hung on the porch for years. Maybe her mother hadn't been full of bull when she always said that God works in mysterious ways. This was after all the last thing she'd expected to happen to her today.
Harry carried the swing to Land Rover and then came back into the yard. Pulling a small leather card case out of her back pocket she handed a card to the young mother. "My girlfriend Desi thinks I'm a little quacky but I'll be happy to look at junior there for you. Just give my office a call and I'll see him in my private clinic uptown, that way you can do something else with the money. With the new baby I'm sure there's some things you need."
The young mother dropped her eyes to the heavy linen card with raised ink and then looked up at Harry. All she could think to do was lean over and kiss her on the cheek. "Thank you, I don't know why you came here today but thank you. You're like an answer to my prayers in more ways than one. I take back what I said, that girlfriend of yours must be the luckiest woman on the planet."
"Nope, that would be me. Don't forget to call my office and set up an appointment. You get a free vase with every surgery," said Harry before closing the car door.
She didn't quite know what that last part meant, but she put the card in the same pocket the money had gone into. In her head, she was already planning a trip to the store to buy the kids some new shoes. It was possible now after the visit from their angel with beautiful blue eyes.
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Desi walked slowly back to the house thinking about the past year as she admired the multitude of flowers blooming in the garden. In that time she had come to think of the big house as her home, and Harry as her partner for life.
Gone were the security guards, and the fear that Byron was lurking behind every corner. He, his father and brother were all locked up in Angola State Prison for many years to come assuring them peace. Judge Carleton Reaper had seen to that by handing down the maximum penalty after the jury came back with a guilty verdict in all the trials they'd sat through.
"Byron Simoneaux, a jury of your peers has found you guilty of attempted murder in the first degree. It is with extreme satisfaction I hand down a sentence of thirty years in the state prison system. This court is now adjourned. See you next week, Byron, have a nice day you hear." Carleton had told him as he left the courtroom with a smile and wink for Desi and Harry.
Between that trial, the one for kidnapping and the one for breaking and entering, Byron would leave Angola only in a body bag. Mike got off easier with a sentence of fifteen years for his part in the kidnapping of Monique Rose by confessing. He cut a deal with the District Attorney's office to avoid a trial and possibly a longer sentence, after he agreed to testify against his brother since Byron was still denying the whole thing.
For Desi it had been a moment of relief and justification when they walked out of the courtroom for the last time. She and Harry had stayed long enough to watch the deputies take Byron out in handcuffs.
They hadn't attended Byron's father's trial but they knew from Serena that he had also been found guilty in the beating death of his wife, and it would be unlikely that he would, considering his age, get out of jail alive. Carleton had joked at one point the state should get a family rate after having the parade of Simoneauxs through his courtroom.
After all that was done, Desi had been able to concentrate on her pottery and Harry. They had settled nicely into their relationship with Desi doing as much as she could to take care of her partner and the home they shared. On most mornings she still felt the urge to pinch herself her life was so different now, especially when she woke before Harry and just watched her sleep.
The person she had fallen in love with so many years before had changed and grown into a remarkable woman, but for all that had changed there was still so much of what had attracted her to Harry still in her heart. She had discovered that one of the biggest changes in Harry was that she'd become the sweetest romantic. The past year had been sprinkled with presents, candle lit dinners and romantic evenings in front of the fire in their room. Harry was always affectionate, gentle and kind and Desi had soaked up the attention she lavished on her.
The passage of time had also eased the fears of everyone in Harry's life that Desi would walk out on her again, and now Desi enjoyed a good relationship with all of them including Harry's parents. Visits to Florida had opened their hearts to her, and it had been another source of support for her.
And Mona, bless her heart, had become the mother Desi had never known. She was one of the main reasons this felt like home to Desi. When Harry left for work in the mornings they spent time together cooking or talking, but most of the time just laughing and enjoying each other's company.
"It's about time you called it a day, baby," said Mona. A glass of milk was placed in her hand the minute she walked through the door of the kitchen, and the look in Mona's eyes told her not to argue about drinking it.
"All I do is sit behind the wheel, Mona, so don't worry so much. Did Harry make it home?"
