Epilogue

“Marta!” Jesse called to the wandering two-year-old. She stood up from her weeding and wiped the dirt off her hands to go after the little girl, who was getting her feet wet in the shallow water; but at the sound of her mother’s voice Marta turned and ran back to her without need of retrieval. Jesse couldn’t help smiling at the sight of her daughter’s dark curls bouncing against her rosy cheeks. She had been naughty, going in the water without asking, but she had come back, so Jesse only gave her a little scolding, and then lifted her high in the air, making her giggle.
“You are one dirty little girl!” she declared, and Marta understood that this was a good thing. “Your face is as dirty as Mommy’s hands,” she said, and held one up for her daughter to see.
“Mommy’s hands are dirty,” the little girl agreed, then opened her mouth and eyes wide in delight. “We need to go swimming!” she exclaimed, proud to have come to the logical conclusion herself.
Jesse laughed. “Yes, we do, but first Mommy has to pull these weeds out of the peas and carrots.”
“Can I help?” Marta asked.
Jesse doubted that the two-year-old would be able to tell the difference between the weeds and the vegetables, and was saved by the sound of a car pulling in the driveway.
“Daddy!” Marta shrieked, wiggling out of her mothers grasp.
Jesse let her go, and soon Michael came around the side of the house with the little girl in his arms, who was chattering away about everything she and Mommy had done that day. Michael listened intently, and his rapt attention could only be drawn away from his daughter by the sight of Jesse in overalls, her knees and elbows covered in dirt, and her hair tied up in a bandana. There was no room for his smile to grow wider, but as he walked toward her his eyes grew brighter. Jesse took his face in her dirty hands and kissed him soundly, while their daughter wrapped one chubby arm around each of their necks.
“Marta,” he said, bouncing her in his arms when his wife released him, “how would you like a baby brother or sister?”
Marta squealed in obvious delight.