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“You’re very astute,” she answered between mouthfuls of scrambled eggs.
Madeline laughed. “I was married to a military man for over forty years. I’ve learned to glean.”
Alegria laughed too.
“It’s such a beautiful day,” Madeline said, looking out the window. “Would you be up for a walk later?”
“I’d love it.”
When the rest of the team left, Madeline took Alegria to downtown Annapolis which, in its center, had open docks for boats traveling up and down the Chesapeake Bay. Even though the days right around Christmas were cold, with the warmer weather, many of the docks’ tie-ups were full of boats still decked out in holiday regalia.
“I’m sorry we missed the boat parades, but there will be music, food, and fireworks at the City Dock on New Year’s Eve,” said Madeline.
Alegria doubted she’d be here since it was still four days away, but either way, it sounded like fun and she said so.
The historic downtown was so warm and inviting, with carolers still strolling its brick streets. Lights and wreaths were hung on the countless eighteenth-century homes as well as on the small shops lining both sides of Main Street.
“Hungry?” Madeline asked.
Surprisingly, she was.
“How’s the Federal House sound?”
“Anything is fine with me.”
“It’s been around since the seventeen hundreds, so it’s safe to say it’s good.”
Alegria laughed as they walked inside to wait for a table.
“They say that many of our founding fathers sat in this same room, before it was a restaurant, of course. Marchand and I used to have conversations about the things that happened here that forged our country as we know it.”
Mantis would love this place, Alegria thought to herself. He revered the American history, particularly anything to do with the constitution he, like everyone who worked for K19, vowed to protect and uphold.
“The cornerstone out front says seventeen-thirty, is that right?” Alegria asked.
“Sure is,” said a man approaching their table, who introduced himself as the owner and greeted Madeline like a lifelong friend.
She sat back and listened to the two of them talk about Marchand Godet and what a fine man he’d been. It was obvious that Madeline’s love affair with her husband had never ended even though they were married for over forty years.
“We miss seeing you both,” the man said before excusing himself.
“You miss him a lot,” said Alegria.
“I do. March and I had a wonderful life full of grand adventures coupled with an easy enjoyment of day-to-day life. We didn’t agree about everything, not by a long shot, but we learned to compromise and, above all else, respect one another.”
That’s what she’d once wanted with Mantis, but it hadn’t worked. What was missing? The mutual respect? The willingness to compromise? And was that on his part or hers?
“When you meet your one true love, you know it. Even if you try to tell yourself he isn’t it, somewhere deep in your heart, you know he is.”
Alegria smiled. “Are you trying to tell me something?”
Madeline patted her hand. “Only you know the answers, my dear. Now, what sounds good for lunch?”
Between the two of them, they shared clam chowder, crab cakes, and fish and chips. By the time they were finished eating, Alegria’s stomach hurt, but her heart felt warm.
“Thank you for today,” she said as they wandered the shops of the historic downtown, buying things they both agreed they didn’t need but couldn’t pass up.