Final Epilogue: Five Years Later

Five years later, lavender still real purple every June, but now Milo knows June will be real purple, no surprise, like he knows Lucien will get lavender dirt on white shirt every June, no surprise, like he knows Mrs. Alvarez will bring rice and beans Tupperware on plane every June, no surprise, tradition.

Milo is 29 now, freckles 47 on nose still, but now with tiny wrinkle when he smiles, because 29 not 24, but freckles still stars, black nails still chipped, lip piercing still shining, blue good luck shirt still same shirt, now with seven drool patches, because five years of babies drooling, seven patches, not three, seven, each patch memory, each patch baby.

Lucien is 33 now, CEO still but half Tokyo calls, half Provence calls, because Beaumont Corp now has Provence office in stone house barn that was darkroom that was gallery, now office too, with photos on walls and rice and beans Tupperware on desk, because Milo put rice and beans on CEO desk.

They have child now.

Not baby client, real child, adopted, girl, 2 years old, from Taraba, near Ukari, because Milo's mom found her, because Milo said "I want baby with mismatched socks forever, not just client babies," and Lucien said "our table forever needs small chair too."

Her name is Amara, means grace, but Milo calls her Mara, with freckles, not 47 like Milo, but 5, tiny freckles on nose, like stars, like Milo, like lavender.

Mara wears mismatched socks every day, because Milo buys mismatched socks for her, because tradition, because flower baby Sarah toddler now 5 years old and wears matching socks now, but Mara keeps mismatched tradition alive.

Mara drools, like Sarah baby, like all babies, but drool on blue shirt now, eighth drool patch coming.

She has tiny camera, toy camera, but real toy, that Milo bought with baby money and gallery money and Provence gallery money and Vogue no money but love money, that she carries everywhere, taking photos of lavender, of rice and beans, of pancakes, of family key and white ruin that still hang on same lavender stem five years later, still hanging, key tarnished more, white ruin faded more, but still there, still home, still forever, now with small toy camera photos taped next to them on stem, because Mara tapes her photos on lavender stem too.

Five years later, second gallery in Provence barn has 100 photos now, not 30, 100, because five years of Provence and New York and Taraba and Ukari photos.

First gallery in New York has 50 photos now, because Milo added Provence photos to New York wall.

Two fridges with photos now have 300 photos taped, because five years of taping, fridge magnets from Mrs. A, from Sarah, from village old ladies, from Taraba.

Milo's gallery money total $120,000 in five years, real photographer money, not billionaire money, baby money plus gallery money plus Provence gallery money plus Taraba photos.

Lucien's CEO money still billionaire, but he puts his money in Milo's gallery, not as billionaire money, as baby money loan that Milo pays back with photos, tradition.

Eleanor and Henri come every month now, not every two months, because they are old now, 73 and 72, but still with baguettes and cheese and 100 pancakes, but now 100 pancakes for 3 people, Milo, Lucien, Mara, 33 pancakes each, plus one extra for Mara who eats 34 because she is baby.

Mrs. Alvarez still flies every June, Tupperware still rice and beans, now with grandson who is 15 and photo class graduate and second photographer in Milo's gallery, because Milo taught him and he teaches others.

Sarah's toddler, now 5, flower girl now flower big girl, still comes, mismatched socks now matching, but she brings baby sister who wears mismatched socks, tradition continues.

Lena and girlfriend married too, in blue shirt wedding like Milo's, because Lena said "blue shirt wedding better than white suit wedding, Milo was right," and Milo cried at her wedding with seven drool patches.

Milo's mom lives half year in Provence now, half year in Ukari, wrapper bright, says "my son looks warm now, my granddaughter looks warm now, warmest family."

On fifth anniversary, June 15, five years after blue shirt wedding in lavender real purple, Milo woke at 5 AM, same as always, light perfect, blue shirt with seven drool patches, now anniversary shirt with seven patches, ring shining, freckle dots inside faded a little but still freckles, still love.

Lucien woke at 6 AM, white shirt with no tie, with seven dirt patches now, because five years of lavender dirt, seven patches, matching Milo's seven drool patches, tradition, his ring with one freckle dot shining, faded a little but still freckle.

Mara woke at 6:30 AM, tiny camera, mismatched socks, five freckles on nose, calling "Papa Milo, Papa Lucien, lavender real purple again!"

They walked in lavender field, real purple, three now, Milo, Lucien, Mara, plus camera on tripod, plus tiny toy camera.

Milo stopped at same lavender stem where family key and white ruin hung five years.

Key still there, five years, tarnished, but still hanging, with small toy camera photo of key that Mara taped last year.

White ruin still there, five years, faded, but still hanging, with small toy camera photo of white ruin that Mara taped.

Now new addition — Mara's tiny sock, mismatched, pink and blue, hanging on same stem, because Mara said "my sock needs to hang too, tradition."

Three things plus one sock plus many small toy photos, hanging on same lavender stem five years later, still there, still home, still forever, now with child sock.

Milo took photo — key, white ruin, sock, toy photos, three hands, Milo ring hand with seven drool patches, Lucien ring hand with seven dirt patches, Mara tiny hand with five freckles and mismatched socks.

