Over a month had elapsed. The Xindi ultimate weapon was destroyed before it reached Earth, and the spheres in the Delphic Expanse were as well. The NX-01 returned to a heroes' welcome. But all was not right, as there were increasing incidents of xenophobia. Many aliens – including Vulcans living in the compound in Sausalito – felt threatened. And so T'Pol and Phlox's visits to the surface were few and far between during the generalized leave.
The captain found himself dealing with interview request after interview request, including a documentary filmmaker who had had access even to members of the crew who had left the ship for the time being or even for the duration. The remainder of the senior staff was also affected, although not as much. The big news stories were, after all, not about them, although Malcolm found he was contacted a lot more than he would have ever wanted.
As for Lili, she rented a tiny short-term furnished efficiency apartment in San Mateo, near where her old restaurant, Voracious, had been. She had neither friends nor family on Earth, and wasn't even too cordial with the people who had worked under her. Things with most of them had ended on a sour note, as many of them had shirked their responsibilities following the Xindi attack and the declaration of war. As for the people who had purchased Voracious – and had then subsequently driven it into bankruptcy – there was no love lost there, either. But the area was familiar, and at least it was off the ship. For on the ship, at that time, there were just too many memories.
Lili took the time in order to try to heal herself. While she did not recall the dream at all, she vividly remembered the last time she had seen Jay alive. And she remembered, all too well, his hastily arranged funeral. Most of the crew had not even known the man's first name.
A lockdown was immediately put on his things, including his personal logs, as his estate was sorted out. And a very real, and very heavy, magnetic lock was placed on the door to his quarters by Malcolm. Lili knew all of that, and it troubled her. It seemed as if Jay were even more shut down in death than he had been in life, and that had scarcely seemed possible.
That morning, she got up and stretched. Her PADD had slid into sleep mode, and it showed the date – March the twenty-seventh of 2154. She glanced at it for a second. "So I'm forty-five today. My God." She yawned and padded into the bathroom, and checked herself in the mirror. "I've got parentheses lines around my mouth. Man, oh, man. You're getting old, Charlotte, you dope."
There was a ding – a message on her PADD. It was from José. "Huh," she checked the sender, "I hope you realize we aren't really married."
Dear Lili,
I checked the ship's calendar, and I saw it was your birthday. So happy birthday! Captain Archer says we will be going back out into space soon. The Columbia will be coming along, too! I'm sure we'll get the call soon.
Your friend,
José Torres
She laughed a little to herself. "I know which José you are!" Then she stopped herself. "Yeah, it's really awkward. It's the textbook definition of awkward. But that was sweet of you. Nobody else remembered."
There was another ding. "I hope you didn't forget something and write me another note. That would be overdoing it. Way to make it even more awkward, Torres." She looked more closely at the from field. It was from Koenig and Brooks, a law firm she did not know. "Oh, please. If you people are trying to bring me into the fiasco that is the Voracious bankruptcy, you are totally barking up the wrong tree and can kiss my Irish patootie." Cautiously, she clicked it open.
To: Ms. Lili O'Day
From: Emily Stone, Esq.
My apologies for the short notice, but the estate was just recently settled. Kindly come to the Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco at thirteen thirty hours on March twenty-seventh in order to receive your share of the estate of Jay Douglas Hayes.
Very Truly Yours,
Emily Stone
Koenig and Brooks
"Holy crap, that's today!" Lili yelled to no one. She ran to the shower as soon as she'd sent a note confirming that she would attend.
=/\=
She got to Starfleet Headquarters early, and looked in on the captain, who was in between endless meetings. "What brings you here?" he asked, taking a look at her. She was out of uniform, in a denim skirt and a yellow boatneck top, her hair up in a slightly messy chignon tied with a dark blue ribbon.
"I got a message. I'm – this is weird – I'm supposed to be getting a piece of Major Hayes's estate."
"Huh, well that's interesting. Were you two close?"
"I don't know if close is the right word," Lili admitted, "But he, well, he came to the galley the night he passed. He just looked so tired and worried. I made him his favorite foods. It was the best that I could do."
"What did he like, Ensign?"
"He liked roasted potatoes, and a good steak, cooked rare. He liked a little side dish I would put together of wilted spinach leaves, softened Vidalia onions and sharp cheddar cheese." Lili paused for a moment, thinking of Jay. "The Major liked blueberries, sir. No one else knew that."
