It's Time To Go

This was the night they would be reunited. She could feel it at the deepest core of her being. They had been apart for 39 years as of today. However, it could have been 3,900 years as far as she was concerned and it would not have diminished her immense love and longing for him. On the day he left her, she knew her heart would never belong to anyone else. He was her reason for inhaling and he was her reason for exhaling. He was her entire world and she knew her life would never be whole without him.

As she feebly made her way to the back porch, she heard the slow and uneven shuffling of her feet slide awkwardly across the floor. Her body was fighting her every step of the way as she felt the excruciating pains of arthritis and old age that seemed to reside in every cell of her body. The slightest of movements made her want to cry out in pain and stop, but she was determined to reach her destination and nothing was going to interfere with her plan. Even if she had to crawl on all fours to get there, that's exactly what she would have done to accomplish this.

After turning on the porchlight, she approached the rocking chair that had been her faithful companion during all the years she spent waiting for him. She produced a deep sigh of relief before gradually lowering herself and collapsing into its familiar embrace. After she painfully got herself situated, she looked up and stared into the miniature forest located approximately fifty yards away. As she focused on the three trees they had planted together when they were young and full of dreams, she vividly recalled every detail of that night as if it were happening right in front of her now.

Before he faded away into the darkness of that night long ago, he made a solemn promise to her. He vowed that he would return for her once he was settled in that far away land. In fact, they had thoroughly discussed the situation for two years leading up to his departure. They knew without question that this day was coming, but they never imagined how quickly it would sneak upon them. As they stood facing each other that night in their backyard, she nervously laughed and playfully circled her fingers around his lips before planting a passionate kiss fully on them. She then pointed toward the porchlight that gracefully hung from the roof of their back porch and promised she would turn it on every night so that he wouldn't lose his way when he came back for her.

Sensing that their time together was nearing its end, she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and begged him to not leave her there for very long. "I don't think I can do this without you. I'm not strong enough. I thought I could handle it, but now, I'm not so sure. Please, isn't there a way you can stay here with me longer or maybe take me with you on your journey?", she lamented.

Upon hearing his beloved convey her despairing thoughts to him, he embraced her tightly and gently whispered in her ear with an unsure and wavering voice, "My darling, it may be quite a while before I can make it back to get you. Believe me, if I could change the situation, I would. You know I would. You're stronger than you think. I truly hope you can be patient and not do anything stupid in haste until then."

Suddenly, she jerked back from his embrace and stared at him with utter disbelief. She could not believe what she was hearing. Yes, they had discussed the situation and yes, they both knew that with things being as they were, he had no choice but to proceed without her. There was no other way and there could be no compromises. He had to go first and there wasn't anything either one of them could do about it. As they gazed into each other's eyes, his eyes filled up and spilled out tears of sadness all over his face.

"How long is quite a while?", she implored as her widened, pleading eyes longingly searched his to find any measure of solace. She desperately wanted to hear him say that it wouldn't be that long at all, but deep inside the deepest part of her, she knew what he would say. Still, she could hope that it wouldn't be true, right? Even false hope is hope, so that's what she kept telling herself over and over again.

As she impatiently awaited his response to her question, she felt her own hot tears beginning their journey downward, but they weren't tears of sadness. Instead, they were tears of anger and they stung every part of her now reddened face. In fact, her entire body felt like it was on fire as she started to feel betrayed by the one person who promised to always be by her side no matter what life threw at them. He promised to be with her during the good times and the bad times and all the times in between. Although she knew he had to leave ahead of her, she fully expected that their time apart would be brief. For a moment, she wished she had never met him at all. That way, her heart could be spared from the deep sadness and sorrow she knew she would have to face for possibly years to come.

After what seemed like a millennium had passed in her mind, he finally answered her question. "My love, it could be days, weeks, months, or even years. I don't know how long it will be, but I do know that I will come back for you. That, you can count on and be confident about. When the time is right, I will find my way back to you and take you with me. It just can't be now. It isn't your time to go. I'm so sorry. I don't want to leave you here all alone, but you and I both know that I don't have a choice."

"I know, but I don't have to like it, do I? I hate this situation!", she exclaimed as she stomped on her right foot and swiftly circled herself around until her peripheral vision completely blotted him out. However, after a few moments had passed, she began to calm down and decided to put a brave face on so he wouldn't feel worse than he already did. She knew he couldn't help it and would do everything within his power to change it if he could.

