Jack has joined me on multiple work trips, and when he doesn’t, we still talk every day. I’m never gone for long. I’m working on taking my art back to the streets and am working with cities so my installations can be public and free for anyone and everyone. I’m also reaching for the stars in places I wouldn’t have been able to get permission for pre-NASA, like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Great Wall of China, and the Statue of Liberty.
Anyone would be hard-pressed to say that FATE didn’t change my life.
“I’m excited to come along for this one. I have a couple more weeks of PTO,” Jack tells everyone. “I haven’t been abroad in years.”
“I’m happy to hear that.” Mom smiles. “Rooney, your next installation may be a little harder to mess with. Take that, litterers.”
“Why? Where is it?” Dusty asks.
“Paris.” I wave my hands up in the air, inviting them to envision what I’m about to say. “Feux D’Artificewill be strung up at the Eiffel Tower with silver string as an homage to the nightly sparkle.”
“It’ll be the most awe-inspiring fireworks Paris has ever seen,” Jack says proudly. “RSG’s latest creation.”
As soon as I outed myself, fans started calling me RSG as a nod to my real name and my former one. After all this time, it’s stuck, and I’ve never felt more like myself.
Jack embraces me. He and I, we see each other. We’ve always seen each other, just from our own perspectives. It wasn’t about trying to change each other but to be seen in ways we each needed. The reality is that we’ll continue to grow and change, but together. Our beliefs will evolve over time, but our values will strengthen in the places that matter.
Is Jack the man at the other end of my red string? I like to think so. It’s a romantic notion that ultimately led me to him. If I hadn’t believed in the myth, believed in the man on the moon tying strings to ankles, I never would have found Jack. But even still, I choose him every single day. And he chooses me.
Talia joins us, bearing large bowls filled with tangyuán. We each scoop up a peanut-butter-filled rice ball with a porcelain soup spoon.
Talia, whose gallery has been thriving, may not have found her stringmate yet, but she fell in love with weekend hikes, driving, and the sun. She, too, traded her city boots for flip-flops. It’s incredible having my best friend out West with me. I miss Mom and New York, particularly in the winter, and the city will always be home. Who knows? Maybe something will bring us back here one day.
After a few more bites of tangyuán, Jack and I lift our reasonably sized cream paper lantern.
“These are much smaller,” I say, lifting the lantern up and down to estimate its weight.
Jack rubs the material between his fingers. “I put in a request to your mom for a material that disintegrates faster and is made of completely natural ingredients. This way it’s better for the planet.”
Mom, Dusty, and Talia each huddle over their own earth-friendly lanterns.
I place ours on one of the community rooftop tables. This time, Jack and I can see each other over the top. He removes the Discipline Pen from his pocket. “What should this year’s wishes be?” he asks.
I take the pen from him. “Here. How about this?”
I write against the thin paper, careful not to puncture it.
“That’s perfect,” he says.
“There’s no wind tonight,” I say, holding up my scarf to see if it’ll move.
“We should launch it from that side,” Jack says, scanning the rooftop. “A corner led to good things last time.”
We place the candle in the base of the lantern and carefully light it. The light from the flame bounces off the walls of the lantern, casting a glow on the lower halves of our faces as we wait for it to fill with heat. We know it’s ready to go when the lantern tugs our hands up, trying to break free from our grip.
Jack counts down slowly and seriously, like this is the mission of a lifetime. On the count of three, we let go.
We angle our heads back, watching as our lantern floats higher and higher into the night. It floats up smoothly on its own pathway to the universe.
I won’t know where it’ll go or land or who might see it, but that’s okay. Tonight, I don’t need to know any of it. All I need to know is that I have Jack by my side. It’s better than any wish I could’ve written over the years.
The words on the side of our lantern decrease in size, our wish being sent out into the world, wherever it may end up. I whisper the words out loud: “May fate bring us close enough to choose.”
I rest my head against Jack’s chest, feeling the beat of his heart through the unzipped part of his coat.
“What is it?” Jack asks, his voice booming inside my ear. “I can hear you thinking.”
“You’re not the tiniest bit curious where it’s going?” I ask. I can’t help it.
