“I survived hell,” she said. “And I built a kind of heaven from the ashes. Not alone. With all of you.”
She raised her glass higher.
“So here’s to survival,” she said. “To healing. To love. And to never giving up.”
Everyone stood.
“To never giving up,” they said together.
Later, Elo and Sky climbed onto the roof, like they had as teenagers.
“Forty-two years,” Sky said. “Feels like yesterday and forever ago at the same time.”
“Do you ever think about that day when you first saw me?” Elo asked.
“Every day,” Sky said.
“Do you wish it had been different?” Sky asked.
“I wish I hadn’t been hurt,” Elo said. “But I don’t wish we never met. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“Same,” Sky said.
They sat in comfortable silence.
“What do you think little Eloin would say if she saw us now?” Sky asked.
Elo smiled.
“She’d say, ‘We made it,’” Elo said. “‘We did more than that. We thrived.’”
Sky leaned her head on Elo’s shoulder.
“I’m proud of us,” Sky said.
“Me too,” Elo said.
Below them, the house glowed warm and golden. Inside was family. Love. Safety.
Elo closed her eyes for a moment.