Epilogue

The sun was bright in the clear blue sky of the mild May mid-morning. At the corner of a long city street next to a small coffee shop sat Mateus wearing a gray suit. Across from him was Cara, wearing a short green dress, heels, and a thick coat. Along the streets most people wore face masks.

The couple sipped coffee, their dark sunglasses shielding their eyes from the morning sun.

"Hello Cara, hi Mateus," said Marlon. He had a black mask on and his hair was shoulder length.

"Marlon, it's been over a year," Cara said, standing up. She gave him a hug.

“What’s the name of the girl that made you late?” Mateus asked, his arms out.

Marlon held out his hand and Mateus shook it.

“Uh… I was just drinking a bit with my roommates," he said. "Sorry about the time.” He removed his mask and took a sip of coffee.

"It's alright. Sit and join us," Mateus said.

They all took a seat.

“How are you other than that?”
“I’m ok,” he said after taking a sip of coffee. "I was sick for a couple days after my vaccine."

"Me too," Cara said.

"How's everything else?"

“Better I guess," He shrugged.

“Well thanks for coming to meet us.”

"What have you been up to? Do you need any money?"

"No thank you. My side hustle seems to be working out."

"Side hustle?"

"I started doing a lot of lifting at home with my roomates. We make all sorts of videos and post online."

"And you can make a living off that?"

"We're starting to. I've pretty much stopped looking for a real job. It's almost enough for school and rent now."

Mateus nodded.

"Well let us know if you ever need any help," he said.

"Thanks. How is the rest of the family doing?"

"Good despite the challenges of last year."

Marlon nodded.

"I saw Courtney's new movie with my roomates. They loved it. She did a great job."

"I'll tell her," Cara said with a smile.

"We should get together all of us sometime, the whole family," Mateus said. "We all have our vaccines, yes?"

"Yes," Cara said with a smile. She looked at Marlon. 

Marlon nodded silently, his expression seemed guarded.

"You agree?" Mateus asked.

"Yeah," he said.

Cara and Marlon exchanged a quiet glance. 

"Well when then?"

Cara pulled out her phone.

"Caitlyn is out of school mid June. We could do the 21st?" 

"That would be great," Marlon smiled.

Introduction Ch. 1 Ch. 2 Ch. 3 Ch. 4 Ch. 5 Ch. 6 Ch. 7 Ch. 8 Ch. 9 Ch. 10 Ch. 11 Ch. 12 Ch. 13 Ch. 14 Epilogue