Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

The dinner did not disappoint; it was amazing! The smells which filled the room prompted the hubs to say, “OMG, get the blue ribbon ready; she done won the prize!” We enjoyed not only the dinner but the company of each other as we usually would. After twenty-five years together, we had proven what we’d always wanted for one another – sanity, peace, and calm in an otherwise crazy life both of us had endured. Tonight was just once such an example of having achieved some homeostasis. Knowing that I’d fallen from my family tree years ago to find another life that filled me with joy was fantastic. What I had attained was something I thought was so out of my reach. It wasn’t, at least for the moment.

The phone rang as we were just about to sit down for dinner.

“Hello, Aunt Susi. I’m sorry to let you know that my mom has died,” my nephew said calmly. “Her cancer returned and took her from us today.”

I wanted to let the phone drop, but I knew I needed to acknowledge that I understood what he had just said. “I’m so sorry to hear about this. Are you guys okay?” He said yes. I asked if there was anything I could do. He said they’d taken care of all the arrangements and wanted to know if I would attend the funeral. 

“I honestly don’t know. Can I call you later?”

“Absolutely. Whatever you decide. I know you two haven’t spoken in a long time. We wouldn’t be upset if you decided not to attend.”

“Thank you. Again, I’m so sorry. And please let me know if I can help with anything.” We hung up at the same time. I was feeling a bit outside of myself.

I didn’t know that she had had a recurrence with her cancer. This bit of news pulled me into our family drama again. To have her die before I had a chance to make things right somehow screwed me up in more ways than one. Sadly, I wouldn’t ever have the opportunity to resolve our relationship now. JFC, life is always one shit show after another. That is literally all I could think. And it didn’t end there.

~~

Many years into the future…

Looking back, it seems that we always realize that when life changes on a dime, we must respond. Figuring out what mattered most was tantamount. Shortly after my sister’s death, I also found out my husband had cheated on me. This betrayal put us through many tumultuous years. It took me a long time to finally realize he wasn’t my happy ending. Since then, I’ve divorced and found a new life. 

This new chapter includes finding a wonderful friend who understands me and shows me what it means to live an honest, genuinely accepting life. I’ve never felt at ease as I do now. 

Currently, I wonder when the next shoe will drop. Unfortunately, life is predictable like that.

THE END

As promised, I will tell you this is NOT the actually ending to what started off as a true story. It was suggested that I write whatever was voted for as well as what actually happened. I decided to leave it at whatever the readers had rooted for, so game-changing is what I wrote. Eventually, what happens to me in actuality will make the press anyway, so you’ll just have to wait a bit. LOL

Thanks so much for voting! See you next month!