The Story Of Us

Epilogue

A/N: Funny story. I was going through my iPad and saw that I wrote an epilogue for this story and never posted it. So here you go. Hope you enjoy!

13 Years Later

"You can just stop here, honey." My eyes were focused on the graveyard just outside the passenger window.

Our minivan came to a slow stop on the gravel road. The grey clouds outside looked like snowflakes could just spill right out of them. The trees danced in the cold breeze.

It suddenly felt as if I had never moved away from Maryland. It felt like I was just visiting his grave like I always had in high school. But it felt like that just for a split second. Just for a split second.

I tore my gaze away from the world outside and landed it upon my husband, sitting behind the wheel.

"You guys can stay in here. It'll only take me a few minutes." I smiled softly.

He grabbed my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, making my smile bigger.

I grabbed the plastic bag that was sitting beneath my feet and opened the car door, bracing the cold temperatures that hit me as soon as I stepped out.

My feet led me to where I had spent countless days after he had passed away. Nothing had really changed besides the new grave stones that had appeared after all these years. I kept my head down, trying my best to protect my face from the harsh cold.

I lifted my head when I reached the grave stone I was looking for. The same feeling hit me just like it use to every time I came out here.

Sorrow.

It wasn't enough to make me want to bawl my eyes out. At one point of my life, it was like that, but after thirteen years I've accepted it a whole lot better.

I stared at the words that ran across the front of the grave.

CALEB LEBLANC

My lips pressed together as I slowly bent down in front of it. My hand reached out and ran itself along the top of it.

"It's been a while," I let out an airy laugh.

I sat there, thinking to myself. Thirteen years ago, I didn't think I was going to be able to go on with life without him. I sat in this very spot and cried, my heart aching for him to hold me in his arms once again. I would've done anything to be with him.

I managed to get through it somehow, and here I was. I had a loving husband and two beautiful kids that made me a mom. We lived in a beautiful home in Massachusetts and we couldn't be any happier. Although life seemed so ugly and awful after Caleb's passing, the things that came out of it were so gorgeous and precious to me.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the sliding doors of our van open.

"Mommy! Mommy!" My five year old son giggled as he ran towards me.

"What are you doing out here? It's too cold for you to be running around." I laughed as I pulled him into a hug.

He wrapped his arms around my neck, hugging me tightly.

"I just wanted to see what you were looking at." He pulled his face out of my shoulder to look at me. His nose was already red from the cold.

I pulled his coat together and zipped it up. "Of course you can see what I'm looking at."

He stepped away from me and walked to stand in front of the grave. I stayed in my spot, still squatting, watching my son's eyes graze upon the words on the stone.

"Wait, Mommy," he lifted his tiny finger to meet the capital C in Caleb's name.

My heart swelled up as I watched him trace Caleb's name slowly.

"That's my name. We have the same name, Mommy!" Caleb smiled at me, then turned his attention back to the name engraved on the stone.

"Yeah," my voice cracked, barely above a whisper. "That's who you're named after." I couldn't help but let out a laugh at his excitement. I was starting to feel the tears well up in my eyes.

"Who I'm named after," Caleb repeated. "So this is Uncle Caleb? The one you're always telling stories about?" He walked to me and I put my arm around his shoulder, bringing him closer towards me.

"It sure is," I reply. "He was my best friend in the whole world." I looked into my son's eyes and shook him a bit, making him giggle.

"You know our thumbs up thing we do all the time?" I ask Caleb.

He nods his head. "Yeah, this one." He held up a thumbs up and a thumbs down with his fingers meeting in the middle.

"Yeah," I grin at him. "This Caleb and I made that up when we were around your age. Crazy, huh?"

Caleb smiles at me with his thumbs still in the same position. "No matter what, through the good times and the bad times," he wiggles his thumbs, "we will always stick together." He said proudly.

All I could picture was little Caleb LeBlanc standing in front of me, reciting those same exact words at recess. I saw my younger self giggling at him, thinking that our thumbs up thumbs down saying was the coolest thing in the universe.

A tear rolled down my cheek as I nodded my head. "That's right." I kissed my son's forehead, then ran my hands down his arms to hold on to his hands. I looked at the brunette, blue eyed boy that stood in front of me for a moment, trying to keep myself together.

"Uncle Caleb would've loved you and you would've loved him so much." I grinned as Caleb giggled some more.

"C'mon," I stood up and reached for the plastic bag that held the artificial flowers. "You can help Mommy put some flowers on his grave. Daddy and Sissy are probably getting tired of waiting on us. I'm sure they're ready to get to Grandma's house."

"Yay, Grandma's house!" He shouted.

Together we worked to make the flowers look just right on Caleb's grave. Little Caleb ran off to the car after we finished, not wanting to stand in the cold a second longer.

I paused for a moment, taking one last glance before heading back towards my family.

I smiled lovingly at it, a warm feeling washing over me. It was almost as if Caleb was telling me he was right there with me.

"I'll see ya soon, Caleb." I laughed under my breath and then walked away.

What a truly wonderful life I've been blessed with.