"Come on, Claire," her father said, resting a hand on her shoulder, "Let's get you home." He met my eyes. "Good luck, Mark."

"Thanks. Keep in touch. They're still your grandchildren."

"We will. But we'll give it time."

Arriving home an hour later, we walked inside and I think we all sighed with relief. It was all over. The house was now ours alone. My daughters couldn't stop smiling and it did prove rather infectious. I didn't feel like cooking every night, so I ordered in some pizza and we sat in the living room, the couch large for the three of us, munching away, sipping at cola, watching some...