Six Months Later It’s late Friday evening, and sweat is running down my forehead. I’m tired and feel grimy as hell, then take a sip of the ice-cold beer in my hand and smile. I’d spent the day helping the newlywed Derrik and Trisha move into the house across the street, the house that Tammy and I fixed up and that she and Tess had lived in until last month. It was tough when Tammy moved. Liz and I knew it might be hard fo...

I looked out the kitchen window to check the morning weather like I do every day before I make my coffee. My house is on a corner, with the front facing the avenue and the side with my kitchen and garage facing the side street. Directly across the street is a small older home that was built in the 1930s. The house is in fair shape, just old, and it’s been on the market for over a year. I saw the moving truck parked, block...

My wonderful wife had left the room. I turned back to Tammy and saw the smile that lit her face. She looked so happy and she seemed more open, less reserved. She later told me that listening to Liz and me talk was a pivotal moment for her. She finally accepted that we were the real deal. All we had ever wanted to do was be a good neighbor and help. We didn’t have any more clues than Tammy did when this all started. All we...

We arrived home around midnight and I followed my lovely wife into the shower. I washed her spent body, dried her off, and settled her in bed. I had a lot on my mind and really wanted time to process it all, but that would have to wait. Right now, Liz needed me to hold her and I gladly did just that until she fell into a deep sleep. I got up and went to the shop. I wandered around tinkering with stuff for a while before p...

I’m sure Tammy thought I was going to talk about woodworking, and I set out to rectify that right away. “Tammy, I need to talk to you about something that is intensely personal for Liz and me. It’s something that you can never share with anyone and I think you’ll understand why when I tell you. I would have never mentioned it, but oddly enough, you have the final say in what happens, so you need to know.” I had her attent...