Riley Mackenzie - Beautifully Done

In the end I could have selfishly fought for a few extra pain-filled months with him. Why not? We didn’t need it. Our time on earth was complete.

It was our eternity that was endless.

So here I was sitting next to my girlfriends sipping our bubbly and munching on Hot Tamales, living out my promise to him. We had one path, one life, and now it was my turn to live it for both of us. Tonight we witnessed our son marry the girl of his dreams and watched our daughter spin around the dance floor and giggle with her cousins. Tonight our children gave us too many firsts; I would never jeopardize missing out on any of them. Not everyone gets a second chance. Asher would argue I taught him that, but he taught me to live in the moment because it’s the only time you own. You only have one shot at life—why waste your chance?

Sierra wiped her running nose with the back of her wrist, yes, her wrist, and mumbled, “You two are like a tragic romance novel. I can’t.”

I tipped my head back and smirked at the sky. “Tragic, nah. That’s a cop-out for when you don’t have enough story to fill the pages. We filled novels...” I smiled on the inside, comforted by the truth to what I was about to say. “And our final chapter may have been written two years ago, but I know in my heart, our epilogue is still to come. Until then I’m going to live each borrowed day and love our children and our children’s children enough for the both of us.”

Barefoot and unsteady, Lil sauntered over and grabbed the half empty bottle Tack had left behind. Her drunken brow scrunched and I said, “No. I think we’ve had more than enough.” But she ignored me and remedied our empty wine glasses with the infamous amber liquid.

Sierra went hysterical, almost choking on her words, “Ya think Tack knows why Asher loved scotch so much? Bahahaha.”

“No! God no! Ewwww. Sier, what’s wrong with you?” I shook my head back and forth, trying to not vomit between the fits of laughter. Lil was bent over almost hyperventilating.

There was going to be no yoga, no Zumba, and no running tomorrow. For sure.

But that was okay.

We were good.

Everyone would be fine.

You only live once.