The week passed, and then something remarkable happened -- something CJ's mom had given up on over a decade ago. She met CJ's Science teacher, Mark Stevenson, while she was at the grocery store with CJ one evening.
He was gorgeous. 35 years old, tall, broad-shouldered, so kind with the children, and with a slightly sad look that he always smiled away.
Linda Madison had been older than Mark when she'd had a child named Jon, but because of her wish before taking Catherine-Jane to dinner, she was suddenly younger -- in body, and mind. And when she and Mark happened to chat in the produce section, they clicked. They couldn't take their eyes off of each other, and they couldn't stop talking to each other.
Catherine-Jane smiled a little to herself. Her mom had been so lonely all these years, and she'd always liked Mr. Stevenson. While her mom was distracted, she reached her hand into Linda's purse (in the shopping cart), and rooted around until she felt the stone.
Softly, she whispered, I wish Mommy and Mr. Stevenson would fall in love and get married.
