And Then There Was One

Charlotte was not sure how it happened. She had been blessed with a good life. She married the man of her dreams, her high school sweetheart, Jim, shortly after they graduated from college. Charlotte and Jim were a match made in heaven with happiness and love most of their married life. They had lovingly raised two sons and a daughter who now had their own families. Oh, there had been some bumps in the road at times, but Jim had always been the funny one. Even in the most serious of situations, he could bring a smile to Charlotte’s lips and a sweet kiss to warm her heart. Theirs truly was that one in a million marriage but now Jim was gone, way too soon for Charlotte, as far as she was concerned. They had planned to travel to Ireland to see some of Jim’s mothers family and dance in the moonlight on a beautiful secluded island in the Pacific. Oh, it was going to be a a most beautiful time of life while they were both young enough to still enjoy each other with the loving family it had been been seasoned with age, it had also been seasoned with trust. Jim used to hold her after lovemaking in such a tender way. When she started to get up the next morning, he’d pinch her on the backside and say My Girl’s love is still sweeter than honey! But then there was the cancer, the evil cancer that stole her lifetime love from her so suddenly! Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive foe and it usually rips a life away quickly with no time to prepare. ol She had gone to the hospital with the kids to each say goodbye to Jim. She tried to keep a poker face but her heart was tearing at the seams with pain! Then after hugs and kisses their sons and daughter quietly stepped out of the room so their mom and dad could say their goodbyes. Tears welled up in Charlotte’s eyes as Jim patted the side of the bed next to him for her to sit down. He whispered “I’m so sorry I had to leave you before we danced under the moonlight and all the other things we looked forward to but I want you to promise me you will go to those places for both of us.” She gently put two fingers over his lips and says”Will you wait for me like you promised Jim? “Honey,”, he said, I’ll wait for you just past the moon then we will go home together.” They gently kissed goodbye and Jim closed his eyes on this world for the last time. Sitting on the bed at home on the two year anniversary of his death, before she knew it, her eyes were full of tears again! How much can one person grieve,she wondered. Even though it had been several years since Jim had died, the pain was as real as if it had just happened. She slowly dried her eyes for the 2000th time or so it seemed and looked at her travel itinerary for Ireland.