"Sounds like you knew him better than anyone."
"I, I guess I did. Did you know I bribed him once by making him chicken soup? Do you remember? It was January and he'd gotten a cold. He told nobody, but I saw and heard him coughing something fierce. So I told him I'd keep it quiet and I'd help him out, but he'd have to do something for me."
"Oh, and what was that?"
"I asked him to smile sometimes. And he did, but usually it was just when he was facing toward me, I noticed," Lili explained.
"I think he didn't just like your cooking."
"No," Lili shook her head.
"Oh, I'm pretty sure of it, Lili. I think he liked you."
"I dunno, sir."
"Well, I think your being in his will more or less proves it. Don't you?"
There was a chime and he checked his PADD. "Ah, there's a room available for your meeting. I'll take you there."
=/\=
They walked to a small room that was normally used for job interviews. There was a person in there already. "Lieutenant?" asked the captain.
"Sir?!" Malcolm got up quickly, knocking over a chair in the process. Then he noticed Lili. "Ensign?"
"I, uh, yeah," Lili confirmed, "you here for the will?"
"Uh, yes, yes, that's right. I got a notification at Kota Bharu this morning." He was still standing there, in a full-dress uniform. He bent over to pick up the uncooperative chair and right it. "Ensign?" He offered her the seat.
"Thank you." Lili smoothed out her denim skirt, a thoroughly unnecessary act. She fiddled with her hair nervously. The loose chignon threatened to fall apart and tumble down.
A woman of perhaps sixty-five years of age was escorted to the room by a clerk, who promptly left. "I recognize you from the viewer, Captain Archer," she extended her hand. "I'm Emily Stone." She turned to Lili. "Ensign O'Day?"
"Yes, that's me." They shook hands.
Emily then shook hands with Malcolm. Before she sat down, she stated, "Please forgive me, Captain, but Jay Hayes was an exceptionally private man. I'm afraid you can't stay."
"Uh, that's all right." Archer was a little nonplussed. "Lieutenant, Ensign, stop by my temporary office when you're done." He, too, departed.
Emily looked at the both of them. "Estates are public things, but the reading of a will can be a private affair. I can tell you that, apart from the two articles I am giving you today, the remainder of Mister Hayes's estate went to the MACO Training Facility in Atlanta. This included an antique World War III general's uniform which I understand is in the cargo containers from his quarters on the Enterprise."
"Yes, that's right," Malcolm confirmed. "Ethan Shapiro and I emptied out his old quarters ourselves. It was, Ensign, it was perhaps a day or so after you had gone to the surface on leave."
"Luckily, he was a tidy man," Emily said, "And I suspect you are as well, Lieutenant, for my representative found both of your inherited articles in the container marked Desk."
"Desk?" Lili inquired.
"Yes," Emily confirmed, "And now for the reading." She adjusted the size of the font on her PADD, and began to read.
"I, Jay Douglas Hayes, of a sound yet somewhat troubled mind, hereby update my will. My sister, Laura Hayes's firm, is tasked with administering my will. As per earlier versions of this document, all of my personal logs are to be destroyed without being read. If this condition is ignored, I require that all of my possessions be destroyed."
Lili looked up at that. Emily continued, "I do so will my possessions as follows. With two exceptions, everything I own, no matter what it is, goes to the Atlanta MACO Training Facility. This includes an authentic antique World War III general's uni which they should display as an artifact."
Malcolm coughed slightly. He'd seen the uni and had thought it was a facsimile while packing it up. Emily read aloud, "The two excepted articles are as follows: to Lieutenant Malcolm Reed of the NX-01, I leave my paper copy of Sun Tzu's The Art of War. I realize he's probably read it already, but I am giving it to him as a token of my respect and belated friendship. I thank him for what he has taught me."
Malcolm hid his feelings by discreetly blowing his nose into a handkerchief. Emily continued reading. "The other excepted article is a nickel, minted in 2012, located in my upper desk drawer. I give this to Chef's assistant, Lili O'Day. I do this in gratitude for her friendship and understanding, and to finally pay off the last of my chicken soup debt." Emily smiled. "Chicken soup debt?"
"It's a long story."
Emily went back to the document. "This is the space where something profound should be said, but I am out of time. If there is anything out there past death, I hope that these two friends, and my sister, will receive a substantial and positive reward.
