“She’s sleeping, finally.”
Debbie turned and looked at him. They both knew.
After midnight Gini’s breathing became very labored. Robert pulled her tight in his arms.
“Rob… ber… love.”
“I know… I know.”
She drew in one last breath. He held her closer and let out a yelp. A subtle sound that everyone in the house heard.
He lay weeping, rocking her.
After a while, he went into the great room. Debbie, Jessica, and Robbie were all standing facing the door. He went over and hugged them all, and they cried together.
The church sanctuary filled quickly, and chairs were put in the large receiving hall. Both Reverend Gilbert and Pastor Daniel performed the service. Several people got up and talked of Gini’s incredible strength and will to live.
Debbie talked about how Gini had truly been like a daughter to her and told of her sassiness and sense of humor. Both kids proclaimed their love for their mother and how proud they had been of her.
Robert walked up to the pulpit after hugging both of his kids.
“Oh, Gini, where do I start?” He looked up for a moment. His voice was steady and strong. “Little did I know that day they brought the tiny lady into my surgery bay with a huge brain trauma that she would have such a big heart, that she would light up the room and everyone’s lives around her, that she would be the love of my life. We all gave her no hope, thinking she’d no longer have a life. Boy, did she teach us. Man, she taught us; taught us to never give up hope, to keep trying until you get it right, and to love as deeply and purely as you can. She never knew hate or disappointment—frustration, yes, but she never gave up. And then one day, when I was checking her eyes, she put her hand on my chest and took my heart. And I gave it to her willingly. She showed me how to love and care and not be afraid to show my feelings. Yes, she has my heart.” He looked up again. “And it’s yours to keep. I love you, Virginia Anderson, forever.”
They all walked out of the church before the congregation: Robert with Jessica, Debbie with Robbie. About five pews back, Robert stopped. He shook the hand of a man sitting at the end to his right, and another man sitting at the end to the left. No words were spoken, just the handshake and then the four made their way out of the church.
Later, Jessica asked who the two men were.
“The one on the right was Franco Legotti. Ric Santini was on the left.”
“Was that his daughter sitting next to him?”
“I don’t know if either man has children. I haven’t seen them for years. You know who they are?”
“Yes, you told me they were the men in her life when she had her accident.”
“The three of them were childhood friends, growing up in Sacramento. And even after the affair with Ric, the two men came back together and leaned on each other for strength. I’ve never seen anything like it. They both deeply loved her, and since they were there today, they still do. And I totally understand why. She was a great, great woman.”
The next eighteen months were very difficult for Robert. After six months, he put the house on the market. Robbie had graduated high school and was attending MIT in engineering.
“Robert, where will you go?” Debbie asked.
“I’m going back to the condos I lived in before I married Gini. And Debbie, you need to be with Kensy. After all these years of devotion, it’s time you go live your life.”
Debbie and Kensy had been a couple all those years. They won many tennis trophies together and enjoyed fine dining and wines. Kensy had made quite a name for herself in interior design, receiving many awards for her originality and style. But she knew when Debbie was with Gini, that was Debbie’s top priority, so they had never lived together.
Debbie got up, sat down next to Robert and hugged him. “I wouldn’t change a thing. I have lived very happily in this house with you and your family. Thank you, Robert. Thank you for your love and caring. Thank you for being you.”
“I think you have seen every side of me. And I appreciate you putting up with all my moods.”
“If anyone had told me the day I went to work with you on the team that I’d end up living with you for twenty-six years, I’d have had them committed to some kind of asylum. Twenty-six great years.”
“I love you, Debbie. Go have a happy life.”
“I love you too. You don’t get rid of me that easy. We’ll still be here in New Haven.”
“Yes.” He hugged her tight.
Robert died in his sleep from a heart attack six months after the house sold.
Four months later, Debbie called Jessica. “Jess, I’m sending you a couple of computer links. There was a news report about a prominent Boston businessman dying in a boating accident in Florida. Out of curiosity, I read the story. It was Ric Santini, your mom’s friend from their childhood. That made me wonder, so I looked up Franco Legotti, your mom’s first husband. Sure enough, he’d also died from a disease in Peru. But the really interesting thing is, they both died the same day as your dad. Can you believe that?”
“Wow. Yes, send me the info.”
Robert’s death had really affected Jessica. It was a total shock to everyone. She knew he was extremely sad after her mother died. Everyone tried to cheer him up, but he slowly dropped out of society, no longer going to the country club
