Epilogue

The shirt didn't fit, of course. I sighed and tugged at the sleeve. Angie looked over my shoulder.

"I've been soaking your other shirt. Let me see if I can get the stain out," she said. I smiled at her in thanks before she headed into the motel bathroom. I took off the ill-fitting recent purchase and threw it towards our suitcases.

"Daddy's scars are showing! Daddy's scars are showing!"

I grinned and turned to face my teasing four-year-old. I put on my best gruff giant face.

"That's right!" I called out. "I'm The Ugly One and I'm going to eat you all up!"

Tammy shrieked and giggled as I scooped her up, covering her in kisses. When she stopped struggling a little bit, I pulled back.

"And do you know why I'm going to eat you all up?" I asked.

"Because I'm The Pretty One!" she shrieked. We laughed together.

"Oh puleeze," Ashley called from the other side of the room.

"I don't need to tell you you're pretty," I teased. "That's what all those teenage boys who keep calling are for." Ashley blushed and then turned as her mom came back into the room.

"I got it out," Angie told me, holding my still damp shirt. "Though we need to hurry if we're going to make the ceremony on time." It was a bit of a scramble, but we made it out the door with a few minutes to spare. Summer and Lynn met us outside the school auditorium.

"Where's the boyfriend?" I asked Lynn once welcome hugs had been exchanged all around.

"He had to go in for an emergency," she replied. "That's the down side of dating another doctor. It seems that one of us is always on call." She was still smiling, happy at the thoughts of this guy, I could tell. I turned to Summer.

"Long time no see! Months at least! How are you?"

"Doing great!" Summer replied. We had a new colt born last week and it looks like she'll be a beauty."

"A new colt!" Ashley interrupted. "Tell me about her!"

Summer and Ashley slipped into an animated conversation about the foal. I just smiled, enjoying the fact that Ashley hadn't yet outgrown her horse interest, like so many of her contemporaries. Of course, the occasional visits to Summer's ranch may have had something to do with it. Fortunately, Summer and Ashley weren't too wrapped up in their conversation to resist getting herded into our seats.

The graduates were all seated on one side of the auditorium. I couldn't find Billy in the blur of caps and gowns. I nudged Lynn who pointed him out. He looked big in the gown, bigger than I knew he was. He was also all grins.

"So what did he decide about college? Is he going to go?" I whispered to Lynn as we waited for the ceremony to begin. She shook her head.

"He still has trouble with school. He's been offered a job in a retail game store and he's trying to sell some of his game designs. He's been emailing ideas to a game company in Seattle for most of the past year. They're actually emailing him back, but it's still too early to know if they'll pay for any of his work."

"So if they buy them, what then? Would they hire him?"

"Maybe. I think that's what he's hoping for. In the meantime, he's happy to be here. There's a girl. She doesn't graduate for another year," she said. I paused, silently impressed. Just then the band struck up a tune and the ceremony was underway.

Afterwards we went to a small party at Lynn's house. At least, it started as a small party. As the night progressed, more and more of Billy's friends dropped by, until it seemed like a small army was there. I couldn't help remembering a trip to Dave and Buster's, long ago. The size of this group would have bankrupted me in an instant.

About ten o'clock, Billy dragged his girlfriend over to meet me. She was overweight and wore thick glasses, but had a sweet smile and a cuddly demeanor.

"John, I'd like you to meet Mary," Billy said, still holding her hand. "She's my girlfriend and my game design partner."

"Oh? Partner?"

"Yeah. She's the programmer. I'm no good at writing software. She's incredible."