Author's Note:
Welcome back readers. This chapter closes the book, so to speak. When I started writing the series that became "The Only Constant is Change," my idea was that it would be a series of conversations between a dying man and his coming-of-age son. The stories the man would tell about his life would surprise his son, and along the way, the young man would be sent on adventures of his own in a kind of mentoring. I was having difficult writing it, because the memory interludes were kind of long. It didn't flow right, and so I decided to tell the man's story in real-time, to bring the timeline up to the start of that planned series.
I'd still like to come back to my original concept at some point in the future, so if you've enjoyed the story of Jeremy's life, you might be on the lookout. That series is still in the planning stages, but it will probably fit some episodes from the gaps in "Change" into some of the conversation. Don't know when that will happen, though. My other series, "Carson Evolved," has been going great and is really flowing out. The response has been so positive that I may need to extend that one past the planned 8 chapters. If you like sci-fi, come check it out.
Finally, thank you for continuing to come back to read what I've written. When I posted my first chapter in July 2018, I really had no idea what to expect. Like a lot of readers, I'm sure, I simply wanted to see if I could do better than some of the stuff that I didn't like or emulate those that I did. The response along the way has been encouraging, and if you've written a comment to my chapters or taken the time to send me feedback along the way, you are part of why I've continued to post. So, again, thank you.
About the story: This series covers the entirety of a man's life, with gaps thrown in along the way to keep it moving. I set out to see how my protagonist changes over his life as his experiences shape him. If you haven't read earlier chapters, you probably won't recognize some characters or references that are made, so I recommend you begin in chapter 1 and go from there. Most of the chapters are only 4-5 pages long on the screen, so they don't take forever to get through.
-MB
As always, any sexual activity takes place between adults.
*****
The last two years had been a time of great change in Jeremy's life. Professionally, things could not be going better. All of the time that Jeremy had put in ahead of assuming his position had borne lucrative fruit. His team had quickly developed a reputation for being able to quickly deduce and rectify network issues, often suggesting architecture improvements that greatly improved reliability and security. The workload had increased to the point that Jeremy was now making plans to promote one of his team members to lead and hire a replacement, just so that he could form a second team and build them up in the same way the first team had begun. It was incredibly rewarding.
Personally, Jeremy was experiencing something of a rebirth. He would always love and miss his first wife and their son, but memories of their life together were more wistful than painful these days. True to her word, Cat had taken her place at his side, and she had done everything in her power to help him move on as they built a new life together. Jeremy was incredibly grateful for the respectful way that Cat referred to his previous life. Curious, he'd asked her once how she felt about being his second wife and knowing that he'd had a family before her. Her answer was enlightening.
"Jeremy, you are a wonderful man, and I'm incredibly blessed to have you in my life. But I know that 'we' wouldn't be, if their lives hadn't been cut short. I can't be anything but envious that she had the first chance to share your life. But I don't begrudge her a thing, because I fell in love with the man you are
now
, not the man you were when Ava was alive. And I think that she probably had a lot to do with that. I said it before, but I'll be forever grateful to her for the man I'm going to spend the rest of my life with."
Somehow, they'd managed to last a year before tying the knot. Jeremy felt like they owed it to each other to begin fresh, as if they hadn't gotten everything backwards and messed up in the beginning. So, they'd dated, and they'd talked, and eventually, he'd introduced her to his parents. Jeremy had been almost as nervous as Cat as they made the journey to his home. He needn't have been so concerned. His parents had welcomed Cat with open arms. Two conversations, one between him and his father, and the other between his mother and Cat, had erased all doubt that his parents were in complete support. One of the conversations, he knew the content of; the other remained a mystery, but he witnessed it from afar.
Jeremy was sharing a beer with his dad, lounging in a deck chair on the patio while his dad tended the grill. He was enjoying the peace of being at home, but his eyes strayed occasionally to where Cat was sitting in deep discussion with his mother in their gazebo. Unbeknownst to Jeremy, his father had turned to say something when he saw the look on Jeremy's face and followed his gaze to where the women were seated. He smiled to himself, pleased to see his son
alive
again. It had been touch-and-go for a while.
