all of us were married. we had kids. even me. i had two sons. i don't know who i was married to, but my sons were three years apart. all of us still hung out together regularly, and our children played together.

fast forward. we were older. our kids were growing up. two of them even got married, but i don't know from which families they came. something happened, but i don't remember what.

fast forward again. we were really old, and near some body of water on the beach. the families had rented out a string of cabins. our kids were grown, and their kids were playing. even some great grandchildren were around. i was sitting in a beach chair with a big, floppy hat on and musing that they needed to make big, floppy hats for old ladies that had no brims on the back, so we could keep the sun off of our faces but still lean back in the chair. bigger brims than visors offer, i mean. katie was in a chair next to me. she was still thin but had old lady paunch. we were wearing old lady beach clothes. it was funny to me. there was an empty chair with a box on it. some of us had died, and that chair and box was there for them. so they were still with us. katie turned and looked at me and said, "it's been a good life."

then i woke up.