Page 110 of Everything Is Probably Fine
That’s the other new thing about her life. Sometimes people laugh at her jokes.
As Seth hands around cake, Lorna asks Bean if he’s finally decided what his favorite dessert is. “Yep,” Bean says nonchalantly. “I decided a long time ago.”
“What? You never told me!” Lorna says.
“It’s birthday cake,” he says. “It doesn’t matter what kind, as long as it’s birthday cake.”
“Cake wins? Because I remember you really liked that gelato.”
“I know, but my favorite is still birthday cake, because every time you eat it, your whole family is there.”
Lorna wraps him in a hug. “You are really something, kid.”
“I know,” he says, and hands her his empty plate before dashing outside.
She is still holding the plate when Seth appears to take it from her. She smiles at him. “This is a great day.”
“It’s pretty great,” he agrees, and their eyes lock in that way that makes her certain Seth will be around for a long time to come.
Her life may not have turned out like she thought, and it tookher a while to get here, but she has no regrets after all. Regrets and fears have been banished. She’s made her amends to herself and her loved ones, and now she only looks forward. There is no point in dwelling in the past. As Micah once said, it’s in the past for a reason.
She is filled with immense gratitude at having found her family. Herchosenfamily. The people she wants to be near all the time. She is amazed at how happy she is, how free of guilt and anger she’s become. She’s amazed that all these people seem to actually like being with her, and no one has left the party yet.
She’s found the best way to live, and she wakes up with hope every single morning. Hope for a good life. Hope for laughter and friendship and love.
She often thinks of her mother, who insisted Lorna look forward, not backward. She watches the kids running around in the yard, Aggie chasing after them. She sighs and looks heavenward. “You were right, Mom,” she says softly. “But you knew that.”