"She's something special, son," he quietly said. Jeremy managed to drag his eyes away from Cat. His father made his way over to sit next to him. Quietly, he said, "Your mother and I were heartbroken along with you when Ava and Joshua died, but it hurt us in a different way, because for a long time it was like you had died, too. We weren't sure how to help, especially with you so far away."
He fell silent, and the two men sat there for some time, sipping beer and quietly contemplating the state of things. His father cleared his throat and said, "I've never been good at all the emotional stuff. We men don't do a great job of showing our emotions, and I didn't know how to help you. Maybe you don't need my advice, but I wanted to tell you two things. First, it's okay to love again. Ava wouldn't want you to be alone. That girl loved you
fiercely
, and I think it would kill her to know how miserable you've been since she's been gone."
Jeremy had no way of knowing how much he'd needed to hear something along those lines from the man he admired more than any other in his life. A dam that held back a flood of emotions burst within him, and with it came a sense of peace that had eluded him. "Thanks, Dad," he softly said.
Samuel nodded, and then he said, "The other thing you should know is that no one's going to hold it against you. Not your mom and I, and not Ava's family. You should mourn the dead, Jeremy, but you should also
celebrate the living
. And, from what I can tell, Cat is the perfect woman to help you remember that moving forward. So, if you feel like you're holding back because you need some blessing from us, know that you have it without reservation."
A single tear leaked from Jeremy's eye. With a little grin, he said, "You're not as bad at this emotional stuff as you think, Dad. Until this moment, I didn't realize what it was I was waiting for. I think that might have been it."
His father winked at him and took a sip of his beer, as they resumed their observation of the conversation the women were having.
In the gazebo, Cat nervously sat across from the woman she hoped would one day be her mother-in-law. "You have a lovely home, Mrs. Halperin, and your gardens are just stunning."
"Please, call me Helen, or maybe you prefer 'Mom?'" At the younger woman's surprised expression, she chuckled and said, "Jeremy may like to think he keeps his feelings secret, but I'm his mother, and I can read him like a book. My son is infatuated with you my dear. So, my question is, do you love him?"
With a demure look on her face, Cat nevertheless grinned and said, "With all my heart. He's not like anyone I've ever met before. You must be very proud of him."
Helen's heart was warmed by the shining love on display in Cat's face. It was reassuring to see that her son's affections were returned so strongly.
The ladies were sipping tea, and when Cat replaced her glass on the table, she asked, "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course, my dear," replied Helen.
"How do feel about...? I mean, I've been feeling...guilty. I know you must have loved Ava very much..." Helen watched as the younger woman struggled to put her feelings into words, and she suddenly realized what Cat was trying to say. She reached over and took her hand.
"Sweetie, we loved Ava, that's true. When we first moved here, Jeremy didn't date for a while. He was kind of shy, if you can believe it." Cat laughed, but Helen assured her it was true. "Somehow, he and Ava started dating, and in the beginning, it wasn't even supposed to be anything serious. They weren't exclusive, for crying out loud. But his father and I could see that there was something special growing between them; her family saw it too. We all worried because they were going to be apart when Jeremy left for the Navy while Ava was in school. But we supported them because it was obvious that they belonged together."
She slid closer to Cat and said, "I've only just met you, but I sense the same connection between you and Jeremy. In a perfect world, his bond with Ava and Joshua would not have been severed. But that isn't the hand he's been dealt, and Ava's death almost destroyed him. Since he's been seeing you, though, I've sensed him beginning to return to life, and I'm so grateful for your love and support for my son. And I'm very much hoping that he is smart enough to invite you to share his life."
At her words, the tears that Cat had been holding back flowed freely. She didn't want anyone to think she was trying to replace his first love, least of all his parents.
"Thank you," she sobbed. "That means so much. I'm hoping for the same thing, and I want you to know that I'll never hurt him. I love him more than I ever thought possible."
The women embraced, a new bond forming between them. That was the only thing that Jeremy knew of their conversation, as Cat refused to divulge the contents later.
