The rocking chair creaks rhythmically. A metronome in the darkness. The thunder and lightning reflect the turmoil within. She sits looking out the window. The droplets cluster on the window, colliding into each other and disappearing into nothingness.
A tear rolls down her cheek. Why would she be punished so? They were together for such a short time but ache of separation gripped her heart with such fierceness.
The bitterness has been eating away at her.
What had she done to deserve this? She keeps going over all their time together wondering what she could have done differently to keep them together. Different choices, maybe?
The irony was that she hadn’t even wanted him in her life. He waltzed into her world, unexpectedly and before she knew it, her every moment was about him. And now he was gone, as he had come. Like a magician’s act! Shocking and without explanation.
The squeals draw her attention. The neighbors’ twins running in their backyard. Her mind wandered. She remembered the one time she babysat them for an hour. She had being fascinated with how children thought.
She’s seen the boy and girl play with each other often. How innocent and pure young relationships are. Now, they run around jumping randomly, hoping to splash each other, screaming in mock protest as they get dirtier with the murky waters. Their parents look from their porch indulgently. The boy pushes the girl into a puddle and she bursts out laughing. He runs away as his parents’ scold him helplessly, exasperated!
Tearful eyes watch this. Straying to their own reflection. Unbeknownst to them, a smile is defiantly tugging at pale lips.
The door swings open. ”Honey! Are you okay?“, he comes down to kneel beside her gazing out with her. ”It’ll get better. Give it time.”
He caresses her knee and wraps his fingers around her limp hand. In contrast to cliched words of comfort, she’s aware of this simple gesture meant to profess his love, their loss, their pain, his support of her.
She touches her stomach absently, a habit she had developed, only to be reminded again harshly that there is no one left to comfort. She looks around at the room that she had decorated with dreams of motherly love.
The blue skies, the rainbow peaking from the clouds inside the room belie the weather outside. The ecstatic giggling wafts back in, reminding her of another yesterday, another tomorrow.
She looks back at her husband, grateful for his undying love and succumbs to hope with a gentle nod.
There is no greater pain. Sending prayers.
That was a deep story. Very well-written and it reminds me of how I feel when I look at my husband.
Oh what a touching story. You truly exhibited the sadness yet tentative hope coming from the character.
Wow this is so heart felt. Sending love your way!
I absolutely love this story! It definitely touched my heart strings so hard.