"She came in about forty minutes ago and went up to take a shower. I warned her to be ready and out of your hair by the time you got up there. So go on and get bathed and call me if you need anything." Desi took her glass and a waved before heading upstairs to get ready.
>
With time her art had become sought after in the shops in town because of its uniqueness, so Tony had arranged for one of the larger art galleries in the city to mount an exclusive show for her that would open that night. It was something she had been working on for months and was really looking forward to. In her own way Desi felt like she had become someone Harry could be proud of and it motivated her to keep improving on her skills.
That morning Harry had promised she was only going to work the morning, and as always, she'd kept her word. She was standing in the middle of their bedroom slipping into her shoes when Desi walked in and she had to stop and lean against the door for a minute to admire the view. The black suit draped magnificently over broad shoulders, and the black silk shirt under it brought out Harry's tan and made her eyes look that much bluer. She swept her eyes over the tall sturdy body and the dazzling smile aimed at her and sighed. Sometimes she did pity the poor women who looked at her like they hated her for taking Harry out of circulation, but only sometimes.
"I'll be the most envied woman at this thing tonight. Know what I mean?" asked Desi. The smile on Harry's face got bigger and she chuckled softly, which told Desi something was up.
"Are you kidding me? Anyone in their right mind would do whatever they could to get close to you. You, my love, are a beautiful and extremely sexy woman." Harry ignored the specks of clay that were splattered on the front of Desi's shirt and moved closer with the intent of kissing her. She was until Desi put her hand up stopping her from coming any closer.
"I don't want you to mess up that great suit so stay put."
"Come on, honey, I just want to give the birthday girl a proper hello. Did you have a good day?"
"I have great days all the time now and it has nothing to do with turning a year older."
"Well today you are turning a year older, but you're still beautiful so go take a shower so we can get on with the festivities of the day."
Desi put her hands on her hips and tried to sound scolding. "Harry, you've already done enough today."
"Okay, I've done enough. Go take a shower, we don't want to be late," Harry gave in quickly.
It was too quick for Desi. "Okay, spill it. What are you up to?"
"Do I have to be up to anything just because I want you to go take a shower? I just want the love of my life to enjoy her night. Go on, get cleaned up and I promise I'll be waiting when you're finished. Once you're clean maybe I can collect on that kiss."
Desi took a quick shower and donned a simple black dress so she would look like she was with Harry. She was putting in the diamond earrings Harry had given her that morning for her birthday when she noticed Harry leaning against the railing out on the balcony. Sitting next to her were two champagne flutes, full and waiting to be enjoyed.
"Are you ready for tonight?" asked Harry. Desi had walked out and stood in between the long legs.
"Ready as I'll ever be. My agent tells me most of the stuff is sold already, so this will be more of a chance for people to see what I've done rather than me begging them to buy something." Desi pressed her face into the front of Harry's shirt to get a whiff of the familiar cologne she had always worn. It was a clean woodsy smell that Desi had missed for years. Only Harry smelled like this wearing it, no one else even came close.
"Before the your admiring fans get a hold of you, I wanted to tell you how proud of you I am, honey. You're the best thing in my life and I'm just happy that I get to share this with you." Harry told her as she ran her fingers through Desi's hair and kissed her. "I have a feeling this is going to be one of many openings we're going to be attending through the years. You found your passion, baby, and you're going to be a success." She kissed Desi one more time before running her hands down to her hips. "So I want to ask you again, are you having a nice birthday?"
"I did have a nice day and thanks again for these great earrings. They're the nicest gift I've ever gotten next to waking up next to you." She gave Harry a kiss on the chin.
"Those aren't your gift. That is." She pointed to the right and to the end of the balcony. At the edge of the wide space hung the swing they had spent so much time on in their childhood. In the morning it would get scraped then a fresh coat of paint, but for tonight it would have to do as it was.
"How in the world…" Desi started as she walked toward it. Leave it to Harry to play with her already wrecked emotional state. There wasn't a day that went by lately that something didn't mist her up. It could be a commercial on television or a collapsed bowl, but it was always something.
"Come on, honey, this is suppose to make you happy not make you cry. Wanna try it out and see if it still has any magic left in it?" Harry helped ease her partner down then went and retrieved the glasses on the railing.
