Justifer: From the beginning

Saying Goodbye

It was about midday on a lazy Sunday afternoon and the entire Theroux family was piled into Jen and Justin's bed. Justin lay on his back, arms folded behind his head with Kai stretched out on top of him in an identical position. Both were bare-chested, clad in matching lounge pants, watching Shrek and reciting all the lines they knew by heart. Jen, dressed in Justin's t-shirt and boy shorts, sat on her side of the bed, reading the paper. The girls lay between them, clean, fed, and babbling happily to each other.

Jen found so much beauty in her family. Like the contrast of her son's olive skin against the fairer, tattooed skin of his father's. For a second she imagined what her life might have been like if things had gone differently. If the man laying next to her were not Justin; if the children were all blond-haired, blue eyed replicas of the first man she had called 'husband'. Even thinking that made her sad. She had dreamed of scenes just like this one at the beginning of her first marriage. She understood now why it never happened.

She scooted up onto her knees, leaned over the girls and kissed Justin. "I love you."

He tucked a wavy strand of hair behind her ear. "I love you too, babe."

"I love you too, mama." Kai chimed in, reaching up to hug her.

Jen giggled. "I love you more, my little monkey. Do you know how much?"

"More than all da stars, in all da skies, in all da world." He recited with a beaming smile.

"That's right. You're my perfect, perfect boy." Jen gushed. She blew a raspberry into his bare belly making him laugh.

Just then, Justin's phone rang.

"Hey, Justin. It's Johnny."

"What's up, man?"

"We're taking Coco to see the live Wiggles show and we wanted to invite Kai."

"Sounds like fun. Hey, bud. Wanna go see The Wiggles with Coco today?"

Kai squealed. "Yay! Yay! Yay!" He chanted.

"I think we have a yes."

"Cool. We'll pick him up in an hour."

"Okay. See you then."

*******************************************************

After Court & Johnny had left with Kai, Jen and Justin took the girls for a walk through the park down the hill. Justin pushed the girls in the stroller and Jen walked beside him with Sophie, Dolly, and Clyde on leashes. Norman, unable to handle long walks anymore, had stayed home. Jen and Justin graciously smiled and waved at strangers who yelled their hellos and congratulations. They ignored the few paparazzi who, thankfully, weren't close enough to cause a real annoyance. Halfway through their outing Jen's cell phone jangled in her back pocket. It was Massie, frantically begging them to come home right away. They rushed back to the house as quickly as they could.

Massie met them at the door, wringing her hands. "Come! This way, please!" Jen had never seen her like this but when they got to the living room, she saw the reason. Norm lay in the farthest, darkest corner or the room curled into a tight ball with his eyes closed. He didn't even lift his head when they walked in which never happened. There was no wagging tail, no intelligent brown-eyes begging for a rub or a treat. The only sign of life was the rise and fall of his body as he breathed.

"I found him like this and he has not moved in an hour!" Massie informed them.

"Normie?" Jen's voice was low and already starting to quiver. She knelt beside him and touched him gingerly. "What's wrong, boy?"