Now taking his wife's remains to the bay was probably illegal, but Dan would have to find a way. He had kept her ashes right there on the mantel all this time. Each day as he was attending to his on-line coin business he would stare at the urn with mixed emotions. He both despised it and cherished it. He just couldn’t bring himself to lose what little he had left of her. And so time went on as he tried to discover a new purpose to keep on living.
One day after nearly a year of grief he finally decided to fulfill her final wish. Since he had to do this on the sly, he was careful to disguise Ronnie's remains so no one would notice and realize what he was up to. He drove to San Francisco as slow as was legal because he was not in any hurry to fulfill his promise. He took a ride on a small boat that regularly toured the bay.

When he was sure no one was watching him he slowly began to spread small amounts of her ashes a little bit at a time until they were completely disseminated. The sunlight was waning so it was easier for him to accomplish his task without being caught. There, it was done. He thought he would feel better, like a weight being lifted from him. But instead he felt empty and tried not to feel grief for her all over again. Dan reminded himself that this was what Ronnie had wanted. The tour was coming to an end. He took a deep breath and said a prayer for her, the same one he had been uttering each night since her death.

Lord, bless her and forgive her. She believed in You God. She’s a good girl. I know you’ll like her. Please keep her until we meet again. Amen.

Well, the task was completed. As he walked back to his van he wondered again why he was still here without her. He just couldn’t put it all together logically. He thought that life must be a complex puzzle that no man can master.

As Dan began the long trip back home he started to cry. "How do people go on?" he asked himself. He questioned whether or not he would have dreams again this night just as he had had for nearly a year now. Some were good, but most were just nightmares dealing with his guilt and failure. But, never in his wildest dreams could he have ever imagined what would happen next.