Love blossomed quickly between Henry and our Katie, and within a few months, Henry had asked George for Katie's hand in marriage. Liza found love as well, with a young man named Nigel Brown.

On the morning of Liza's wedding, we gathered at the church to await the arrival of the groom and his family. In her white, frilly gown, I'd never seen my daughter looking so beautiful, so blissfully happy. The freckles that had tormented her in her younger years had faded until they were barely noticeable, and her light brown hair had darkened to nearly the same shade as her sister's.

"It seems only yesterday we were teaching her how to walk, and today she becomes a married woman," George remarked. Now approaching fifty, his once-dark hair was streaked with white, and his eyes had laugh lines, but to me he was more attractive and desirable than ever. His remark touched me, and I clasped his hand tightly and gazed into his eyes. He winked at me and gave my lips a quick peck.

After an hour of waiting, we all became very anxious, and George, Liza and I went to Nigel's home to see what was keeping him. His mother opened the door just a crack when she saw us. "You must leave!" she urged us. "He has the flu!"

"Oh, no!" Liza began to sob, hard. From the bedroom, we could hear Nigel calling weakly for her.

"I must go to him!" Liza exclaimed, pushing past Mrs. Brown. George and I followed. We were shocked at the sight of Nigel lying in bed, pale and shivering, a mere shadow of his former self.

"Darling!" Liza exclaimed, rushing to his side as he coughed weakly, struggling to breathe. "I'm s-so s-sorry," he stammered.

"Oh, Nigel, it's all right!" Liza replied. "We can get married in a few days, just as soon as you're better..." Tears fell from her eyes and onto the quilt covering the young man. He coughed once more and then lay very still.

"Nigel!" Liza's body convulsed with sobs as she gazed down at him.

It was not long after that that I received a frantic letter from my mother.

Dearest Bonnie,

You must come home as quickly as possible! Your father is doing very poorly. He's been completely bedridden for some time now, refusing to eat or drink, and of late he doesn't even recognize any of us. I fear that he hasn't much time left, and I know that his dearest wish would be to see you again before the good Lord calls him home. Please, I beg you, return to Georgia as soon as possible.

With all my love,

Mother

I showed George the letter and told Katie and Liza about it. "As much as I'd love to meet my grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins, my home is here with Henry now," Katie told me. "Please give everyone my warmest regards."

Liza, on the other hand, wanted very much to accompany us to my home. She still grieved Nigel deeply and longed for a change of scenery. Dear Rufus and Sadie, faithful to the end, would accompany us as well.

In the company of my husband and younger daughter, my second voyage across the Atlantic passed more pleasantly than my first one had. As I set foot upon American soil for the first time in almost thirty years, I was overcome with a feeling of deep nostalgia.

"I've come home again at last," I told George with tears in my eyes.

"Although I am now further from my place of birth than I ever could have imagined, my home is with you, wherever you are," George replied loyally.

I was shocked by the change in my mother's appearance. Her once proud frame was now stooped with age, her hair was completely white, and her once vibrant green eyes were now dim and faded.

"Mother!" I exclaimed, rushing to embrace her. "Oh, Mother!" Unable to staunch the flow of tears, I began to cry softly. "Where is he?"

"This way," she told me, leading the way up the stairs to the master bedroom. George and Liza, obviously overwhelmed by both the grandness of my parents' home and the appearance of my mother, followed silently.