And just when it was time for bed she remembered what was on the other side of the park, and she took Adam by the hand.
“Follow me,” she said, “I need to show you something.”
“What is it?”
“I just thought of where I want to get married.”
The sound of the water rushing across the stones became louder as they walked farther from the music, and as they reached the gravel path and passed the sign that said JOHN DENVER SANCTUARY, the jazz behind them faded away and all that was left was the rumble of the stream and the crunching of their footsteps. And she held his hand the entire way, and was thinking of how perfect it would be to make all the most important promises of her life in this place, when she saw the dog.
She cried when she told us about her meeting with Stephen, about how she cried that night, too, and how he was exactly as she had imagined, and how he remembered every detail of his time with Katherine, including Marie’s own explicit texts. They spent a long time sitting on stones that night, and Stephen listened closely as she explained it all, including the details of Katherine’s diagnosis, her treatment, what she was facing, how she was feeling. And when she was finished, she said, Stephen never budged, didn’t hesitate, and had only five words to say.
“I want to see her.”
It was over breakfast the following morning that they devised the plan and began to make the arrangements.
“And the rest,” Marie said to Maurice and me in the car that night, “is history.”
And she took another deep breath and there was silence, and then we were all overcome at exactly the same time. I reached out for Marie and kissed her repeatedly, and I held her until I felt her tears mingling with my own on my cheeks. And I heard a car door slam shut and then another open, and then Maurice slid in beside us.
“I don’t know if this is appropriate,” he said, “but I need a hug too.”
The three of us embraced for a long time, thinking of Katherine and Stephen, wondering what they were doing at just that moment. What were they saying to each other? Were they holding hands, were they dancing?
Then Maurice adjusted his chauffeur’s cap. “Ladies,” he said, “what do we do now?”
“We go to my apartment,” Marie said. “Adam is waiting with a justice of the peace to marry me.”
So that’s where we went. Maurice and I were the only witnesses. And now they are having a little girl, any minute, and they are naming her Katherine.
So I would love to hire Marie; she is a miracle worker. And there is no doubt Katherine always intended for her to be involved in what we are doing now. Maybe at some point I will be able to talk her into it.
I miss Katherine.
I am joyous to know that she is in a better place, but that doesn’t change the fact that I miss her terribly. The energy in her stare, the length of her stride, even when the pain in her back was the worst and the chemo left her nauseous and dry-mouthed, it was still an effort to keep up with her when she walked. She had an amazing presence, always, on her best days and her worst. I miss every bit of it.
It was the morning after her reunion with Stephen that she first told me of her idea. I had hardly slept at all, rolling about in bed with my phone beside me on the pillow to be sure it would wake me up when Katherine called, which she finally did just after nine.
“Good morning, sunshine,” she said. “How much do you know about my evening?”
“I know everything and nothing,” I said. “You know I had nothing to do with it.”
“I know,” she said. “You did exactly what you should have. And so did Marie. I’m blessed to have both of you in my life.”
“Don’t forget Maurice,” I said. “He cried like a baby when he found out what was going on.”
That made her laugh.
“Where are you?” I asked.
“I’m home. I need to talk to you about something. I’ve been meaning to for a while, and this finally seems like the perfect time.”
“Katherine, whatever it is can wait,” I said. “If you don’t tell me every single thing about last night in the next thirty seconds I am going to jump out of my