Epilogue

Lukas and Taylor gazed at the stunning view of the Santa Catalina mountains as they sat together on the back terrace. So much had changed since they first met two years earlier. The start of their relationship was not typical—the two of them were thrown together in a series of events that challenged them individually and as a new couple. They did have a second date at the Delaware Room, and a third date at a pizza joint. After a couple of months, they moved in together. Lukas and Taylor watched Netflix, made popcorn, folded clothes, argued occasionally, and all the other normal things couples do together. Their physical attraction and closeness only grew, and Lukas stopped thinking about the pain he’d experienced with Drew and other men who just didn’t work out. Taylor and their new life together was all that mattered.

Less than a year after the Poseidon Project Adventure, as it came to be called by them, Taylor visited the Halloran home for Thanksgiving. He enjoyed meeting Lukas’ siblings and their significant others, as well as the grandkids. After dinner, but before dessert, Taylor proposed to Lukas in front of family and friends. “I know you’re the one, Lukas. I’ve known that since the first time I met you.”

Lukas also told his family about Taylor and when he realized he was the one. “It was here, in this house. Dad was missing, and Taylor gave Mom and me hope. We also learned about the currents of the Persian Gulf, so I know that now, too.” Lukas’ family laughed. He described how sweet Taylor was to people, in general, how he made him proud, and how he wanted to help any way he could, and Lukas saw that Taylor was a man with class, empathy, character, and courage. “Plus, Taylor doesn’t know that he’s all these things in addition to being the hottest guy I’ve ever met, so don’t tell him. I wouldn’t want him getting an inflated ego.”

****

Today was their wedding day. They planned a simple ceremony celebrating love and commitment, surrounded by family and close friends. It was a beautiful day, and the sun cast spectacular shadows on the Santa Catalina mountains. Patrick, his wife Evelyn, and their daughter Bella had flown in from London for the ceremony. Thanks to great doctors and physical therapists, Patrick recovered the use of his legs and was able to chase a soccer ball, albeit slowly, with Bella. They looked forward to welcoming baby number two in four more months.

Tory was there and brought a nice guy she’d been dating for about a year. His name was Giuseppe, and they both loved to travel. Taylor jokingly asked Tory if she had run an FBI report on Giuseppe, and to his surprise, Tory admitted she had him checked out thoroughly. “Let us know when we can start getting to know him. I don’t want to get attached to anyone who won’t be around.” Taylor laughed.

“You can get close to him, Dad and Papa.” Tory seemed happy.

Lukas and Tory developed a deep friendship, and when he and Taylor wanted to get married, she insisted on calling Lukas Papa, saying she always wanted two parents and that she needed someone to go to when her dad told her no.

When the wedding ceremony started, Betty Bao entered as the first bridesmaid, followed by Linda, and finally, Donna, a newlywed herself. She and Wilma got married right after Donna got back from her Dubai adventure. They wanted no ceremony, but Donna had never been happier.

Wilma was much more relaxed around the Herb Society now that she was married to one of the founding members. Wilma also bought two Rhodesian Ridgeback puppies for Donna’s wedding gift. “They can take down lions in Africa—so they can handle a coyote or two in Arizona,” she would proudly tell people.

Taylor and Lukas appeared and held hands as they walked down the aisle. Lukas smiled and teared up, thinking of how much he loved this man and how, against so many odds, they found each other and fell in love. They wrote their own vows and recited them to each other. Taylor made a touching comment about his life since he met Lukas. “When I was about a year old in a Russian orphanage, I was adopted by my parents. All I ever wanted was to love and be loved, and look at me now. I’m surrounded by all of you, I’m a father, and I’m a husband. A family is all I ever dreamed of or wanted. Everything came true.”

After the ceremony, they were announced as Mr. and Dr. Pastore-Halloran. It was a long last name, but each man wanted the other’s surname, so they compromised on a combined one. By evening, the sky had turned a beautiful shade of cobalt, accented by purple and orange. People danced and celebrated under the stars. As they slowly danced to one of their favorite songs, Taylor and Lukas Pastore-Halloran held each other close. “You know,” Taylor said, “it amazes me that so many crazy events conspired in order for us to cross paths, and here we are, like I’ve been with you forever.”

“You aren’t sick of me yet, are you?”

“Not even a little bit.” Taylor kissed Lukas.

****

The next morning, Taylor told Lukas he had a surprise for him. They drove out to the Marana airport. “This is kind of the first place we ever really talked. I gave you my number right over there,” Taylor told him. Lukas decided not to tell Taylor that he almost threw his phone number away, thinking this handsome captain only wanted a brief hookup before flying off and never seeing Lukas again. He’d maybe tell Taylor that at some point. “I’ve got something to show you,” he said to Lukas and led him over to a gleaming new jet parked in the middle of the hangar. Taylor walked him over to the plane, and Lukas saw that it was a Spectrum 7XLR, the latest, lightest, and fastest extra-long-range business jet ever built.

“Nice jet. Is this on your Christmas wish list?” Lukas joked.

