Michael Braun's Blog

Here is an epilogue I wrote for a purpose I will not specify here. The book doesn’t exist, but based on this ending, it’s a masterpiece.

It had been a year since Rory left. The house was quiet without him, but the china was back in the cabinet and the dishes got cleaned fast enough. They sometimes missed his songs in the morning, when the whole house seemed to tremble with the sound of his voice, but with a record on, it often satisfied them just as well. Opera was all well and good, but even civilized folks need a break.

Two weeks ago, a stray dog wandered their way and they took to feeding him outside. Jake bought a food dish at the local pet store, along with a collar and a chewing bone. The dog ran off once Jake wrestled the collar around him, but he was back two days later, without the collar. The bone became a favorite and once the dog started coming inside, they didn’t mind it laying on their living room rug. It gave the house a lived-in feel, something they’d been missing for the past year. Every house needs someone or something to make it feel loved.

And for Gennie, the time was passing more and more slowly. She knew she got older everyday, but her knees had stopped hurting so much and, once she got a new pair of shoes, she was determined to start running again. She could hardly remember her last marathon, except for the feeling of elation she’d had when she finished. It was time to start working on new personal bests. She held in high esteem all those who did things that really mattered to the world, but for her, she needed first to do something that mattered only to her.

Jake had never put much stock in foot races, even though he watched the cars go ’round the track every Sunday on the television. But when Gennie started stretching in the yard one Friday morning, he went outside with interest. She bent her body over, swung her arms back and forth, and leaned down to touch her toes. As she took off on the path around their yard, the dog followed her, barking with excitement. As she rounded the bend, back toward Jake, he started clapping and cheering. She finished with her hands held high above her head. It was a victory lap, and they knew everything was going to be okay.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, June 28th, 2009 at 10:11 and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.