He thumps his chest. “The risk is part of the fun, right?”
I hear Leela mutter, “Oh shit.”
Cass and others are clapping in encouragement. Titus and some others line up behind Herc, probably because we are about to incur significant head injuries if we don’t have spotters for the run-jump-lift move.
Herc beams, and my insides ripple in anticipation.
I take a deep breath and block out the stares and the giggles of everyone watching us.
With my pulse pounding in my throat, I run at him, not knowing if this is going to work or not.
And I do it all with a full heart.
EPILOGUE
Herc
Five years later
A part of me was always a little bit embarrassed to drive around a pontoon boat on Lake Lure when I used to work at the marina. Those things are for frat parties and tourists.
But Meghan and I, the childless ones of the aging members of Beta Beta Psi, both look at it as an asset to our image as the cool aunt and uncle.
Tonight is Halloween, and while most couples are dressed to the nines in matching costumes for a party at Esmerelda’s, we take all the kids trick-or-treating around the lake.
My wife has decided to dress us up as Greek mythological heroes in honor of my first name. The kids don’t really get it.
“What are you supposed to be the ghost of, Uncle Herc?” asks Polly, Cass, and Titus’s five-year-old. She is a perfect blend of her parents; I can’t decide if she’s serious or sarcastic.
With me steering the boat from one dock to the next, Meghan helps each of the half-dozen kids pick up their candy. Some homeowners have set up camp at the end of their docks to greet the little ones. Others have simply set out buckets for kids to choose from.
Each kid has a pillowcase almost full to the top with candy by the time the first one’s eyes start to droop.
“Time to head in, I think,” Meghan says, giving me a smile as she holds her sleepy niece in her lap.
Back at the lake house, we spend the next hour helping children change out of their scary costumes and into pajamas, scrubbing off makeup, washing dye out of hair, and saying “no” to requests to eat anymore candy before bed. Okay, maybe we relent on the candy, and make sure everyone brushes their teeth extra hard that night.
After we pile all the kids into their bunks and creep into the hallway, Meghan turns to me. “Everyone will find out we let their kids eat candy right before bed.”
I shrug. “So? What are they gonna do? Find a better aunt and uncle to babysit?”
Tired and worn out, Meghan and I change out of our costumes into comfortable clothes and camp out on the sofa. I make the popcorn while Meghan queues upHocus Pocus.
My dad, mom-in-law, and Leondra arrive home first.
“How was the party?” I whisper, cuddling a sleeping Meghan against me.
Dad stabilizes a slightly clumsy Lilith on one arm, who turns and blows a kiss. Leondra holds his other hand and waves at me. I wave back. Dad shoots me a wink and heads up to bed with both women. I’m still wrapping my head around the fact that my dad is openly involved in a throuple, but I mind my own business.
When the movie ends, I begin to hear car doors opening and closing outside. The Ubers are here, dropping off all our friends. Leela and Crosby, Mila and Ozzie, and Cass and Titus. Others have come and gone from our lives over the years, but the eight of us have weathered just about anything and everything that can test a friendship.
Eventually, we’re alone again in the den, and everything is quiet. I click off the TV.
I expected my life to turn out differently.
I don’t have that cottage on the river I thought I would have, and I’m not drinking myself into oblivion every other night. I still work at Shambles even though I don’t have to. I like to stay busy. There was a need at the local volunteer fire department, so I went to firefighter training and now work at the station a couple of nights a week. Some spouses don’t like the time away, but it works for Meghan. She needs her space, which makes everything much sweeter whenever we come back together.
I did buy a speedboat, and although fishing charters don’t bring in a full-time income, it’s nice not having to worry about that. There’s nothing like watching kids catch their first lake trout, and that’s all the payment I need.