Mary and Alvin Ch. 36

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know. I guess it's a private joke or something."

"How is Joey?"

"Yusef, Mom, he wants us to call him Yusef. Anyway, he likes the new job. He likes New York."

"You did a good job, honey. You're a great mom."

"Mom, go easy on that wasabi, you know it gave you terrible heart burn last time."

"You forget that I'm a California girl."

"Actually, I've been thinking about that a lot since my own child moved out of state."

"You'll always be close, honey."

They finished eating and Hannah gathered up the empty containers.

"Well, I have a whole classroom of little ones to get back to..." She stood and kissed her mother's cheek.

"Hannah," Mary called as her daughter walked away. Hannah turned.

"What is it, Mom?"

"I just want to look at you for a minute." Their little baby was an adult woman with grown children of her own. It seemed hard to believe some times. "You know, everyone always told me that you look like me, but I see your father in you."

Hannah smiled. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, sweet girl."

She watched as Hannah drove away and a truck, hauling a clattering boat trailer, turned in. It rolled to a stop near the boathouse and Jamie climbed out of the drivers seat. She waved to him and he waved back. Bonita stepped out of the boathouse and the two of them sat down on a bench near the door to eat their lunch.

Mary heard gulls screeching above her, and looked up. She watched them circling for a minute, then looked across the water and saw two towering stacks of clouds on the horizon. They almost seemed to be giants rising from the ocean.

When she lowered her eyes she experienced a rush of vertigo. She dropped her tea bottle and it rolled to the edge of the wharf and fell into the water. She heard her name being called, and in the corner of her eye, saw Bonita and Jamie running across the yard toward her.

She felt herself falling, but sensed a pair of hands gripping her shoulders, steadying her. She turned her face back to the sky and then she was rising, moving forward across the face of the water. Strong arms took hold of her as she soared above the harbor, weaving between the masts of sailboats toward the open bay. As she skimmed above the whitecaps, a pod of dolphins breeched in front of her and darted away. She banked and followed them.

She felt no fear, somehow sensing that she was safe. The wind rippled her hair and when it fluttered in front of her face she saw it was no longer silver, but a rich auburn. A line of rocky breakers passed beneath her and then she was over land, a vast forest that changed as she flew by, first the deepest green she had ever seen and then bursting into fireworks of color; scarlet and amber and orange. The land climbed below her, and she realized that she was circling the base of a majestic mountain that rose from the sea. She rose higher, but still, she felt no fear.

There were figures on the granite slopes, hundreds, perhaps thousands of people, all of whom seemed familiar. As she rose toward the crest of the mountain, she thought she recognized some of the faces that were watching her pass by. She thought she saw Tim and Diana, Stanley and Laura. There was a dark skinned couple that might be Yusef and Jamilla. Surely the woman who raised her hand and waved was Kelly Martin, and was that Wyatt who turned his head up and smiled at her?

The sea of faces thinned, but she saw two men who might be her brothers, Steve and Dan, and near them her mother and father, standing hand in hand. Closest to the peak, a tall dark haired woman raised her hands and blew her a two handed kiss.

When she reached the mountain's peak the towers of cloud rose before her and seemed to grow wings.The angels of cloud parted, opening a bright blue sky between them. As she rose toward it, she drew in one last deep breath of sea air and it tasted of Alvin's skin. The arms that held her safe tightened their grip. She leaned her head on his shoulder and felt his cheek against hers. His voice whispered her name, and together, they sailed away.

Melissa B.

October 2017-September 2020

Author's Note

For the last three years, I have spent at least a part of every day with my two angels, Mary and Alvin, and their family and friends. I began writing their story from a simple premise, one that I had Rachel state explicitly for me, that "every loving relationship is its own epic tale" and that "love is the most incredible miracle in the world, but it surrounds us every moment of our lives."

When I began the story, that notion was a recent revelation for me, and I wanted to explore it. And so were born lovely but insecure Mary, and Alvin, so strong to the world, but so wounded by grief inside. As their romance grew, so did their world, and their circle of family and friends.

I could not have written this story without the love and support in my own life. I owe a great debt of gratitude to my family, in particular to my wonderful husband, whose wisdom and patience were invaluable, and to my grandmother, without whose advice and counsel I could never have written the later chapters.

There is a third main character as well, my home state of Maine, the land of dilly beans and whoopie pies, where on any given day you might see a moose in the puckerbrush or a porcupine in the treetops or even a spider made of ice, where you might stand atop a mountain by the sea and proclaim your love.

Will I ever return to more stories of Mary and Alvin, or any of the other members of the family? Hard tellin', not knowin'. But for now, there are other casts of characters waiting for their tales to be told.

I extend my deepest thanks to everyone who has come along on this journey, whether you were with me from the beginning, or stopped in for a visit. I am humbled by the kind support I have received from my readers.

I hope you will join me on the next adventure.

Well, alright then.

Melissa