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The old theater roared with applause as he took the stage. Erin smiled from the private box tucked above the mezzanine balcony.
“Hello, Chicago!” Giovanni greeted, earning more applause. “My wife and I got here late last night, and I’ve already got thirty-five parking tickets.”
Laughter rolled.
A waiter approached. “I have your rum and coke, Mrs. Mosconi.”
“Thank you.” Her wedding ring flashed as she accepted the glass.
It had been some time since she submitted all those applications for Giovanni. At first, they were hopeful, but then, when no news came, they sort of forgot about it and made the best of things, enjoying the warmer spring weather and all the wonderful things that came with falling in love.
Giovanni continued working in the lumberyard because the pay was good. He never came to love it, but he did learn to tolerate it.
The day after he proposed, he got a call from the Seymore & Park Agency in New York. They took a week off to travel to the city. Had a meeting with the agent, signed on the spot, then flew into Vegas because the agency already booked a gig for him.
The next night they were married by an Elvis impersonator with a Dolly Parton drag queen as their witness. It was perfect.
From there, life got busy. Money was good, so she told the realtor to hold off on the sale of the house but to let her know if an interested buyer came along.
She and Giovanni mostly slept in hotels and on airplanes. It didn’t matter, so long as they never slept apart. Together, they made a home—a happy one in each other’s heart.
Jasper Falls would always contain their memories, some happy, some sad, but neither of them was ready to settle down yet. The world was too big and there was too much to see.
Finn kept in touch, and Mallory texted her on occasion. Skylar was pregnant again and sent Erin a friend request on social media. She loved seeing how happy Rhett looked with his wife and three daughters.
Erin wasn’t ready to think about kids, but neither was Giovanni. They liked their freedom, and they liked spontaneity too much.
Harrison eventually came back to deal with the hardware store, but that was his story to tell, not hers.
Now that she understood how cathartic distance could be, she was able to forgive her brother for leaving. He hadn’t meant to abandon her, he’d only been trying to survive. But sometimes, even survival came at a cost.
Her phone flashed, the ringtone overshadowed by the uproarious applause. She recognized Giovanni’s agent’s number and lifted it to her ear. “Jerry, hi. Were you able to get the extra two nights comped?”
As Giovanni’s manager, she negotiated all of his travel and orchestrated his social media presence. Sometimes, she worked more hours than her husband, but his career established hers, and it was wonderful to serve a purpose and do something she was actually passionate about. Being a self-made career woman empowered her in many ways, and she was no longer limited by lack of opportunity.
Every day she had a choice. She chose how to live and she chose to be happy. Being married to a comedian helped a lot, as he always gave her plenty of reasons to smile.
The crowd laughed and roared at something Giovanni had said. His comedy had changed from vulgar stories about chasing tail to relatable anecdotes about family and everyday life. People loved his clean humor and in a very short time, he had become a household name.
Strangers got him—his sweetness, his sensitivity, how humble he was. But she got his heart.
And she never regretted giving him hers, because he cherished her in a way that made her feel safe and secure. With Giovanni, she had nothing to fear. He was her anchor, her hero, her warmth in the cold. She loved him with all of her being, as completely as the stars loved the sky, because he loved her the same and more, never missing a day in between.
THE END
