Epilogue

iss Doris Strickland was at last complete.  She had worked her whole life to raise a family, had outlasted three husbands and worked tirelessly in an unforgiving world to reunite her family.  Cast from her were four children to the prior two marriages by her third husband.  She would be separated for years from them and their offspring.

She had been locked the midst of a family feud in which neither side would relent and lay down their hostilities, she labored on in her goal to see her family brought back into the fold.

Even when it meant the execution of an heir by her own command.  There comes a time when someone who you love must be severed from your life in order to hold to what is right.  Even at the peril of death, one must make the sacrifice; one must make the decision.  And this decision had fallen to her.

In the late winter of her life, she was forced to make the choice to sever one of her bloodline; and that, to protect the other members of the family.  She did something which cost her a great deal of soul searching, weighing of the results, and whether or not she would be charged for murder, thus taking away from her what her most dear goal in life was.  The reuniting of her family.

She had already witnessed several of those of the 'good side' whose lives were cut short, and she could not allow it to go on.  Also, she had seen several good people destroyed financially, and several of their lives cut short, and that, indirectly.

Miss Doris loved to hear children at play, to hear the sounds of their laughter, their hurts, their cries, their fears.  Her grandchildren is what she lived and fought for.  But that blessing was to be denied her most of her life.

Collateral damage is something we all must experience some time in our lives.  But we must live our lives so as to never be considered as just 'collateral damage.'  As something or someone which can simply be cast off and forgotten.

She lived to see the children of Sharon and William, was there when they were born, she held them, she diapered them, quieted them, fussed over them, disciplined them, cared for and loved them and spoiled them.

Melinda and Len were grafted in as family and Miss Doris considered them blood, and provided for them as same.

She finally saw Lane become whole again as he and his new bride stepped onto the dance floor of a life together, to grow old together, to walk hand in hand together, to die together.

Victor and his wife were always dropping in, going to the refrigerator for a snack, and were gathered around the table for Thanksgivings, and many other celebratory occasions.  He as well, experienced the feeling of being whole again, full, complete . . . he was part of a family again.

And when it came time for her appointment with the Grim Reaper, they all gathered together to pay their last respects to someone who became so very dear to them.  The tears flowed for her, as they came to mourn over her loss.

Tears of joy mingled with the tears of mourning, as each were extremely happy for the chance to give her the roses of family before it was time to lay roses on her grave.

But Miss Doris was doing something she had missed a lifetime of doing.  She was happy.  She was proud.  She watched them with glee at family gatherings trying to figure out what kin they were to who . . .  It gave the men a headache trying to keep up with it all.  She was smiling.

Even the Reaper couldn't take her smile.

The End

George Cavaness
2015

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