Taylor pointed to the cockpit window above. Lukas saw that Goose 2 was painted just below the window. “Not anymore.”

“You bought a new plane?”

“We bought a new plane. Adding it to the Nimbus fleet,” Taylor explained. “The insurance from the original Goose came through, and I got a check from the UAE as a thank-you for helping them avert an international calamity.” Taylor clicked a fob, and the fuselage door opened, revealing a set of stairs. Taylor encouraged Lukas to take the lead up the stairs to the interior. Once inside, Lukas surveyed the cabin. “I can’t believe this is ours,” he admitted to Taylor. “It’s even more beautiful than the last one.”

****

A dirty SUV pulled up outside the hangar. It was Tory. Giuseppe was a passenger. Both of them bounded up the stairs. “Hi, Dad.” Tory kissed him. “Need a co-pilot?”

Taylor nodded. “Make sure she’s ready to go. I’ve got a takeoff slot in seven minutes.”

Within minutes, Lukas saw twenty-five more cars pull onto the tarmac. It was everyone from the wedding who had come to see them off. They applauded, cheered, and raised glasses of champagne to the new couple.

“So, baby,” Taylor whispered in Lukas’ ear. “Where should we go for our honeymoon?”

****

Molly, Linda, Donna, and Betty stood together, arms around each other, as they watched Taylor and Lukas depart for the runway. “I wonder where they’ll go?” Donna asked.

“Well, I’d put money on it that it’s not Dubai,” Linda commented.

“I know Lukas has always wanted to go to Machu Picchu, so maybe that’s on the agenda,” Molly speculated.

Betty retorted, “Oh yeah, great place to honeymoon when you can’t even breathe.”

The engines roared, and the Herb Society raised their glasses once again as Goose 2 accelerated down the runway before it elegantly lifted into the sky.

“So what do we do next? We’ve saved the world and all of humanity,” Molly exaggerated. “I could use some time to catch up on my reading.”

Donna chimed in, “Wilma and I are looking at puppies, so we’ll probably be mothers again soon!”

Linda thought. “You know? I’m going to get a massage every day this week. It’ll be nice to just relax a bit.”

Betty Bao stared at them incredulously. “Fuck that!” she exclaimed. “We are still young, and I’m not sitting on my ass doing nothing with a bunch of old hens.”

Molly laughed. “Jeez, Betty, tell us what you really think.”

“My father told me something when we fled Vietnam, and I’ll never forget it,” Betty added. “We cannot change yesterday, and we can’t guarantee tomorrow. All we have is today, and whatever we do today will impact tomorrow, but never yesterday. Keep looking forward, but learn from yesterday.”

“That’s a great thing to remember. Did your dad write it?” Donna asked.

“How the hell would I know?” Betty retorted. “All I’m saying is that the world has plenty of problems, and the Herb Society has plenty to keep us busy.”

“I don’t know about you ladies, but I had a lot of fun on our adventure,” Donna remembered.

“So did I, except for the terrifying parts,” Linda added.

“Yeah, and even the times we almost died,” Betty emphasized.

“Well, I guess the Herb Society has spoken,” Molly concluded. “In the meantime, let’s go climb a mountain. Who’s with me?”

****

Thousands of miles away, an old farmer and his teenage son crunched through a parched thicket of grassland and shrubbery. Following them, a small group of cows and goats, their ribs visible inside their emaciated bodies, slowly wandered through the brush, stopping occasionally to rest. The group trudged onward in search of water to fill the empty buckets carried by the two men and the cows. Most of the plant life was withered or dead. The brittle and dry grass snapped under their feet and stabbed their uncovered legs. The blackened remnants of a recent brushfire smoldered in the distance.

The old farmer stopped and pointed toward a small puddle of blue. They trudged forward until they reached the lake’s edge. The water level had dropped again overnight, reducing the surface area of their lake even more. Fresh mud cracked and caked under the burning sun. The man and his son forged ahead across the newly exposed lakebed. Every step was an effort, the mud sucking at their legs and pulling them down. Dying fish flopped desperately, gulping air in their final death throes. The cows stared ahead, too tired and frightened to go any farther. It didn’t matter; there was not much water left anyway.

They finally made it to what remained of the lake. From a distance, it had looked blue, reflecting the sky’s brilliance, but up close, it was black and muddy. The boy gasped as he noticed water bugs skimming across what was left of the lake. Three frogs sat quietly in the shallow water, like squatters, refusing to budge. The farmer heard a humming noise in the distance, a lightly vibrating sound that sounded like it came from a machine. He surveyed the shore and noticed something in the distance, half submerged, only a few feet away from the lake’s new shoreline. He shook his son by the shoulder and pointed to the object whose vibrating sound was periodically replaced by spurts of what sounded like sucking and belching. As they approached the object, the farmer noticed it appeared to be some sort of machine, its light blue casing splattered with mud and algae. Tubes ran from the machine like tentacles. A pale green light flickered and glowed like a cyclopic eye that indicated that whatever this was still had some life. He tentatively touched the machine, warm from the baking sun, and wiped some of the muck from its facing, revealing a single word he had never seen before. DEMETER.