As the new year chimes, Leo also dreams of his own farewell. In the dream, he is surprised at not being at all sad. It feels like a party, all these people gathered to send him off, a  bon voyage party rather than a mournful occasion. 

Then he sees Franny, in his dream; she is too heartbroken to speak. And in her face, he recognizes his own devastation at the mere notion of separation from her. The grief of it nearly wakes him up, but the dream has its own ideas. 

From the shadowy colors and out-of-focus edges of faces in the crowd, in the dream, Leo makes out who is standing. 

David. 

This surprises Leo, given their history. He is now curious, riveted, dying to know what David will say about him. (Dreaming Leo chuckles a little at that – “dying to know” what someone will say at his own memorial.)

“As many of you know, Leo and I did not start as friends,” David begins. “But we ended that way, and that’s all that matters.” 

Everyone, Leo included, seems to be waiting for more. 

But David sits down, melding back into the blurry crowd. At least there seems to be a crowd, dreaming Leo thinks, but is there?

In that way dreams have of melting from one thing to another, as Leo thinks this, the crowd disappears. 

Except for Franny, and David, who stand holding hands, looking toward him, holding their open hands his way. 

Dream Leo steps forward to join them. 

A large truck rumbles by the house, shaking Leo awake. His conscious mind retains a scrap of the dream:

How we end, that’s all that matters.