Signed,
Jay Douglas Hayes
MACO Unit NX-01, Rank: Major
Serial Number: 42753"
Emily looked at them both. "And that's it." She fished into her briefcase and took out the book and the nickel, and handed them over.
"You said he had a sister," Lili reminded Emily, "Do you know her?"
"We work together. But because she was a potential heir, we had to erect what's not too politically correctly referred to as a 'Chinese wall' within the firm. That meant that she couldn't be a part of the settlement of the estate. But now that it's completely settled, I suppose I can go back to having coffee with her on occasion."
"Did the Major leave any other family?" Malcolm asked.
"No, at least, not as I'm aware."
"Can I tell you a little bit about him?" Lili asked. "I could maybe give you a shortened version of the chicken soup story. I bet his sister – Laura?"
"Yes, Laura."
"I bet she'd like for that not to be a mystery," Lili stated, "After all, with the destruction of his logs, I guess everything else is more or less a mystery."
"Definitely," Emily agreed, "if I didn't know better, I'd swear he was destroying evidence."
"Well, we do put some rather private things in there," Malcolm stated, "Perhaps it was something embarrassing. I don't think it was anything cruel."
"Your story?" Emily prompted.
"Yes. It was earlier this year. And Jay had been inside a Xindi sphere. You know, a part of the ending of the war, it meant the destruction of those spheres. Still, they were pretty interesting all the same. But he got some sort of mild virus or something. It must have gotten into his EV suit. Nobody else got sick, and Phlox missed it in the scans and even in decon. But Jay was coughing. And I heard him. I went over and I did, you know, the usual check for a fever."
"You put your hand on his forehead?" Emily asked.
"I did. And he kept insisting he was fine, but then that would set off more coughing. He told me no one could know."
Malcolm smiled a little at that. "Stubborn to the end, eh? And competitive, I bet. He knew I've got God knows how many allergies. Perhaps by pretending he was never ill, he'd one-up me on that. Did you know him, Counselor?"
"No, I never met him," Emily shook her head, "I guess I'm learning about him through the two of you."
"I haven't much to tell," Malcolm admitted, "Mainly, he and I only just started to get on when it was, well, it was in the final month of his life. But do go on, Ensign."
"I told him; see," Lili told them, "I was cooking that day. Chef was off. So I told Jay I'd make something that would make him feel better, but I'd serve it to everybody. And I promised not to say a word, if he did something for me."
"And that's what that nickel's paying for," Emily speculated.
"Yeah, I suppose so. See, I told him he should smile more. But he rarely did, even then. He was driven. Anyway, he didn't smile much. I guess that's why he gave me this. But, uh, I wonder, why this particular coin? I gotta believe he had other money."
"He did. His estate is also a rather substantial donation to the training facility," Emily stated. "Well, I think perhaps I should go." She gave each of them business cards. "Do feel free to contact me if you have any questions about your bequests."
"Thank you," Malcolm flipped open his communicator. "Yes? Ms. Stone needs an escort out. Right. Reed out." He turned to Emily. "It shouldn't be a minute." They exchanged more handshakes and she left. Malcolm turned to Lili. "Fancy a quick stroll before going to see the captain?"
"Uh, sure," Lili nodded. There was a small pocket in her skirt which had a zipper. She placed the nickel in it and zipped it closed. "Can't lose this."
"Right." He opened up his book. "Look. There's a dedication."
"Oh? What does it say?"
He read, "To Jay, who is an artist even though he thinks he isn't. Thanks for taking care of things, Soldier Boy – Susan." Malcolm smiled a little. "I wonder who Susan was."
"I wonder why she wasn't the recipient of one of his bequests."
"I'm sure we'll never know." They began to walk. He added. "That uniform – I saw it as Ethan and I were packing things up. And it seemed like, well, why would he possess such a thing? I had no idea it was the real thing."
"I suppose I'll wonder about this coin. Why it mattered to him," Lili answered.
"There was one thing, I should tell you," Malcolm offered. "It's about the things we found in his quarters."
"Oh?"
"We, well, I had no idea what it was, you see. And now it's going to Atlanta, and they won't know anything about it, either. But it seems, well, it seems that the Major could whittle. And he had a few small knives, most likely for that purpose. There was a small block of wood which was sanded and it seems he was going to do something with it, but unfortunately, he never did. But there was another bit."
"Another bit?"