He would develop it in barn darkroom that is now gallery that is now office, red light, yellow gloves too big, but now three pairs, small yellow gloves for Mara too, because Mara develops too, with help, ruining again, white ruin number eight now, eight white ruins in five years, eight ruins, eight countries? No, same two places, but eight ruins, eight loves.

"We have eight white ruins now," Milo whispered, looking at key and ruin and sock hanging.

"We have eight white ruins, one family key, one sock, seven drool patches, seven dirt patches, five freckles on Mara nose, 47 on yours, 300 photos on two fridges, 100 photos in barn, 50 in New York, 120,000 real money, one child with mismatched socks," Lucien whispered back, counting like Milo counts, five years of counting.

Mara laughed, snotty laugh like Milo, freckled laugh, "We have real purple again!"

They walked back to stone house, where Eleanor made 100 pancakes again, with blueberry freckles, 33 each for 3 people, plus one extra for Mara who eats 34, and Henri said "100 pancakes for 3 people is too many, but blue shirt wedding with 20 people was too small and it was perfect, so 100 pancakes for 3 people perfect too, and now 100 pancakes for 3 people with child perfectest."

Milo taped fifth anniversary photo — key, white ruin, sock, toy photos, three hands, lavender real purple — on fridge in Provence house, next to wedding photo, anniversary one year photo, second gallery photo, Vogue no photo, proposal photo, baby drool photo, gallery invitation, family key photo, key and white ruin one year later photo, plus 290 other photos.

He wrote, with ring hand, five years later handwriting, still messy, still freckled boy but now 29 husband father photographer:

FIVE YEARS LATER, LAVENDER REAL PURPLE AGAIN, KEY AND WHITE RUIN STILL HANGING FIVE YEARS, NOW WITH MARA SOCK AND TOY PHOTOS, WE HAVE CHILD WITH 5 FRECKLES AND MISMATCHED SOCKS AND TOY CAMERA, WE HAVE 8 WHITE RUINS, 7 DROOL PATCHES, 7 DIRT PATCHES, 300 PHOTOS ON TWO FRIDGES, 100 PHOTOS IN BARN, 50 IN NEW YORK, $120,000 REAL MONEY, 20 BABIES PLUS 20 MORE BABIES PLUS OUR BABY MARA, WE SAID NO TO VOGUE AND YES TO OUR VOGUE, WE STILL OWN EACH OTHER FOREVER, OUR TABLE FOREVER NOW HAS SMALL CHAIR FOR MARA. I AM STILL WARM, MARA IS WARM, WE ARE WARMEST. - M MARRIED 5 YEARS FATHER

Lucien added, white shirt with seven dirt patches, ring with one freckle dot shining five years:

Five years later, he still wears blue good luck shirt with seven drool patches, he still counts 20 people, he still eats 10 pancakes, now Mara eats 34 pancakes, he still sees purple, he still owns me forever, now we own small chair too, our table forever has small chair, good possessive includes small chair now, good possessive forever forever. - L MARRIED 5 YEARS FATHER

Mara added, with help, tiny handwriting, with toy camera stamp:

MARA WAS HERE, 5 FRECKLES, MISMATCHED SOCKS, TOY CAMERA, LAVENDER REAL PURPLE, PAPA MILO BLUE SHIRT 7 DROOL, PAPA LUCIEN WHITE SHIRT 7 DIRT, I HANG SOCK, I AM WARMEST. - MARA 2 YEARS

Eleanor added:

100 pancakes, 3 people, all gone again, my son's husband has child with 5 freckles and mismatched socks, my house smiles more, barn smiles more, fridges have 300 photos, I smile most, pancakes gone. - E GRANDMA

Henri added:

Key still hanging after five years, plus sock now, I was right five times, I am right again, blue shirt better than white suit, family key plus sock better than any key, small chair better than big table. - H GRANDPA

Milo fell asleep that night in Provence house, in blue shirt with seven drool patches, with ring shining five years, with camera full of fifth anniversary photos, with lavender in pocket again, with Lucien's white shirt with seven dirt patches, with Mara's tiny mismatched socks on floor, with two fridges with 300 photos, with barn with 100 photos, with $120,000 real money, with child who has 5 freckles and toy camera, with warm, warmest.

Lucien stayed awake a little longer, looking at Milo's freckles in moonlight, counting 47 on nose, five years later, same freckles, same boy who threw wine on ex and sat on lap during $10 million Zoom and made him get mold and leaves and lavender dirt on suits, now father, husband, photographer, warm.

He thought "my husband, my photographer, my freckled boy who was once cold boy with box in moldy basement that said DO NOT THROW, now warm boy with two fridges and 300 photos and ring with freckles inside and child with 5 freckles and mismatched socks and toy camera, who owns me forever, five years, forever, with small chair now."

Outside, June lavender real purple, five years later, bees buzzing, wind soft, key and white ruin and sock and toy photos hanging on same stem five years later, still there, still home, still forever, developing forever like rain on windows, click click click, plus tiny toy camera click click click from Mara who clicks even in sleep.