As she turned backed around to face him, she saw a change in his countenance. He looked even sadder if that were possible than he was just minutes ago. "It's time to go, isn't it?", she asked.

He slowly hung his head and with hesitancy, he replied, "Yes, I'm afraid so. There isn't much time left because I can already see a green glow heading this way. You can walk with me part of the way if you want, but you cannot follow once I've passed those three trees we planted a few years ago."

"Why not?"

"You cannot travel that path. Like I've already told you, it's not your time to go."

"How will I know when it is my time to go?", she asked.

"I'll give you a sign. When that porchlight turns green, you will know that it's time for me to come back to you. Then, we can go down the path together and we'll never be apart again. The love I have for you is eternal and will never die. If you can't remember anything else about me, remember that."

"I'll remember, don't worry", she said sadly, as the two of them joined hands and began to walk as slowly as possible toward the place where the three trees stood. As they reached the three trees, they stopped and took one last look at each other. Without hesitation, they both cried out and forcefully enveloped one another with all the love and passion they had between them. Neither wanted to be the first to let go. They desperately wanted that moment to last forever but that moment was abruptly interrupted when he turned to face the three trees after hearing some rustling. He could not believe his eyes when he saw his father standing just on the other side of those threes and heard him say, "The light is green. It's time to go, my son." And with that, he faded away into nonexistence as he walked past the three trees to join his father.

Through all the anger, sadness, and frustration, she kept her promise to him and never gave up on his promise to her. Day after day and year after year, she faithfully turned on the porchlight and prayed the bright yellow light would turn green to signal his long-awaited return. Not once did she forget to do so, even with all the grey hairs, wrinkles, and painful arthritis that went along with old age.

So now, after 39 years of waiting for her beloved to arrive, the time had finally come for him to fulfill the promise he made to her all those years ago. Somehow, she knew that tonight was the night. Something about it separated it from all the other nights she waited for him, although she couldn't figure out exactly why. Before she knew it, her eyelids felt heavy and seemed to get heavier with each passing second. As her body succumbed to the weariness and exhaustion brought on from a lifetime of waiting, a faint green glow slowly began to surround her. However, she could no longer wrestle with her fatigue and fell into a deep slumber, forgetting all about the green light he mentioned long ago.

A familiar voice that she had been yearning to hear for so long suddenly jolted her into wakefulness. At first, she thought she was imagining things when she saw this blurry figure emerge from behind the three trees they planted. When he was about halfway from there to the porch, she knew it was him. She was surprised that she could see any part of him at all because of her cataracts. With each step he took, her vision improved. By the time he arrived at the edge of the porch where the light hung, she was astonished because she could see him clearly. He looked just as young and handsome as he was on the day he left. As he stopped right in front of where she was sitting, he pointed toward the porchlight. With a joyful grin sweeping across his face, he said, "Honey, the light is green and it's time to go. I've returned for you just as I promised. Are you ready?"

"Am I ready? Of course, I'm ready! I've been ready and waiting on you for 39 years!", she proclaimed.

"Thirty-nine years?", he asked. "You don't look a day older than the day we pledged our lives to each other. You're even more beautiful now".

After hearing his words, she sprung out of the rocking chair as if she hadn't aged at all. In the corner of her eye, she noticed a strange but familiar image in the back window and slowly pivoted toward it so she could inspect it further. When she was fully facing this strange image, she realized it was a reflection of her younger self. She was absolutely stunned by this transformation as she noticed that all her grey hairs and wrinkles were gone. She looked down at her hands and saw that the age spots were gone and her fingers were straightened. The debilitating pain and suffering she experienced in her body for years from rheumatoid arthritis had disappeared and she felt herself fill up with the energy she used to possess in her twenties. As he approached to stand beside her, she saw that they both looked exactly like they did on their wedding day. In her amazement, she felt his hand reach for hers as he gently spoke once again.

"My darling, the light is green and it's time to go."

"Yes, it is time to go, isn't it?", she asked as a huge smile expanded across her face, forcing his face to widen its own smile simultaneously. And with their joined hands intertwined, they excitedly turned back around and started to make their way toward the place where the three trees stood. Upon their arrival to this spot, they briefly paused and lovingly gazed into each other's eyes just as they did on the day he left. But this time, they knew that they would never be separated again and gleefully skipped past the place where the three trees stood as if they were young children without a care in the world.

THE END