Chapter 7 - The Final Orbit
It was a crisp autumn afternoon, exactly one year since that terrifying night when Maya had first whispered her secret in the car.
The oak trees outside my cottage window were blazing in shades of amber, gold, and deep crimson. The sunlight slanted across the hardwood floor, casting long, warm shadows that danced in the afternoon breeze.
I was sitting in my favorite armchair by the window, wearing my favorite wool sweater, looking out over the winding garden path. My sketchbook lay open on my lap—a gift from Sarah to help me capture the fleeting fragments of my thoughts before they slipped away.
Footsteps approached down the hallway, light and familiar.
The door swung open, and Maya bounced into the room, now nine years old, taller, her pink backpack slung over one shoulder just like it had been on the day she changed my world forever. Right behind her walked Sarah, carrying a thermos of hot coffee and a plate of warm cinnamon rolls.
— Dad! — Maya shouted happily, running over to give me a fierce hug around the neck. — Guess what? I got an A on my spelling test today! Just like you practiced with me yesterday!
I smiled, my hand resting gently on her dark curls. Yesterday? Had we practiced yesterday? My mind fumbled for the memory, searching the empty shelves of my brain. For a brief second, a flicker of panic threatened to rise—I can't remember yesterday.
I closed my eyes, taking a slow, deep breath, anchoring myself to the warmth of her hug and the steady rhythm of her heartbeat. It doesn't matter if I don't remember yesterday, I told myself. I have right now.
— I knew you would, bug, — I said, my voice warm and steady. — You're the smartest girl in Chicago.
Sarah walked over, setting the coffee and cinnamon rolls on the small side table. She leaned down, pressed a tender, lingering kiss to my forehead, and smiled.
— You ready for our walk by the pond, Daniel? — she asked softly.
— Always, — I replied.
We stepped out together into the golden afternoon light. Maya ran ahead along the winding gravel path, chasing a stray autumn leaf that fluttered like a paper butterfly in the wind. Sarah linked her arm through mine, her fingers interlaced tightly with my own.
As we walked slowly beneath the rustling canopy of crimson leaves, I looked up at the pale daytime moon hanging silently in the clear blue sky, keeping pace with us just above the treetops.
May you like
I squeezed Sarah’s hand, feeling the solid, unbreakable truth of our journey. The disease had stolen my past, and it was slowly eroding my future. But as long as I had them walking beside me in the light, I wasn't lost in the dark anymore.
We were right where we belonged, moving together in an eternal, perfect orbit.
