Quarantine Short Stories #23: 3 Months Since
Tags: Relationships, Sad, Suicide, Drama, Death

WOW. What a hiatus, huh? Life don’t play! However, I’m still here, still kickin, still writing. Let’s get into this prompt, shall we?

Today’s prompt: List five strong emotions. Choosing one, write about a character experiencing that emotion, but only use the character’s actions to convey how they are feeling (no outright statements).

Enjoy!

I woke up before my alarm today.

That usually only happens when I have something scheduled. It’s 6:45AM. As I get out of bed and separate my curtains, I see that the morning condensation covers my windows completely. I told my realtor that floor to ceiling windows was a necessity when I bought this place. That’s the only way I’d be able to see the sunrise fully. Luckily, I caught it at the perfect time today. The way the sun looms over the surrounding buildings makes this expensive condo worth its price.

No time to bask in nature’s beauty though, I have a task to handle. After showering and brushing my teeth, I start the coffee maker and drop my bread in the toaster. While the coffee brews, I sit and think about what happened. It’s been 3 months to the day. Everyone wonders how I can move on after it. I wonder about that myself. My parents offered me the extra room in their house so I could take a few months to recoup. I’ve attended several counseling sessions, both group, and individual. I even tried the smoking and drinking thing, but that was never my style. It seems like nothing can help you cope with a loss like this.

Marrying your high school sweetheart and losing her three months into your marriage isn’t something that happens often. Nobody knew she was sick, not even her. If we never scheduled that doctor’s visit for our check-ups, then there was no way we would have known. Sometimes, I regret making that visit, but that’s foolish. She would’ve suffered even more. I thought because I made all of this money that I would be able to save her. But, no. Even billionaires lose family members they can’t save. No matter how much I wanted to save Heather, it was her time and I have to deal with that.

The toast popped up and snapped me out of my trance. The coffee finished then I grabbed a mug out of the cupboard. I always thought Heather was weird for only having toast and coffee for breakfast, but it’s what I’ve eaten every day since she’s been gone. It’s one of the few things that helps me cope with everything. I quickly ate my toast and carried my coffee with me out the door. As I board the elevator and ride it down to the lobby, I look at the mug. The top reads “Heather” and the bottom says “Forever,” with a half heart enclosing it. It’s a part of our wedding gift from her sister. The other mug reads “Isiash &” at the top and “Together” at the bottom, with the other half of the heart. It’s the only mug I use.

As the elevator doors open to the lobby, I see Mitch, the front desk man. He always has an ear to ear smile on his face, no matter the day. I walk out and greet him. He waves back and says, “Hey, Mr. Lawrence. How goes it?”

I sigh before answering. “It’s going. How are you?”

He replies, “Aww man, I’m blessed. Just trying to survive out here.”

I smile then reach into my pocket. I pull out $2,000 in twenties that rolled-up tight. I hand it to Mitch and he looks shocked.

“Sir?” he says with a confused look on his face, “You usually don’t give me my bonus until Christmas.”

I smile. “Don’t worry about it, Mitch. You’re the best front desk guy in the city, you deserve it.”

He smiles even bigger than usual, quickly walks around the desk, and gives me a tight hug. I embrace him after a few seconds. He thanks me then I walk out.

It’s now 7:45. The streets are busy with everyone going to work and walking around. The crisp morning air hits my face as I take a deep breath then begin to walk. The perfect weather today made me feel even better about the decision to sell my car. Why would I want to be cooped up inside a car when the weather outside is like this? I walk towards the parking lot where I usually leave my car and I see the attendant, Ben. He pops up out of his chair and greets me.

“Mr. Lawrence! Morning! This is some fantastic weather, huh?” he joyfully says.

“Absolutely, it can’t get any better,” I reply.

He laughs and I reach into my pocket for another roll of money. I hand it to him and he looks just as shocked as Mitch. Before taking it, he asks, “What’s this? It’s not December, is it?”

I laugh. “No, sir. I just want you to know how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.” He takes it, puts it in his pocket, and gives me a firm handshake. He’s not a hugger. He thanks me and I continue on my walk. As I saunter throughout the city streets, I realize how much I am going to miss this. The atmosphere, the people, the sounds, everything. This was the perfect place to start a life and the fact that Heather and I agreed on it at the same time was the icing on the cake. Even our realtor was surprised. I guess couples don’t usually agree so quickly on such a big decision. But, we did. Things like that are what made our relationship so great and unique. We rarely argued, but even when we did, we always worked it out and came to a mutual agreement.

My thoughts were interrupted by someone shouting my name. I look around and then I see Calvin, my butcher. I wave and walk over to him. He shakes my hand and says, “Morning, Lawrence. I thought you’d be at work at this time. Taking a little staycation?”

I nodded then he invited me inside. Calvin has the absolute best steaks in the city. Heather and I would always come here and he always gave us the best cuts. I walk in and stand by the counter as he walks behind it. He leans over and looks at me with a concerned look.

“How’s everything been since…you know?”

I sigh and pause for a second then. “I’m trying…it’s tough but I have some great people by my side. I think I’m on the verge of getting over it…I think.”

He nods and pats me on my shoulder. “After I lost my Gracie, I thought it was all over. I truly did. 40 years years of marriage then bam, she’s gone.”

I look at him and nod.

continues, “However, she always told me that if she was to ever leave first, that I should soldier on and keep living. I promised her that I would and yes, it’s been hard but I don’t want to go back on my promise. Understand?”

I nod then look down and sigh. He pats my shoulder again. After a few seconds, I gather myself and say, “Cal, I’m gonna miss this. I really am.”

He looks at me in confusion. At the same time, a customer walks in. I wave goodbye to him and walk out. I check my watch and it’s now 9:30AM. I’m making good time. I checked Google maps and it said it would take me about 20 minutes walking. After a while, I finally reached my destination, Watkins Cemetery. My watch reads 10AM.

The cemetery was empty. . I take a deep breath and let out a long sigh. I finally made it. I can finally be reunited with my sweetheart. I walk past a few gravesites until I reach Heather’s. Her headstone is surrounded by flowers, a teddy bear, and the other wedding mug. It reads “ In Loving memory of a great wife, daughter, and friend. Heather Jessica Lawrence. July 5th, 1988 — May 20th, 2020 .” I kneel down and put her mug right next to mine. “Isaiah & Heather, Together Forever,” they say. I didn’t cry at her funeral nor anytime after, but I can’t hold it in anymore. I start to weep and wipe my tears. After crying for a few seconds, I wipe the rest of my tears and sniffle a bit. I pull out a poem I wrote to her while she was in the hospital from my pocket.

No matter the time or place No matter how bumpy the ride I’ll always remember your face And I’ll always be by your side.”

I neatly folded the poem and placed it in her mug. I took my jacket off, folded it, and put it by my side. I then reached into the back of my pants and pulled out my pistol. I recited the poem one more time out loud.

I can’t wait to see you, baby. I’m on my way.

© Jormatic. All Rights Reserved.