“I’ll bet you are really going to miss Granddad now,” Mel says.

Mel is astute, and not just for her age. When the emptiness fills with the detritus of life on earth, Rose will long for her husband, her friend, her sweetheart.

“Death should be called graduation. Life leaves this form and goes into the next,” Mel says. Mel has learned the dharma by osmosis. Rose doesn’t know if she knows the dharma that can be known, or if Mel is secretly enlightened. She suspects the latter.

“That is true,” Rose says. “But it’s hard to hold hands with the truth when you go to the movies.”

Mel sighs. “The truth doesn’t teach you to build things.”

“The truth won’t pretend it’s his fault when you screw up.”

“The truth won’t toss you the remote when you’re too lazy to get off the sofa,” Mel says.

“The opposite of one profound truth is an equal and opposing profound truth,” Rose says.

Silence settles along with the dust motes in the afternoon light that slants through the window.

“Do you think Granddad will come back?” Mel asks softly.

“I do,” Rose says.

“You’ll have to become a vegetarian,” Mel says, “so you won’t accidentally eat him.”

“It’s not like he’ll come back as a pig or a chicken.” Rose spreads her arms out. “He’ll be, you know … one with everything.”

“Granddad is coming back as a hot dog?”

Rose turns her arm so Mel can see the IV tube. “Pretend my pillow has just been thrown firmly at your head.”

“Oof!” Mel whuffs, and falls back laughing. Rose hears Harley in his granddaughter’s laugh.

Orange light turns to blue, then gray. Rose watches the incremental miracle as Mel dozes in the bed beside hers.

“You are very wise, Grasshopper,” Rose whispers.

“This is so, Gigi Rinpoche” trickles back on an exhalation.

EPILOGUE

Hoping to avoid bad publicity, Longwood did not press charges against either Rose Dennis or Edward “Eddie” Martinez. Despite management’s efforts, the story was leaked. Following the exposé, the waiting list for families wanting to place their elders in the MCU increased exponentially. Nurse Karen Black and Anthony Brevard were fired.

Ms. Elizabeth Pryor, citing the lack of charges from the facility, along with the circumstances of Rose Dennis’s illegal incarceration, and diminished mental capacity stemming therefrom, got the State to drop all charges against Rose.

At Eddie’s trial, Rose testified that she had met Mr. Martinez when he was working on her roof and convinced him Chuck’s life was in danger. Judge Charles Boster appeared as a character witness on Eddie Martinez’s behalf. Charges of kidnapping were reduced to reckless endangerment. Eddie was sentenced to six months’ community service. Ms. Elizabeth Pryor got his mother released from detention and is representing her pro bono.