Chapter 6 - The Ascent HomeBy 11:45 a.m., our luggage was stowed safely in the rear compartment of the chartered twin-engine helicopter waiting on the snow-dusted front lawn. The rotors began to spin, kicking up swirling clouds of pristine white powder that danced in the brilliant mountain sunlight.
The extended family stood on the porch, watching in silent awe as our chapter in Boulder came to a definitive, unalterable close. Patricia dabbed at her eyes with a lace handkerchief, while Marcus stood slightly apart, hands in his pockets, watching with a quiet, sorrowful dignity that he had never possessed eight years ago.
"Ready, kids?" I asked, looking back at the four shining faces seated in the luxury leather cabin.
"Ready, Mama!" they chorused together.
I buckled my safety harness, adjusted my headset, and gave a final, polite nod toward the porch.
The pilot pulled back the collective pitch lever, and the heavy aircraft lifted effortlessly off the frozen Colorado sod, banking gracefully toward the southern horizon as the snow-capped peaks of the Rockies faded into the distance below.
Through the headset intercom, Ethan’s voice chimed in. "Mom? Are we going back to Austin now?"
"Yes, sweetie," I smiled, looking out over the endless expanse of blue sky stretching out before us. "We’re going home."
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"Good," Sophia added cheerfully, pressing her nose against the glass. "Because my cat back home doesn't like it when we’re gone too long."
I laughed, feeling a profound lightness settle deep into my chest. The ghosts of the past were officially locked away in the snows of Boulder. The man who thought he had broken me was now just a distant speck disappearing beneath the clouds.
