After we fuck, everything feels so much lighter. He hands me a cigarette, and we both share it, while we lay in bed together, looking out my window at the brightly shining stars.
“I’m quitting these things tomorrow,” he says.
“Yeah, right,” I say, taking a drag.
“I’m serious. I’m getting rid of the bad. I’m over it,” he says.
I close my eyes and smile so big.
“In just a few days we’ll be in greener pastures, right?” he asks.
“The greenest pastures you’ve ever seen,” I say. “And in the winter, it’s the whitest you’ve ever seen. Get ready for some cold.”
“I’m serious, Caroline. I’ve never been away from the four corners before. This is going to be difficult,” he says. But he’s excited. “All I know is that I’m ready. I’m ready to spend the next half of my life with you, in peace and quiet.”
“Peace and quiet,” I repeat his words. “I like the sound of that.”
Epilogue: Rowan
Five years later…
“Jeffco, help me change this diaper, man,” I call out to my friend. “Come on. It’s easy. I’ll show you.”
I carefully extract the diaper from our baby’s bottom. I used to be good at fixing bikes and selling the best drugs in all of the Southwest. At this point, I’m an expert dad.
Who would have thought?
“Get that thing out of my face,” Jeffco squeals like a little girl, prancing back into the corner of the room.
“Aw, come on. A little baby poop never hurt anyone.” I say, tossing the diaper into the bin.
He covers his nose. “Man, I thought killing and slinging drugs was hard. Fuck that. This seems about a hundred times worse.”
“Okay.” I laugh along with him. “Give me a second. We can get back to the party later.”
I clean Henson’s baby butt and wrap a fresh diaper around him. The whole time he’s giggling like a little hyena.
When we walk outside, I see Iago and Caroline talking with each other.
“Hey, man,” Iago shouts.
We hug, and I give Henson to Caroline.
Verona is running around the backyard. At four years old, she’s learned some tricks, but she has a long way to go.
“There’s my man,” Caroline smiles.
I smack her ass. I have to do it. It’s the ass that saved my life, over and over again.
“Hey, baby.” I smile and kiss her, holding her close to me. “You know how much I love you, right?”
The truth is, I wouldn’t be out here if it wasn’t for her. I’d be back with Iago and Jeffco, fighting for my life. Now, I’m a mechanic with my own shop. We’ve even got a Yelp.
Look at me, ma.
“Hey,” Jeffco calls out, holding a bottle of whiskey up in the air. “To five great years, you two.”
We all clink our glasses together and drink. After all, it’s been five incredible years with this woman, my Caroline peach.