The family was both elated and quite tired by the time Christmas was upon them. Anna planned a dinner to include Michael’s new fiancée, Jenn; Martin and Bess; Amy, Nikit and Gina; Jessie and Mr. Wriggly. Joe helped with the cooking and more family stories were told until they could tell no more.
“No one is to look up or research any more missing or secret relatives until I’ve had a chance to get to know the ones we already know about,” Anna said. “I think my head might explode.”
EPILOGUE
It had been just over a year since Chad McNichol’s untimely death; a year since his family had celebrated his life, grieved his loss, began to retrieve his secrets and make peace with the highs and lows of any human life. They may have had an official celebration of his life, but it had been too soon.
Now, a year after his passing, it was time to put it all in perspective and truly appreciate the ways in which they had grown and thrived and how much of that had to do with Chad, directly or indirectly. It was Anna’s suggestion that they all come together, not for a ceremony, but for fun and community. She reserved a bunch of picnic tables in a park near her home and Bess was all too happy to make a list of everything that was needed, from wine and burgers to covered dishes. And it was a perfect list.
Anna had long since stopped being in any way angry with Chad for his mood swings or his very inconvenient death and instead offered up gratitude for the amazing family he had sired. All of them. She was remembering good days and years of laughter and affection.
Jessie brought Mr. Wriggly to the picnic as well as what could only be described as gourmet potato salad and appetizers. Michael brought a soccer ball, goal nets, a cornhole game and a Jenga hardwood puzzle that stood five feet tall. Amy brought a giant pot of beans, Jenn brought a rich, messy dessert and Anna provided the meat. Uncle Phil did the barbecuing and was helped by Joe.
Patrick and Nikit kicked the soccer ball around waiting for Joe and Michael to join them and have a proper game. The women huddled near the warm grills because, although it was April, the weather was still quite cool. Baby Gina, whose favorite place was Anna’s lap, was bundled up nicely. Martin and Bess played Jenga, a game guaranteed to drive anyone with even a little OCD completely mad.
This, then, was the first official McNichol family reunion and all the players were present. Patrick and Jessie had resumed dating, more successfully this time. So far. It was looking good since Jessie, who was loath to give up either her newfound happiness or her counselor, was a new woman. And she was spending less time in her practice and more time at the clinic, taking on a management role and serving as a community liaison in San Francisco. She was talking about pursuing another degree in public health, but it was still just talk. There was hardly a spare hour left in her day.
Jenn and Michael lived together in a house that had gone from pink to white and they were planning a summer wedding. They were trying to keep it small, but the guest list was growing every day.
Blanche didn’t see Phillip again after his pre-Christmas visit and, even then, she never understood that he was her son. It gave Anna some comfort that Blanche thought she was being reunited with her one true love. Anna arranged for the three of them to have official blood tests to establish that they were, indeed, related. Of course it was impossible to establish what had really happened surrounding Phillip’s birth, but it sounded as though Rick’s mother did not want her son mixed up with Blanche and never mentioned her to Rick. Rick apparently never knew Blanche was trying to find him.
Blanche passed away quietly just a few weeks ago.
They ate, they played, they told stories. The sun was setting and no one seemed to want to go home so they finally packed up the picnic and retired to Anna’s house, where they kept the party going until very late. Uncle Phil retired to his guest room after nodding off during conversation in the great room. It was almost midnight when Anna stood on her front walk and waved goodbye to everyone. Joe dropped an arm across her shoulders and pulled her close. “You should be very pleased with that crowd. After all the upheaval of the last year, don’t they just look like the most sane family you’ve ever seen?”
“I was thinking that,” she said. “A year ago I didn’t know how we’d get through it. Everyone had a different set of problems. It was a tangled mess.”
“You were always the glue that held your family together,” he said.
“No. Chad was the therapist,” she reminded him.
“But he knew you were the glue. He told me that,” Joe said. “He said Anna is the head of this family.”