And me? I’ve chosen to not judge myself. I’ve seen how self-hate can rip you apart inside. I’d watched my mama give up, and that was not part of who I was. I’d seen the way Cuba had punished himself.

I refused to dwell on the sacrifices I made. I chose optimism instead.

Speaking of Spider, we were headed down to Austin tonight to see Vital Rejects play. Not to anyone’s surprise, he and Sebastian had become good friends, both of them forgoing college to work on their music. Not sure how it would turn out, but I couldn’t wait to see what they did together.

And Sebastian?

He’d changed from the sweet guy I’d met in Lit class. Emma had broken him and the baby? Well…

I walked in the kitchen and lost my breath.

“Dovey, Dovey, my lovey,” came the deep baritone song from the white stove where Cuba stirred what looked like pancake mix. My tummy rumbled. He liked to feed me. See, we were perfect.

He wore a white wife beater with black track pants and looked sexy as hell. I salivated for him, not just breakfast. Swooping in, I wrapped my arms around his muscled waist and kissed him on the lips. Best way to start the day. His amber eyes smoldered, giving me delicious shivers all over my body. Yeah, we’d be going straight back to bed after this.

Heather-Lynn made a gagging face at me as she set the table. I grinned manically. Love made me happy.

Sarah sat at the table reading the newspaper, caught by something she saw in the Sunday comic section. I kissed the top of her head. A home health nurse came five times a week to be with her while Heather-Lynn and I had the other two days full time. It had been hard giving her care up to a stranger, to someone who didn’t know her, but it was a better choice than the nursing home. I didn’t know what the future held, but with Cuba with me, I wasn’t as scared of the dark.

She glanced up at me, her green eyes open and innocent like a child.

Sometimes she knew exactly who I was; most times she didn’t.

And even though she’s fading, there’re moments when she’ll grab my hand and say, “I know you. You’re that dancer.”

I’d want to cry, but I’d smile and say, Yes, that’s me.

Last week, I’d been brushing out her hair after a bath, noticing that she plucked at her gown.

“What’s up?” I’d asked her.

“I think there’s something wrong with me. Is there?”

Oh, the pain of that. To know that sometimes she recognized the forgetting. Did she perhaps get glimpses of what she’d lost? Did she catch snippets of her and David? Did she remember the little girl without hope who’d stumbled into her studio, determined to make dance her world? And finally, did she remember I adored her?

“Your name is Sarah, and you are loved by three wonderful people.”

It was enough to make her smile.

“How many pancakes you want?” Cuba asked me, pulling me back to the here and now.

Ricky barked in the background, because he wanted pancakes, too. Goofy dog. Heather-Lynn butted in and called out that she wanted three—and a side of bacon. Cuba chuckled and told her to make her own damn bacon. He was pancake man and that was it. But, then he reached in the fridge and pulled out the pork.

And something happened. Clicked. Nothing crazy or freakish, but an important shift nonetheless. You see, it’s corny, but I believe only a few moments in your life possess special magic, and I believe each person is allotted only a handful. And, as the love I wanted was happening right in front of me, trust for the future settled its warm feathers around me.

And along with that came the knowledge that I’d never be lonely again.

I’d never be hungry. For anything.

From across the table, Sarah reached over and threaded her fingers through mine. I don’t know why. Maybe she’d known I’d been contemplating life. Perhaps in her illness, she was more tuned in to people and their emotions. But it was as if she sensed my moment.

My somedays were all coming true.

I’d wanted to fly and I had. In more ways than one.

I gazed at Cuba. He immediately put down his bowl and came over to me.

He titled my chin up, hitting me with those drop-dead gorgeous eyes. “What is it?”

I shook my head, emotional. “You’re never going anywhere other than right here, are you?”

He smiled softly and brushed his lips against mine. “Never. I can’t imagine being anywhere else but right here with you and my new family. And someday, I’ll be a doctor, and you’ll dance as a principal. Best part is we’ll be married. We’ll have babies, of course, maybe four; at least three.”

I gaped, and he chuckled.

“Babies,” Sarah called out, and oh, I laughed.

Yes, yes, yes. Someday.

The End