The solicitor closed his briefcase and looked around the small gathering. ‘Well, I’d say that concludes everything.’
While Letitia’s sister showed him out, Letitia sent her son to collect the dog’s things. His lead, toys, some dog food, the soft round cushion he used for a bed. He put them all in a large carrier bag.
Abigail rose from the sofa as he handed her the bag. He smiled at Abigail before kneeling down and giving Ulysses a fuss. ‘Now, you be good for your new owner, okay?’
The dog barked in his face.
‘Okay.’
The other grandchildren gathered around and gave him a big fuss too before Abigail clipped the lead to his collar.
Letitia walked over. ‘You’re welcome to stay on, Abigail. Have a cup of tea and—’
She smiled. ‘Thanks, but I better head off.’
Letitia walked her to the door.
Abigail stepped outside, Ulysses following.
‘I’m glad you came, Abigail.’
‘I am too,’ she replied, glancing past Letitia down the hall. She didn’t regret going there after what she’d discovered. Far from it. Serendipity meant she had crossed paths with Sidney that fateful morning when she was going to do the unthinkable. She knew she would carry around this grief, this loss, for the rest of her life, but there was some solace in the fact that as random as it was, she could understand, even empathise with, the causal events that had led to that fateful night. It wouldn’t change what had happened, but it had changed Abigail’s perspective; bad things happen to nice people. It was a fact of life, and like Letitia, she was going to have to learn to live with it and find peace. Going there had been the start of her long road in the grieving process towards a kind of acceptance and towards moving on with her life.
She stared at Letitia. She had no idea who the young woman Sidney wanted at his funeral really was. It made Abigail wonder – did Sydney know? If he did, he hadn’t told his daughter.
She cast her gaze down at Ulysses. She would never know if Sidney had found out she was the paramedic’s widow, but she guessed why Sidney had left her Ulysses. It was like an insurance policy. Now she had someone to take care of. He knew she wouldn’t contemplate another episode like the one on the bridge a month earlier.
‘Are you going to be okay with Ulysses?’ Letitia asked.
‘Yes, most definitely.’
Letitia grinned. ‘Will you stay in touch?’
Sidney’s grandchildren were hovering by the door.
‘Yes, I’d like to.’ Abigail glanced at the dog. ‘I think Ulysses would like to come and visit some time.’
Letitia grinned. ‘We’d like that too.’ She stepped forward and hugged Abigail. ‘Thank you, Abigail.’
Abigail walked to the door, turned around, and waved. Letitia waved back before closing the door. Abigail glanced down at Ulysses, who was looking up at her. ‘Well, my friend, let’s go home, shall we?’
Ulysses let out a little woof in response.
She hesitated as she stepped outside, thinkingwhere is home, exactly?