"Yes. It was, uh, a little thing, also smooth, but there was a carving." He stopped walking and turned to face her. "Ensign, it was an incomplete carving. And I didn't understand then what it was of. But I think I do now."
"Hmm?" She looked into his eyes, blue like the deep blue sea.
"It was the letter L. Ensign, I have to believe, that he was carving something for, for you."
Lili put her hand on her mouth, a little distraught. "Oh, God, no, no, it had to have been for Laura. It couldn't possibly be for, for me. Could it?" She felt herself getting weepy. "I, I was okay. I was okay, yanno? And even with, with all of this. I figured I'd just make myself a basket case when I got back to the place I'm renting. But this! Oh God!"
Awkwardly, he put a hand on her arm. "I'm, I'm sorry I distressed you. That was not my intention."
"I know," she was sniffling a little. "And the captain said that Jay had liked me. Did he? And he had the damned logs destroyed. So we – I, I can't ever know."
He fumbled for his spare handkerchief – the clean one – and handed it to her. "Here," She blew her nose. "There's a girl."
"Er, sorry," she whispered.
"No, that's why I've got an extra," he smiled slightly. "Keep it."
"Thank you."
"Here, let's go in and talk to the captain, all right?"
=/\=
Captain Archer was in his temporary Starfleet office with T'Pol. "Ah, good, thanks for dropping by. What happened, if I may ask?"
"We got little gifts," Lili reported. "I'm glad to see you back on the surface, Commander."
"Thank you. I cannot hide forever. Most humans, I know, are fine people. I am certain that the xenophobia and prejudice we have experienced is isolated. We are, after all, allies."
"You ready to go back out there?" asked the captain. "I'd like to leave in a week."
"If I could, Captain," Lili asked, "could I come back on board earlier than that? The month is almost up and I can just quit paying rent on this little place where I've been staying. I want to get back into things. Get back on the horse and all of that."
The Vulcan noticed her red eyes. "Are you certain, Ensign?"
"Yes. I want to be back doing things. I've been hanging around and all it's done is make me think even more about what happened. And not just to Jay, but to Jane Taylor and to Hawkins and Fuller, too, and Liz Cutler. I've just been alone with my thoughts too much, and for far too long."
"I see," T'Pol replied.
"I never told you," Lili stated, "but Jolene Tucker Hodgkins programmed the replicator. She, uh, she said it was the first thing Craig Willets ever added to the programming. And now all that stuff's gone, except for this one thing. It's funny, but Jay and I had it the night he died."
"What was it?" asked the captain.
"It was a funny thing. It was parsnips. I don't even know why they made them."
"I don't know that I've ever had them," admitted the captain. T'Pol also shook her head.
"Then tell ya what," Lili offered, "give me a couple of days, like I said and I'll pack up my few things and settle up with the landlord. And I'll think of a good recipe with parsnips. And it'll, I guess it'll be in memory of Jay."
"Name the recipe for him, will you?" Malcolm asked.
"That's a great idea," Lili replied. "Panais a la Jay."
"Panais?" asked Malcolm.
"It's French for parsnip. Let's give him a measure of forever."
=/\=
When Lili slept that night, she had normal dreams, of the day's events and even older things. She did not have those kinds of psionic dreams again until October twenty-eighth of 2157, when she made contact with Doug.
But Jay, from his perch, watched.
And he would continue to watch, into 2155, when Ian arrived, and February of 2161, when José's counterpart, a man not unlike a wounded grizzly bear, came to the afterworld. In '81, Doug joined them, and then Lili herself came in 2202. Malcolm followed less than a month later. And finally José came over after that, quite a bit later, and he, in turn, waited for his wife, for he had wed in the correct timeline and had a family of his own.
For that was what the afterworld truly was, and is – a place for everyone, intermixed and intermingled. Old and young, rich and poor, male and female, and, yes, the wicked all commune with the good. And the residents aren't all humans, for there are animals and there are aliens and hybrids and of course the mirror is there as well. All have a measure of forever.
=/\=
It was not just people who were affected by the end of the Xindi war.
The destruction of the spheres in the Delphic Expanse brought with it the destruction of Speakeasy, the little planet that could. It was torn apart when the nearby failed sphere was annihilated. The procul on the surface, mercifully, were not cognizant at all of their ends or of the fall of a repurposed torpedo tube that contained the remains of the version of Lili O'Day that had been kicked back in time the second time. That is, it was Lili Torres and her many gifts, including that version of Jay's lucky nickel.
