The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

But the jewelry would get a new life, go to a new person who would love and use it.

The engine roared up. He watched the cabin crew’s emergency instructions intently, then he leaned back in his seat and gripped his armrests as the plane tilted upward.

He was on his way. On his next journey.

“Whatever those things are, they don’t change what you had together.

Arthur thought about how it was possible for memories to shift and change with time. To be forgotten and resumed, to be enhanced or darkened as the mind and mood commanded.

“One minute everything is lovely and then it all goes dark and gloomy. The sun always comes out, though, love. I think we’re at that stage now. It will be bright soon.”

It stretched out before him like a gray carpet, moving, rippling. He stood at the edge and watched, letting the shush of the waves hypnotize him

Having kids and being a grown-up is an adventure in itself.

His face looked peaceful, at odds with the wrinkled, tired apparition that greeted him in the mirror each morning.

In twenty years from now, when he might no longer be here, his form might still be admired.

The sunset was spectacular, making the sky look like it was on fire.