'I don't blame you for wanting to spend time with your brother, and I'm sorry I made a fool of myself. But when I thought he was your date, I wanted you to know how I felt.'
It occurred to me that Kay had set me up, withholding that final bit of information about who Diana was with. She was one smart cookie.
'I liked hearing it,' Diana said, reaching for my hand.
'I had no right to stand in your way about the SOE,' I said, lowering my voice instinctively. 'If it's important to you, I'm all for it.'
'What changed, Billy?'
'In Ireland, I began to understand. Then this afternoon, General Eisenhower said something to me. He said he was a changed man, that no one could go through what he had and not be. It's as simple as that. I've changed. I've discovered what's important, and that it's more than simply living. It's how you live. A long life filled with regrets and guilt is worse than a short life without them.'
'I've missed you, Billy. Terribly. I've wanted nothing more than for you to be here. For us to be together. Not forever, if that's not in the cards, but for now. For each other. I want to be happy with you, to drink champagne, introduce you to my brother, talk to you, and listen to you. To wander the Casbah. To see you come safely back to me.'
'It took Ireland to show me I was almost throwing all that away.'
'What happened there, Billy?' Diana grasped my hand in both of hers.
I leaned in and kissed her softly, her full lips tender against mine.
'I love you,' I whispered, and heard the echo as it settled into my mind, the sight of her by candlelight, the smells of the Casbah, the taste of champagne all mingling and forming a memory I knew I'd carry with me always.
'What happened?' she said again.
I took Pig out of my pocket, rubbed his belly, placed him in the palm of her hand, and started to tell the story.
