Chapter 35

Clad in black sweat pants and a “Feel Good” tee-shirt, Alex is jumping up and down in the driveway as Lily pulls in. In three high hops she is leaning into the Mazda's window, wildly bobbing her arms up and down, fluttering some kind of document in her hand.
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"Tickets for Paris! Here they are, Lily!” Alex screeches, “We’re booked!”. With dramatic flourish she flaps the tickets back and forth in mid air in front of Lily’s ear so she can hear the swishing sound of gleeful anticipation.
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“I have groceries….” Lily smiles.
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“Screw the groceries, Lily! You have to look at these tickets! Right this minute! We’re going!”
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Lily steps away from the car and snatches the packet from Alex, who is again bungy jumping in front of her. She sits down on the little wooden bench Mr. Perry from Truro made for her, and she spreads the perforated corrugated papers on her lap.
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“Oh wow, Alex, you booked the Hotel St. Germain!”
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Alex grabs hold of Lily’s hands and with a motion that can only be described as a badly choreographed tango, pulls her to her feet. For a second or two, Lily savors the image in front of her—her fiery buzz cropped 5 foot 4 and a half petite now fit and healthy partner whose puzzle pieces have miraculously fit tightly into her own.
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“And not just that...” Alex is saying, But Lily has stopped listening.
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She is looking into the robin egg blue sky with its soft puff clouds and whispering ‘thank you God, thank you thank you thank you..’.