She was sitting on the same kind of bus they had been on that night after Michael’s ridiculous beach games and her fireside confession (except this one had a solar battery). Some things were the same.  Jim was still next to her, his hand still over hers, squeezing occasionally. There were still tears in her eyes.

Some things were different, though. She was over (sixty!) and Jim’s baseball cap was covering a pretty bald head and a few wispy strands of grey hair.  She thought it was cute, though, how they still managed to stick up in all directions and make him look boyish. They both wore glasses now and she was pretty sure he had black socks on with his sandals, but she was happy. They were happy.

He had told her that night long ago that they would figure things out…and they had. After a few rocky bumps, they figured out how to be friends again….and then how to be more than that. They had built a life together, one she wouldn’t trade for anything…and that’s why her eyes were moist.

The bus was filled with the sounds of their children and their grandchildren mingled with a few of their co-workers who had come along for this historic (she laughed whenever anyone called it that) trip. She and Jim had been named one of America’s Top 100 Television Couples of All Time (sandwiched between Sam & Diane and Hiro & Claire) and Bravo had insisted on including them in their special. At first she wasn’t sure she wanted to revisit the old days and all of the angst when every emotion was captured and broadcast. Eventually, though, she decided that the documentary was a part of their story. It could be fun and it would be good to see everyone again.

The producers had created an itinerary for a weekend of filming in and around Scranton at the places made famous in their television romance. They had been interviewed at Chili’s and the skating rink and they had climbed back up to the roof of the Dunder-Mifflin building to re-enact Jim’s proposal. Today, they had insisted that their family come along for a picnic (courtesy of Bravo, of course) at Lake Scranton where they would revisit the night that she decided to be more honest.

It had been a great day full of swimming and hotdogs (someone else had cooked them) and reminiscing. Dwight and Angela were there with their grandchildren and Karen and David Wallace had flown in from London. Ryan and Kelly were there, but Pam wasn’t sure if they were together or not this week. She didn’t know how they had managed to keep an on-again-off-again romance going for close to thirty years….but they had.  Nobody knew where Creed was and Stanley had passed away a few years ago (a stroke while gardening. This time Toby was there with his much younger girlfriend. The only person really missing was Michael (and Jan, of course), but the managers of Sandals Jamaica just couldn’t get away during the busy season. Michael sent a video greeting instead. Pam was certain the children would need counseling after watching it.

Jim eventually pulled out his ear-buds and squeezed her hand.

“Hey, come on…no crying.”

“I’m not crying….not really…it’s just…”

“Yeah, I know. I saw it too.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Didn’t you notice our granddaughter holding hands with Gunther Shrute?  That’s enough to make anyone weep.”

“Stop it.” They laughed and he patted her hand and leaned in for a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Jim, this has been a pretty amazing couple of days. We’re so blessed, you know that?”

“I know.    Believe me, I do.  So….those are tears of joy? I shouldn’t be worried? Shouldn’t get out the shotgun?”

He hadn’t lost his sense of humor, that’s for sure. As she took in the scene around them, she remembered another time in another life when she curled up on a bus seat and cried because the thought she knew exactly what life held for her. She had been so very wrong.

“Tears of joy, Jim….I guess I’m crying because this….” she gestured to the noisy commotion on the bus. “…and this….” she ran her palm across his cheek. “This is my life.”