October

Epilogue

81 Years Later

When Cece disappeared that Halloween life, my life changed forever. Cece's mother and I were escorted back to the gondola to return home. Her mother was in tears, and I was too. I'd never been so close to a stranger in my life before.

When I returned home, my mother immediately began to scold me, exclaiming how she'd expected me back at midnight and how she'd been worried back when I returned a half hour later. I wasn't in the mood, so I went to bed where I laid for hours, unable to close my eyes. It was all over now.

I had to explain Cece's situation as a fib to my mom the next morning. I explained how Cece was moving. My mother rolled her eyes and wondered why I was so depressed if she was only moving. "It's not like she's dead," my mother had snapped. I sighed and told her she'd be moving to another country, so communication would be limited.

As for my friends, we never spoke again. My mom told them Cece had moved. Apparently none of them wanted to be acquainted with a lovesick teenager who had grown depressed over his first break-up.

Though I struggled with this lack of friendship, I remembered Cece's words, and I knew she was watching over me.

After awhile, I couldn't take the loneliness anymore, and I supposed Cece's mom couldn't either. At seventeen, I knocked on the door of the recycling center. Cece's mom had been surprised to see me,

After my mom begged me again and again to get a job, I asked Cece's mother if one was available at the center. She was overjoyed and agreed. When we were alone, we would talk about Cece, how kind and joyful she was. I told her all about our fun memories, and she would sharesome too.

One day, her worker brought her daughter, Polly, with her. Polly was a short, strawberry-blonde haired-girl with freckles coating her cheeks and brown eyes. She was kind, and one day, I began to actually fall in love with her. Despite my feelings, I refused to date her. I felt like I was betraying Cece.

It took two years, but eventually, I was able to let go and date Polly. We went to the same college, where our relationship continued to grow. It was not Cece's and my relationship, but I loved Polly just the same.

When we entered colleged, we would occasionally drop in at the recycling center to check on things. I'd recently gotten a new job, but it was nice to still visit Cece's mom.

After college, Polly and I were wed, and for the first time, I experienced true joy again since Cece's departure. Cece's mother had attended the wedding, which had pleased me even more.

I never told Polly about Cece nor mentioned her. All I had was a  picture we'd taken that was stashed in my pocket. I carried it around each day, but Polly never saw it.

When Polly told me she was pregnant, I felt even more joy. We had a daughter with brown hair and brown eyes. I suggested the name Cecelia or "Cece," for short. Polly agreed, enjoying the name.

Our daughter Cecelia was beautiful. I told Cece's mom all about her, which prompted both her and my crying. It was a good thng Polly wasn't around to see us.

When my mother heard the baby's name, she rolled her eyes and told me to move on, like I was sixteen again. She didn't mention a word to Polly though, and for that, I was grateful.

Life was good from then on. I still kept the photo of Cece in my pocket wherever I went. When I got older, I heard Cece's mother had passed. Upon attending her funeral, I received the photo of her and Cece that was on her desk. When Polly asked who it was, I told her it was her daughter who had died at a young age. She never discovered the daughter's name though. I made sure to keep it secret.

At ninety-five years old, I died on Halloween night at midnight. I met the Ghost Council like I had years before and decided to move on, not wanting to be anchored down in the physical world. When I saw Cece again, I had never felt so much joy, and I made it known how much I loved and missed her.

I never left her side in Heaven. We stayed with each other always.