EXTENDED EPILOGUE
Carol
Ten years later
“You hold the needle like this and then you move it like that. See,” I say, showing our five-year-old Caitlyn how to do needlework.
Her tongue comes out of the side of her mouth as she focuses ever so intently. The needle goes just where it needs to and then suddenly she looks up at me to see if she did it right.
“Perfect, honey!” I say. I lean in and brush her hair away from her forehead with my hand before giving her a big kiss.
“Can I do more, mommy?”
“You’re so good at this so you certainly can. Let me check on your dad and sister, pumpkin. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay,” she says.
I walk over to the window and pull back the thin linen curtain.
I watch as Colt stands in the middle of the riding ring. He’s got Carly, our oldest daughter on a pony which he’s guiding around some obstacles he set up to make her riding experience more fun.
I just want to freeze this moment in time in my mind forever.
“Mom, can I have some beef jerky?”
I look down and see Carson tugging on my belt loop. I put my hand on his head and look at the clock.
“Okay, but you have to eat it right now…and just one piece. I don’t want you to spoil your appe-”
I don’t even need to finish my sentence. He’s already long gone. I laugh a little bit at the idea of spoiling his appetite. He runs around like a chicken with its head cut off and eats everything in sight. I think it’s impossible to spoil his appetite because it’s always on. If he keeps growing as fast as he has been I’m not going to be able to put my hand on his head much longer.
“Thanks for washing my baseball uniform,” Carter says as he enters the room.
“You don’t have a game tonight do you?”
“No. Not until tomorrow, but it smells so good now and I just like wearing it.”
“Okay, but please no baseball spikes in the house.”
“Never mom. Only outside.”
I give him a wink. “Did I get all the stains out?”
“Yep,” he says.
I move in for an inspection and feel proud at what I was able to do. That boy finds a way to slide about fifty times per game. He even slides into first and he doesn’t need to. He slides in the infield dirt. He slides in the outfield grass. After the game he goes down the playground slide headfirst and slides into the sandpit. I’m surprised I haven’t pulled a snake, or a snail, or a puppy dog tail out of one of his pockets yet.
But he has pulled something from me, every day. He pulls out all the love I have inside and in doing so he fills me right back up for tomorrow. All my kids do. I love nothing more than showering them with attention, positivity, and affection. And they give it right back, even the boys which I was a little surprised to discover. I’m ecstatic that our boys are still tough and rough around the edges, but also kind and appreciative to their mother and respectful to all women and girls they meet.
I think it’s a trait they get from their dad. Rough and ready, but the perfect gentleman.
I look back out the window and watch that perfect gentleman in action. That masculine, handsome perfect gentleman of mine as he shows our daughter how to ride a horse, just like he taught me in that same spot years ago.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. And that suits me just perfectly.
I love the change of our family continuing to grow, but I love nothing more than the stability that my husband provides me just like a rock I can latch onto in good times or in bad. Luckily everything’s been good since we got things cleared up with dad a decade ago.
Now our trails are clear, the wind is at our back, and we ride together as a family. Right now it’s not meant to be taken literally but as time goes by one day it will. Colt will train all our children to ride and how to respect animals.
And one day we’ll all be able to saddle up together and yell, “Giddy up!”
I look over at our youngest. Courtney’s on her wooden rocking horse.
“That’s right sweetie. One day soon you’ll be out there where your sister is, but you have to crawl before you can walk.”
“Gi…dee..up!” she says.
“That’s right!”
I walk over to her and wrap her up in a hug from behind.
“Giddy up!” I say as I bounce her up and down a bit causing her to giggle and laugh uncontrollably.
She’s learning her words right now, but until then her infectious laughter and smile says it all.