Bennie, Grady, and Fiorella arrived in the Philly airport and joined the stream of tourists, vacationers, and business travelers heading down the hall to the terminal exit. They passed a souvenir cart, a soft pretzel stand, and finally, the Miami gate.
Bennie smiled, catching Grady’s eye. “Remember the last time we were here? Not my finest moment.”
Grady chuckled, throwing an arm around her. “Beg to differ. That kid had it coming.”
“Look!” Fiorella pointed down the hall, where Mary, her parents, and The Three Tonys stood, waving at them and holding flowers and balloons.
“YO, BENNIE!” The DiNunzios and Mary rushed forward to meet her at the exit, startling the TSA guard and causing heads to turn.
“Benedetta!” Mrs. DiNunzio reached up for her.
“Bennie!” Mary squealed, and Bennie gathered them up in a big hug, then released them.
“Hey, Mary! Or should I say, partner? Congratulations!”
“Wow!” Mary’s lips parted in happy surprise. “Partner works for me, but did you just call me by my first name?”
“I sure did, and why not? It’s about time, don’t you think?”
“Sure!” Mary beamed.
“How’s Carrier? I mean, Judy?”
“She’s great! She says hi, and she’ll be back at work in two weeks.”
Bennie wanted to hear more, but she and Mary got distracted by something happening between Mrs. DiNunzio and Fiorella, talking in front of Mr. DiNunzio and the Tonys.
“Grazie, Donna Fiorella.” Mrs. DiNunzio stood next to Mr. DiNunzio, who had his arm around her shoulder. “You save Benedetta. Mille grazie.”
“You’re welcome.” Fiorella nodded in acknowledgment. “Do you still believe I’m not a good woman? Or have I redeemed myself?”
“You are good!” Mrs. DiNunzio answered, and the two women hugged like old friends. When they broke their clinch, Mrs. DiNunzio’s eyes were glistening. “So, why you come back, Fiorella?”
“I’ve decided to move to Philadelphia.”
Everyone looked dumbstruck, except for Mr. DiNunzio, who grabbed one of The Tonys by the shoulder and tugged him over to Fiorella. “FIORELLA, YOU REMEMBER MY BUDDY PIGEON TONY LUCIA? HE CAN SHOW YOU AROUND TOWN.”
Fiorella extended a hand to Pigeon Tony, with a seductive smile. “How very nice to see you again.”
Bennie returned to Mary. “Mary, did you buy a house? Grady told me everything that’s been going on.”
“Yes, I’m a new homeowner, and Anthony and I are doing great, too.”
“Congratulations on that, too! Are you guys going to live together?”
“Not yet.” Mary shook her head, smiling. “We’re taking it slow.”
“Good. Tell Anthony I said hello, will you?”
“You can tell him yourself. He’s here, and he brought a friend.”
Mary stepped aside with a flourish, and her parents, Fiorella, and The Tonys cleared away. Anthony emerged from the back of the crowd, holding a leash, and at the end stood Bear, wagging his tail. His belly had been shaved and two of his legs had a bandage, but when he saw Bennie, he scampered stiffly to her, in delight.
“Bear!” Bennie felt tears come to her eyes. “Look at you, pal!”
Grady beamed. “I couldn’t bring myself to put him down and I asked them to do the surgery. I had to make secret phone calls to see how he was, but I didn’t want to tell you until he was out of the woods.”
“I love you!”
“Me or the dog?” Grady asked, but Bennie had knelt down and was burying her face in the dog’s thick ruff. She kissed his muzzle and caught a whiff of his breath, which smelled suspiciously of peanut butter. She laughed, stood up, and took his leash.
“Let’s go home, gang,” Bennie said, her heart full and happy.
“Arf!” Bear barked, and everybody laughed.