There must’ve been some magic in the coral sand where we stretched out on beach towels to watch the stars in the night sky over Bermuda, because I came home with a little biscuit in my oven and a whole lot smarter about what goes on between the sheets. All I can say is that I wish I’d taken Ted more seriously in high school. I would’ve married him the day we graduated and dragged him to bed every chance I had. All those wasted years of self-deprivation! Ah, well. Deprivation no more!

When we got home we moved my hives to Ted’s backyard, which was now our backyard, and he quickly constructed a fence to keep Stubble from getting into trouble. Stubble became my constant companion. The bees buzzed around and bearded some, but overall, after a bit, they settled down and got back to the business of foraging, pollinating, and making delicious honey. I kicked up some dirt in the long-neglected flower beds and said I could get them going again. I did, and by April, our yard looked like somebody loved it. We were only a few blocks from Momma, in case, well, you know, if something happened and she needed us.

What of Momma and Suz? If laughter and happiness were the best medicines, then Suz was going to keep Momma alive on this earth forever. I’d never seen her so happy. And oh, interesting side note, all those pounds on Momma just melted away. Suz had her walking all over the island and the result was astounding. Her doctors told her to ditch her blood pressure meds and her statin. She was delighted. And there had been no recurrence of tumors.

“I feel so much better!” she said every time someone told her how great she looked.

I prayed that the good Lord would give her plenty of time to be together with Suz. She deserved happiness. We all did. I just never believed that we, the crazy bunch of outliers that we were, would find it so happily and completely.

It became obvious that I needed to go to the hospital to deliver our baby at about four in the morning on May 14. My back had been killing me all week. My ankles were swollen, and I was just generally uncomfortable all over. I labored until around noon and then, by the grace of God, I delivered the most exquisite baby ever born.

“It’s a boy!” my doctor said. “A little fat guy, and he’s perfect!”

Ted cut the cord and fainted. He was out cold on the floor of the delivery room and had a small cut in his forehead.

“I thought he was the chief of police!” a nurse said.

They revived him, got him up and into a chair, and gave him a cold cloth and a Band-Aid.

“What are we going to name him?” Ted said.