He asked if she was ready for the holiday and she didn’t say. For some reason, as if it mattered, he told her it was his favorite. She answered this time that it was hers too—you invited the family over for dinner, had a good time together catching up on the news, and then everyone went home. He imagined her sitting around the table with a tough-looking crew—no husband, of course, but maybe three or four sons, daughters, a few in-laws, and a bunch of grandkids. He wondered if they considered themselves blessed to be together.
He opened the door and climbed in just as she called out, “See ya’ around, buddy.”