Then I closed the folder.
I didn’t need to keep the bills anymore.
Their purpose had changed.
That evening, James found me standing on the back porch.
He wrapped his arms around me.
“What are you thinking about?”
I leaned against him.
“My first wedding.”
He was quiet for a moment.
Then he asked, “Are you all right?”
I nodded.
“Yes.”
And I meant it.
I looked out at our garden.
At the flowers beginning to bloom.
At the warm light spilling through the kitchen windows.
And I thought about the night Victor Blackwood had pressed a thousand dollars into my hand and whispered that I needed to run if I wanted to stay alive.
At the time, I believed my life was ending.
I had just married the man I loved.
My parents were celebrating.
My friends were dancing.
And the future I had imagined seemed to be waiting for me.