On Paradise, the ruins of the first kicked-back NX-01, combined with the ravages of time, obliterated all evidence of agriculture and other human touches.
On Amity, the remnants of the second kicked-back NX-01, and the defeated Imvari slaver ship, pulverized most of the trappings of human civilization on that world. A repurposed torpedo tube, containing the remains of the first kicked-back Lili O'Day and her husband, Jay Hayes, was knocked out of its orbit and it, too, crashed to the surface.
The malostrea crept out of their dens and consumed anything that was at all like meat, and that even included the dead in their graves. The procul on that world made short work of the remaining crops in their fallow fields.
The malostrea didn't quite know what to make of the repurposed tube, but they bit into the metal with their shells and were able to tear off pieces and use them to reinforce their dens. The lucky nickel was commandeered by a malostrea that just liked it, and the remainder of the tube's contents decayed like everything else does.
All but one small item.
All of the evidence was gone, lost, save that one thing. When humans finally went to Amity during the correct time period in the correct timeline – they had named it Archer's Planet by then, and Paradise was called Ceti Alpha V – there was an amazing discovery.
For amidst the procul – called prako by Eska hunters – and the malostrea – only known to the Eska as hard devils – the strangest thing was discovered.
It was a woman's turquoise hair ribbon.
The ribbon was studied and eventually ended up at the Temporal Museum on a charming planet called Lafa II, where Eleanor Daniels Grant – sister to time traveler Richard Daniels – was a docent.
=/\=
Jonathan Archer's Personal Log, March twenty-seventh, 2154
We'll be out again, soon, and I cannot wait to leave here. For all the work we did to get back here and to make things right with the Xindi, it feels, in many ways, like I have become removed from here, from Earth. It's almost as if my country of birth were demolished, her borders redrawn. I suppose Tripp feels that way every time he sees an image of Florida.
We will not be here on Earth for the hardest part, which is the rebuilding. One of the very few crew members who was there for the attack, she has said that it felt almost as if the planet had shut itself down. It was a horror, a trauma. And it did not have to happen. Yet it has, and we worked hard, but the real work is here, and it is not with us.
That crew member who was here on Earth during the attack is Lili O'Day. I saw her and Lieutenant Reed today. It was all rather unexpected. They were evidently two of Jay Hayes's heirs. How odd. Yet it almost seems fitting.
Hayes was controlled and he was ultra-focused. He did not make time for friendships. And he and Reed fought bitterly – and quite literally. I was a witness to a lot of their sniping. And now the man's gotten the last word, for even though he didn't make time for friendships, they made time for him. And so by giving the Lieutenant … something, that's the last word. Malcolm hasn't shared what it is, and I won't push it and ask, not yet.
As for Lili, I imagine Jay was a bit bowled over by her charm, and her persistence. She can be headstrong and a little pushy, too. But she's been good for the ship. When Preston was the main steward and, before him, Richard Daniels, they didn't engage people like she does. And so I can see why she'd get under Hayes's skin. I like to think he had some affection for her.
Like I mentioned, we are out of here soon. Erika Hernandez will captain the Columbia and she will be out there as well. I hope things are easier for her.
I think back, at times, about that other crew we met, the other NX-01. They were us, or we were them, I am guessing, in some ways. They seem to have given their lives for us, and for an Earth they never saw. I hope we have done them justice. I hope we made their existences worthwhile and worthy.
But yanno, I've changed my mind. Their existences were worthwhile and worthy either way and they don't get their purpose or their meaning from us, at least I don't think they do.
Love and family are funny things. They are, I guess, the most natural things for a lot of people. But for me, they never seem to be. I spent some time with Erika while we've been here on Earth. And it's been good but – it's just not it. She is not the one, and I know that and I am not being fair. On that other ship, I wed a woman named Esilia. There is a part of me that worries – was that my only shot at happiness? Or are there infinite species of chances, if we only look hard enough for them? Maybe that's the lesson of that kick back in time, that we can all have another chance.
=/\=
José Torres's Personal Log, March twenty-seventh, 2154
It's Lili O'Day's birthday today. I sent her a note. I know that it's awkward between us. It's so strange, knowing that, in another life, we married. Were we happy together? I have no way of knowing.
I see the others, too, and except for Susie Money and Mario Lattimer, all of the couples we heard about, they seem to be floundering. It's that people don't know what to say, or to do. Hoshi ignores and breezes past Sekar whenever he tries to speak with her, it seems. And now he's leaving. Shelby and Andrew seem afraid to look each other in the eye.
