me Mav wanted to go to medical school after college and earn a degree in the rare disease field. Gray and Gemma both, along with myself, have talked about Molly to the kids. They know all about the incredible woman their grandmother was, and how she died. Because of the nature of Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker and the high likelihood of one of their children carrying the diseased gene, they had all of them tested as soon as their doctor recommended it. I’m not sure how we got so lucky, but so far, none of them do.
With a tired sigh and my old bones creaking painfully, I get up from the ground, brushing the grass and leaves from my pants.
I once again kiss my fingers and then press them to the top of her headstone. “Same time next week. I love you, my girl. Forevermore.”
Later that night, I’m back at Molly’s grave. I normally only visit once a week, but sometimes I find myself needing to be near her. After spending the day with family and friends, seeing them all laughing and happy, the sudden need hit me again. I enjoyed today. It’s been a long time since we’ve all been together like that.
As much as I enjoyed it, though, something was missing. Over the years, I’ve gotten used to the empty feeling in my chest Molly left behind. But today it was stronger, deeper.
So, after hugging my kids tightly and my grandkids even tighter, and watching them leave with everyone else, I got in my car and drove the fifteen minutes it took me to get back to my girl.
After running my hand over the slab of granite, I sit in the same spot I normally do. It’s dark out, well after ten at night, so it’s quieter than my normal visits. No squirrels running around gathering nuts before the cold forces them to stay inside. No birds chirping and chasing each other. No cars whizzing by. Only the silence, the occasional croak from a frog, and the sound of my breathing.
It’s peaceful and relaxing and exactly what I need.
“I had Gray help me put your journals in the attic next to the others today. It felt like that’s where they belonged. I don’t know if it’ll happen, but I like to think that whoever we are in the next life will find them. I like the thought of them reading about our beautiful life. And that’s what we had. Yours may have ended prematurely, but the time we did have together, it was beautiful and special.”
My gaze catches on a tiny flash of light floating in the air not far from me. Fireflies are only active in the summer months, but for some reason this guy is out late, as if he never found his mate and refuses to give up his search. The irony is uncanny. I’m that firefly. There’s not a thing on earth, even death, that will keep me from finding Molly again.
I watch as the firefly hovers around, his butt flashing every few seconds. Several feet away, out of the corner of my eye, I see another light flash from the grass. A smile touches my lips when the male firefly flies over to the new flash, before dipping down and disappearing into the blades of green. It looks like he found his mate after all.
I close my eyes when a wave of exhaustion hits me. A weird sort of weightlessness comes over me, and I slump more against the headstone.
I sense something warm lightly grazing my hand, but I’m too tired to open my eyes to look.
Images of my and Molly’s life together flash in my mind, like a wheel of short video clips.
The day Molly and I met and the overwhelming feeling I had when I first laid eyes on her.
The twinkling in Molly’s eyes when she laughed.
Me holding her in my arms and how perfect it felt.
Our first kiss.
The first time we said I love you.
Our wedding day.
When she told me she was pregnant with Gray.
The first time we held Gray and Gemma.
All of it. Every special moment we shared.
I smile, knowing that the next life we share together, will be just as magnificent as the one we lived as Molly and Lincoln.
Just as I drift off into an eternal sleep, a beautiful voice whispers in my ear.
“I’m waiting….”
Epilogue
Sometime Later
The cheery jingle has me rushing outside, the screen door slamming shut behind me. Mom yells my name from inside the house, probably going to