January is a time for new beginnings, and turning everything around. And that was certainly on the table for one Louise Sanders. She had just picked up her Certificate of Divorce that morning, and to clear her head, she was on her way to visit family for breakfast.

Knock knock. Louise waited for a moment before Joe came to the door. "Hi, Joey. I brought donuts."

"Ah, Louise, quelle bonne surprise." (Ah, Louise, what a nice surprise.) Joe ran his fingers through his hair, and that's when his engagement ring caught Louise's eye.

Louise's eyes widened. "Joey, you didn't!"

Joe chuckled, and brought Louise inside to the kitchen, where Von Kaiser and Katrina were eating their eggs. Louise crowed with joy to find a matching ring on Von Kaiser's finger.

"So, what brings you here, Nana?" Katrina asked.

Louise huffed a bit. "I just finalized my divorce."

The mood became a bit damper. "Oh, Louise, es tut mir leid, das zu hören." (Oh, Louise, I'm sorry to hear that.)

"Don't be," said Louise. "Henry's the reason my life went so wrong. With him gone, I can make it right."

Joe froze in his tracks for a moment. "Dad, are you okay?"

Joe put a fist on his chest and swallowed. "Mon père était nommé Henri." (My father was named Henri.)

"Oh, honey…" Louise slid into the empty fourth chair. "Neither of them are ever gonna hurt us again. Promise."

She put her hand over his. "You were never with my Heather, but you're still the best son-in-law I could ask for."

Joe smiled, and the two pressed their foreheads together.


In the afternoon, after Louise had gone home and Joe had gone in for a last-minute fight at work, Von Kaiser took Katrina out to Rogueport Ribs for lunch to bond with her. He was going to be her stepfather soon, so might as well start now.

"Vati, why did you fall in love with Dad?"

Von Kaiser paused. That was a rather heavy question. "Nun, es machte einfach Sinn für mich." He thought of all his nice memories with Joe. "Wir waren viele Jahre lang so gute Freunde; es war vollkommen logisch, dass Joseph tiefere Gefühle entwickeln würde." (Well, it just made sense to me. We had been such good friends for many years; it was perfectly logical that Joseph would develop deeper feelings.)

Katrina ate another fry. "Did you know you loved him before he told you?"

"Um die Wahrheit zu sagen, nein. Ich glaube nicht, dass ich es endlich realisiert habe, bis dein Vater es mir gestanden hat." (To tell you the truth, no. I don't think I realised it until your father confessed to me.)

Katrina cocked her head. "Do you want to marry him?"

Now Von Kaiser understood. "Ich verstehe es; Sie machen sich Sorgen, dass Ihr Vater und ich nicht die richtige Entscheidung treffen." (I get it; you're worried your father and I aren't making the right decision.) He put his hand over hers; he had never noticed how tiny Katrina's hands were before. "Wenn ich nicht sicher gewesen wäre, dass ich ihn heiraten wollte, hätte ich nicht ja gesagt." (If I wasn't certain I wanted to marry him, I wouldn't have said yes.)

Katrina seemed satisfied with that answer, so Von Kaiser continued. "Ich liebe deinen Vater. Und ich liebe dich und deine ganze Familie. Und ich liebe Sie und Ihre beiden Familien. Und daran wird sich nichts ändern." (I love your father. And I love you, and all of your family. And nothing will change that.)


That evening, Louise swung by a restaurant for a bite; she didn't quite feel like cooking. "What can I get for ya?" Judy had her notepad open, ready to take Louise's order.

"A mild wing basket with fries and a Coke," said Louise, a little tired.

When her order came, Judy still remained at the table; it was a very slow night. "I don't think I've seen you around here before."

"I came up to visit my granddaughter." Louise bit into a wing.

"Oh, that's nice," said Judy, "how did that go?"

"It was nice," said Louise. "It felt refreshing to be with my extended family for the first time after my divorce."

"Oh, honey," said Judy, "what happened?"

Louise shook her head. "I was just sick of it. He pushed my oldest daughter away and turned my youngest against me. I needed a fresh start and a way out."

Judy looked very sympathetic to Louise. Louise shook her head, and ate her meal quietly. When Judy came back with a check, she left Louise a complimentary piece of chocolate mousse cake. Louise smiled, and in turn left Judy a very generous tip.

So here she goes; her first complete day as the new Louise Sanders. She was feeling pretty good about herself; no more Henry, and no more Laura. She felt like a huge weight had fallen off her shoulders. She got into her car and drove home to her new cottage, nestled not far from town, so she would be able to visit her new family whenever she pleased.