In Engineering, Josh doesn't talk about Karin. And Mike and Judy work on opposite sides of the main section. How do you talk to someone? How does it begin? Or should it? Did we all just settle?
I did see Meredith Porter and Rex Ryan talking together the other day. They were another couple – and I know they probably didn't have a lot of occasions to speak before. Is it as simple as that, after all? Do you just up and take a chance? Or do you roll the dice the other way?
I only wish them the best, however it turns out. As for me, I think I'll see about talking to Shelby.
=/\=
Malcolm Reed's Personal Log, March twenty-seventh, 2154
I never imagined that Jay Hayes actually thought of me as a friend. As a rival, yes. As a colleague, to be sure. But as an actual friend? I cannot see it. Yet the evidence is in my hands. This book is mine, and it was his once. And so I am forced to conclude that we truly were friends. Hence his death saddens me, in addition to how it surprised and shocked me.
I had been shocked by its finality. It was a mere coin toss that decided that he would be on the mission to save Hoshi, and not me. I could have easily been the one to die on a bio bed. And I, I am ashamed to say, I would not have been so generous and forgiving to bequeath him my paper copy of Jane Eyre.
And papers and coins remind me of Ensign O'Day, and her bequest. A nickel! How thoroughly strange. But it clearly had some meaning for him. As for the connection to her, I can merely speculate. Did he care for her? It is most certainly possible.
She is a pale thing, head down some of the time, concentrating on her work. When she looks up, though, you can see that she has devastating eyes. But I will not approach her. She seems so very damaged by the whole thing. I imagine we all are, though.
I spoke with Diana Jones recently, and she informed me that she is a lesbian. And so I will look elsewhere for some companionship. Perhaps Crewman Socorro is unattached?
=/\=
Charlotte Lilienne O'Day's Personal Log, March twenty-seventh, 2154
I have in my possession a nickel, minted in 2012. This one hundred and forty-two-year-old artifact would normally not be anything too special, apart from being kinda old. But it's more than that, for it belonged to Jay.
Again, the finality of it all hits me, and I am stunned and saddened by his departure from, well, from existence. And this nickel – and the fact that I was in his will at all – these things make me wonder.
The captain said we are returning to the stars soon, so I am packing and have already settled up. I contacted Jenny and we will be roommates again. I told her about the nickel and she said it was just a bad tip. Did I serve him improperly?
But that's not it. I know it's not. And there's the matter of that carved L. Was it meant for me? I have no way of ever knowing. I only know that I liked him, I found him handsome and dreamy and smart and kind and sexy and if he reciprocated one percent of it with this nickel then I am fortunate. I will keep it with me, and it will be my good luck charm. Forever.
=/\=
Richard Daniels's Personal Log, December third, 3202
Our ancestors thought of age one hundred thirty-three as being unattainable, or at least damned old. Well, it isn't, not anymore. And I am 133, and have been so for almost a full year.
But today is quite a day. It's the one thousandth anniversary of my forebear, Lili O'Day's death. Long may you wave, you white hot flame.
It took a long time, and a lot of temporal missions, to piece together everything that happened down that subspace corridor. I suspect that details are still missing, and undoubtedly there are many more tales to tell. I have been on a few of those missions myself.
But what we have learned has been extraordinary. And it was your hair ribbon, Lili, from the first kick back in time – that's what initially clued us in that something had happened, as other logs were lost.
To see and know my forebears is always an amazing thing, and I am astonished by, and grateful for, this gift of basic familiarity. This job has allowed that. For you are not my only ancestor on the NX-01. There are Ethan Shapiro, and Karin Bernstein, Aidan MacKenzie and Jennifer Crossman. There's Malcolm Reed, of course, and Brian Delacroix. And, yes, although his branch came in later, José Torres is my ancestor, too. And there are too many more to name in one log entry. A millennium, I suppose, makes family of us all.
For you, who had three chances, and three lifetimes, I salute you, my great-great, however many greats, grandmother. And for all those who were in your orbit, I salute them, too. Fly, Sparrow, fly.
=/\=
Richard Daniels took an item out of a drawer and spun it once on his desk. It was a nickel, minted in 2012. "And I salute you, too, Jay Hayes. Your nickel is still lucky."
THE END