Time enough to be sure. As I look over the kitchen table, I see Tom s beard, grown back with salt and pepper whiskers. I see 50 extra pounds covering, but not hiding, his heart of gold. Now I am absolutely sure. It has taken us two years to find this property and another three to get the landscaping completed.
Today is a day to enjoy.
I take a minute to think about what I will look like when I answer the door with uncombed hair, wearing the orange terry cloth robe my parents gave me too many years ago. I start to walk from the kitchen through the living room and down the half-flight of stairs to the foyer. As I reach the bottom step, I can smell smoke faintly and, without seeing, I know that the men are here to tell me our house is on fire. Both men, dressed in typical winter garb, avoid the front door and head for the deck adjacent to the kitchen on the opposite side of the house. I do not panic, but I know I need to move quickly.