See You Later

The full moon lit the sky. It was dark and still out. So late that the term morning was relevant. The waters were speechless except for a light wave here and there. The slight breeze close to the waters was needlingly refreshing for its only occupant, a woman with a lot on her mind. The wind was a reminder that life wasn't necessarily over, although she would openly admit to thinking otherwise.

She stood on the shores of the lonely beach. Her view of the endless waters. Her thoughts, the past, present, and future. She wore shorts and shirt but opted for no shoes letting her feet feel the sand.

In her arms, a small package was clutched tight. As if it contained everything that meant anything to her.

"Why!, " she yelled. Her body weak, tears falling from her face.

She opened the package and one of the things it contained was a brown paper bag with a wallet in it. In the wallet was a picture of them they'd taken on their second date. She began to shed tears of happiness at the memory.

She sat on the sand in the area they first met. They spent the whole night ignoring others and spoiling each other with welcomed attention. From that night on, the two of them where inseparable. Ten anniversaries later, and the love between them was very much alive. She dug her toes into the sand, remembering the many times his accompanied them.

"Happy anniversary my love," she whispered. Today was a special day…their 10th anniversary.

She thought of their instant attraction, both mentally and physically. She remembered arguments and long compromising conversations that ended with passion. Oh, the passion she thought. She would always remember that along with everything else magical between them that was now no more.

Unfortunately, her husband was diagnosed with a terminal illness and had a short time left in this world. The news had hit them both with an unhinging force. As the immediate seriousness of his situation came to light, things got hard on them both.

She took it the hardest. No matter what anyone told her, the fact was that she would be losing him. That enraged her. Even though he physically had the illness, throughout the beginning he was her anchor. She suffered just as much as he had. Their connection was that intense, but through this journey he was the epitome of optimistic.

She repeatedly pointed blame at doctors and nurses. In denial, she constantly questioned truths and the inevitable. He gladly spent time at reversing her negative thoughts and helping her understand that life was full of twists and turn. It wasn't always easy accepting them.

He really wished she could accompany him in accepting that they'd lived an amazing life and no part of their history should ever be rewritten. Yes, fate had dealt them a hand, but it had also brought them together. For however long their time was, he knew he would forever be in fate’s debt.

Their last night was spent with love and a oneness. It was quiet as they lay in the hospital bed but so much was being said. Although he felt he hadn't succeeded in helping her see his departure as a “see you later” rather than a goodbye, he prayed with his all, that she would find peace soon.

Her husband knowing his condition and accepting the fact that he would be joining the stars soon, prepared this gift for her and stored it in a safe deposit box. It was a brown package full of things special to him for her. She held the picture she had just taken out of it close to her heart. She reached into the package for the next item.

It was a single rose petal in an anniversary card. She smiled at the card. Each year on their anniversary her husband would get a new card and ask her for the old card and make a big ceremony placing the petal into its new card. He used to say that their petal was special and like their love, it would never die. She knew he regularly bought and changed the petal but never said anything.

She read the card, "Okay I might've changed the rose here and there. I might've told a fib to you saying it’s the same one. Don’t be mad sweetheart, it was a little white lie I never told another. I swear. Well maybe I stayed in the car and listened to the football game while I left you hanging at your job’s Christmas dinner one year, sorry. Well anyways, how about you take this petal and new card, and exchange it each year for me and keep our magic alive." She couldn't help but shed tears. She would happily honor this.

She reached into the brown bag for the last thing. It was a letter titled “See you later”. It had a few pages of questions for her to answer. She smiled at his creativeness. She looked at the first page and its request.

“So, tell me everything on your mind. Do you have any questions?”

"What’s on my mind?" she silently repeated it. "Questions?"

She had a thousand questions but no one to answer them. She had a million things to say but no more time. She would miss his strength most. He accepted his fate with dignity and pride.

She thought about the events before her husband’s passing. Her actions were immature and selfish. But she wouldn't have acted any different if time went back. She felt cheated, robbed and now alone.

Tears began to rain down her face at a heavy pace. She went to go to the next page and noticed the back had writing on it.

“Don't cry honey, that won’t get us anywhere. No, I can't give you any answers but I know this, I have faith that everything will be okay."

She smiled thinking, that comment was just like him… thoughtful and sweet.

Then the next page read, ”How long did it take you to go get this package? Should I be saying happy anniversary? That's too long honey but I expected your stubbornness.”

She laughed at how well he knew her. It had been hard for her to open the safe deposit box. The past 2 months seemed like a blur and a big ball of pain. She knew this would be the last fresh piece of him and wasn't ready to close the door yet. If she would ever be.

The last page was a confession.

"Of course, I wish we had more time honey but let's not look at the glass half empty. I feel blessed that we had time at all. You’re special, kind, and sweet. A gift from the heavens. You have a lot of life to still live. I pray you enjoy it for both of us."

p.s.

I will always love you.

She sat and reread all of the package’s contents. Tears decorated her face the whole time, both sad and happy.

In time she would eventually become strong enough to move on, but she would never forget with him. She had found what few will ever find in their lifetime. True love.

"See you later," she whispered to the skies.