Missing You (Sequel to Somewhere In Neverland)

Epilogue

Alex's POV: 

I rolled out of bed. Man, my neck killed. All those years hunched over singing. I grabbed my glasses. The vision suddenly became clear to me. The bed, half made. The smell coming from the kitchen. Just another summer weekday. Man, retirement had been a blast.

"Is that you, Alley Cat?" A voice called out to me.

"Of course, Big Butt." I grabbed my cane and went to the kitchen.

Ahh, Marina. She was a fine wine, that one. Even at 66 she still had a banging bod. Her hair was platinum blonde now, with mixes of white here and there. She was making that same quiche recipe. Even after 48 years, I never got sick of it. I hugged her and kissed her a million times.

"So which kids are we seeing today?" I asked.

"Izzy and Ollie." She responded, happy as ever.

"Who's kids again?" I asked.

"Peter and Jane's." She said, with the same cheer. My short term memory had been god awful, lately, but Marina was so incredibly patient with me. I was really glad I married someone who would still be this amazing, nearly fifty years later. 

Isabella and Oliver. I had to do the math in my head. I looked to the calendar on the fridge for the year. Okay. Izzy was 14, Oliver 12. "What are we doing with them today?"

"Just bringing them to lunch at the Melting Pot. Peter's been helping Steven with the divorce, remember?" She ruffled my hair, then brought our plates to the table. 

I took my seat. "I'm so sorry honey, it's gonna be one of those days. Just gimmie a quick up to date."

"Don't be sorry, Alex, I'll be there in a few years too. Besides, I love the gossip." She wrapped her lightly wrinkled hands around her coffee mug. California girl, I remembered that much. "Peter and Jane have Steven living with them while he gets divorced. His wife has the kids. Tucker and Stella are going to be visiting from Arizona next week, you'll have to make some room for their kids." 

Oh, to fill you in, reader, Stella ended up managing Camera Lense's tours for a little bit after she got outta high school, when her and Tucker decided to finally address the awkward romantic tension and date. They got hitched. After the band settled, they stuck around Arizona and popped out a few little rascals. Peter and Jane, after many years and many bumps (including two babies) finally got hitched. Max met a wonderful woman named Brandy, ended up taking over Jack's nightclub, and had four kids. Steven got married fast and was currently in the divorce process, still living in Towson. Brian did college soccer then settled down into a sports journalism job with his wife, and still lived in the city. No kids. And Jimmy became a world renound political theory writer, and now did journalism in Washington DC with his wife and two kiddos. 

Marina came over with two mugs, our mugs, and two plates full of quiche. The clink of the dishes hitting the table reminded me of a diner. This, however, was quiet. Mornings used to be so hectic, with Jimmy telling us about his dreams from the night before, arguing with Stella about what she was wearing. Even the sound of Tucker's beat old car rolling up. The silverware clanking against the plates. Chairs scraping against the floor, in and out. I could never forget the sounds which used to be so loud. 

Things were so frustrating now. It took me about an hour each morning to adjust and remember everything. Once I remembered everyone's names and ages, it became almost normal, besides never quite remembering what everyone was up to. But that didn't bother me quite as much. It made Marina laugh a little, which was always beautiful to hear.

Pretty soon, Marina cleaned up our breakfast and helped me get dressed. Those years on stage destroyed my back, so I had a pretty limited mobility. The beer didn't help. I suppose the difficulty of small tasks would have bothered me a bit, but my wife found a way to make them all so fun. Think- I actually had an excuse to have her undress me twice a day. Usually we were late in the morning from fooling around (yes, that part of me was still functioning just fine).