"O plus F," Francesca said softly.
"O plus F," he repeated, turning back.
He looked into her eyes—patient and amused, mysterious, the color of the inner heart of black walnut—and knew that he was home.
EPILOGUE
Eight years later, at this writing:
Emma speaks schoolgirl Spanish and has a half brother named Kenso.
Maria and Elena are blooming.
Oliver, Francesca, and the children go to Hawaii or to Kamakura every other year. It has been five years since they moved back to Maine. They are often seen walking on Crescent Beach, early Sunday mornings.
Jennifer is married to Bogdolf.
Jacky married a lawyer and has a stepson. They live in Maryland.