Life slowly returned to normal.
Or as normal as it could be after everything.
I went back to running the restaurant. Dante helped. We cooked. We served customers. We lived our quiet, ordinary lives.
Sofia started fifth grade. Joined the school play. Made new friends. Was gloriously, wonderfully normal.
Tony visited more often. Brought Grace. Let her play with Sofia. Slowly rebuilt the family connection that had been broken.
"I'm proud of you," he said during one visit. "For what you did. With those girls."
"I thought you were against it."
"I was. I was terrified you'd get yourself killed. But you didn't. And you saved thirteen lives. That's that's extraordinary, Mama."
"It was necessary."
"Maybe. But it was also brave. Reckless and brave."
"I'm trying to be less reckless."
"How's that going?"
"Harder than you'd think."
He laughed. "I believe it."
