Page 72 of Forgettable in Every Way

“That is excellent news,” Simon crooned.

My head popped up to find him leaning against the wall between the family room and the hall leading to the bedrooms, holding the photo album and mischievously grinning.

Oops. I’d been hoping to tell him to his face that I love him, but I guess this worked too. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough.”

Jack jumped up and ran to his daddy. “It’s the book!”

What? My photo album was the book. This day was getting stranger and stranger.

Simon sauntered toward me. Jack followed him. They both joined me on the sofa. Simon sat right next to me and placed Jack on his lap.

He turned to me with that adoring look in his eye. “I hope you love our story as much as I do.”

“I’m sure I will.” Although I was nervous, and maybe even a little embarrassed, to be looking at the photo album again. So much of my heart and soul had gone into it, and for so long I’d thought Simon had cast it away, just like he had me. I reached out and touched the leather binding, a ball of emotion stuck in my throat as all the tender feelings I’d hoped Simon would reciprocate came rushing back. Now here he was. It only took twelve years.

Simon placed his hand over mine. “Are you ready?”

“I think so,” I whispered.

Simon carefully opened the book. There we were on the subway, our heads together. We looked so young. I could still feel the hope and trepidation of that moment. My caption boldly declared my wish. Just the two of us. I’d listened to that Grover Washington Jr. song on repeat, praying so hard I could make it come true.

“Daddy, tell the story,” Jack eagerly said.

“Here we go.” Simon smiled at me before turning back to the album. “Once upon a time there was a beautiful and kind princess, Jules of New York. And she rescued a daft prince who forgot his wallet and desperately needed coffee.”

I giggled. That was certainly one way to put it. It now made sense why Jack called me Princess Jewel. I loved it.

“But the princess saw past his daftness and the two of them became fast friends.” Simon turned the page. “Almost every day they would take long walks in the kingdom, admiring all the sights and sounds, and especially the food.”

There we were at some of our favorite restaurants, along with photos of us at the park. My eyes filled with happy tears. They were some of my most treasured memories.

“Get to the part where she talks to animals and saves the green lady in the water,” Jack begged.

“I’m getting there,” Simon promised. “Princess Jules and the Daft Prince would talk for hours until the sun set and the stars shone in the sky. Sometimes it felt like no one else in the world existed but them.”

Oh, that was exactly how I felt.

“When they weren’t taking long walks, Princess Jules helped the Daft Prince try to make his dreams come true.”

There were pictures of Simon under marquees and a few where I was playing the piano and he was singing.

“All the people of New York loved to hear Princess Jules play the piano and the Daft Prince sing. They would cheer and praise them.”

I’m not sure about all the people of New York, but those in the piano store loved it.

“When Princess Jules wasn’t helping the Daft Prince make his dreams come true, she took him on grand adventures.” Simon turned the page. There were a few photos of us at the Statue of Liberty.

“There’s the green lady.” Jack pointed, excited. “It was so brave how you saved her.”

I was at a loss. I looked at Simon to fill me in.

Simon winked at me. “Yes, she was very brave that day. The green lady’s light went out and the princess always had plenty of her own light to share. So together the princess and prince made their way to the top of the green lady, and there the princess lent the lady her light. The light shone all over New York and the people revered her name.”

For that, Simon earned a kiss on the cheek.

“Good job, Princess.” Jack patted my arm.

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