We locked up behind us as we left the house, and Lucky texted Kevin to let him know we were done before taking my hand. The evening was cool and crisp, with a touch of fall in the air. As we made our way back around the block, I said softly, “I never thought I’d have this.”
“A house?”
“All of it—a wonderful partner who loves me, a child, a supportive family, a home of my own. How did this happen?”
“Well, that first part happened because you had the courage to climb up on a platform in a night club and do the worst robot I’ve ever seen. Then it all grew from there.”
We’d reached the sidewalk in front of the pink Victorian, and I turned to him and exclaimed, “No way! I do the best robot. Check it out.”
He chuckled as I busted out my moves, and then he told me, “It’s like a squirrel that’s caught in a trap and trying to squirm its way out. This is how you do the robot.” He started jerking around with stiff arms and legs.
“You look like C3-PO running for his life.”
“And he’s a robot, so I clearly know what I’m doing!”
A moment later, the front door opened and Hal, Lark, and Dylan stepped out onto the porch. “They’ve finally lost it,” Dylan joked.
“No way,” Lark said. “This is the celebratory dance of our people, because they’re excited about buying the house.” Then he and Hal started doing the robot too, in a show of solidarity.
I laughed at that and reminded Lucky, “This is what you’ve signed on for, you know. Now you’re stuck with me and my weird, quirky family.”
“Oh, I know.” He flashed me a big smile as he wrapped his arms around me. “That makes me the luckiest man alive. Is my nickname perfect, or what?”
The End