Handing Desi hers, Harry put her arm around her and clinched their glasses together. "Here's to more happy birthdays and to the best girl anyone could ask for." She took a sip and noticed Desi not drinking. "It's okay, honey, it's just sparkling grape juice. You won't be killing any of my kid's brain cells if you take a drink."
"Your kid missed you today, I guess that's what all the kicking was about. There was no one around to sing any sappy songs." Desi rubbed her swollen midsection and took a sip of juice.
She laughed when Harry immediately put her glass down and joined in the rubbing. It was getting harder for her and Mona to push Harry out the door in the morning to go to work. Given a choice Harry would follow Desi around all day finding some excuse to touch her midsection.
Desi was due in a month, and if everything went according to plan they would have a healthy baby with dark curly hair and big blue eyes. Once they did they would have Raul, Harry's brother, to thank, and after seeing his kids it was a distinct possibility.
From the moment they had found out she was pregnant, Harry had become a big mother much to the amusement of Desi, their friends and family. She had been so gentle and protective with her it cemented in Desi's mind what a wonderful parent she was going to be. As a partner she was already perfect so it was only natural to Desi that Harry would be the same when it came to their family.
After their announcement at the beginning of November, Serena volunteered to have Thanksgiving dinner at her house. The reason she gave was there was no way she was eating any turkey that had been basted at their house. Tony had put aside his agent duties and helped Desi decorate a baby's room next to the master suite. It had been Rachel's room until she moved in with Serena and Butch. All the new relationships she now shared that she could count on had also been responsible for her letting go of the past.
"We love you, Harry. Me and baby Basantes," whispered Desi from the circle of Harry's arms. "This has been the best birthday ever. I have you, a baby on the way and all these people who love me. It's just been a miracle for me. And now you brought our swing. Thank you for always thinking of the things that mean so much to who we are."
"I love you too, and I wanted to give you a little bit of your past that carried good memories with it. At least I hope it's good memories, and it gives us a chance to make new ones out here just the two of us. Well for a month more anyway." There was a swift kick under her hand reminding Harry that they'd soon have company.
"We can come out here and swing the baby when it's fussy and tell him or her how special this swing is. Like I said, this has been the best birthday ever. Thanks for all my gifts."
"I have one more thing for you. My mother will be there tonight, so it makes this gift imperative."
"Really, baby, you've already given me too much."
Harry pressed her hand to the side of her face and kissed her. "Between us there can never be too much. I was teasing about my mother, that's not the reason I wanted to give you this."
"Are you all right? You look kind of nervous," said Desi before she pulled Harry's head down for another kiss.
She slipped off the swing and down to her knees. Harry took Desi's hands into hers and laughed when she noticed how hers were shaking. " I've known you al
l my life, Desiree Thompson. You've given me love, pain and redemption. All I can give you in return is my love. I pledge to you my love and my promise to always be here to take care of you and our family for as long as you'll have me." Harry pulled the small velvet box from her pocket and opened it. Sitting inside was a large emerald cut diamond ring. "I want you to wear this as a sign of that promise, and hopefully it'll remind you everyday that I belong to you. Will you marry me?"
The tears she had tried to fight after seeing the swing finally won out but Desi was nodding. "Yes," she was finally able to choke out when she pulled her left hand free and held it up to Harry.
Before slipping it on Desi's finger Harry read the inscription on the inside of the band. "Thank you."
"Thank you?" It seemed like an odd thing to inscribe. She looked at Harry as she rubbed her thumb on the bottom of the band Harry had placed on her finger as if to convince herself it was real.
"You're the only way to mend a broken heart, so I wanted to thank you," said Harry. They finished the commitment with a kiss before they got up to leave.
When Harry closed the back door and locked it she missed the news report that played on the small set in the kitchen. The anchorman read the news teaser as Harry helped both Mona and Desi into the car.
"Stay tuned to the ten o'clock new for more on the jail break earlier today. Ten inmates are still missing including the Simoneaux clan from here in the New Orleans area. The father and two sons, as well as seven others, were last seen heading into the marsh surrounding Angola State Penitentiary."
The End
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