Day 21
Prompt: “Where have you been?”
The creaking of the porch swing lulled Lucy into a trance as she gazed out at the storm roiling in from the horizon. She reached a frail hand to the glass of iced tea beside her. A ring of condensation stained the chestnut tabletop, but her tired eyes barely took notice as flashes of lightning enraptured her.
She saturated her parched mouth with a cool gulp of her beverage. She used to hate the stuff; “muddy water,” she used to call it. But her late husband would drink jugs of it as young newly weds. Even on the day he passed, she could recall brewing an especially strong pitcher of tea.
Today would have been his birthday.
And so she drank. Not out of enjoyment, but out of remembrance.
The ice clanked the sides of the glass as she set it back down, forming another ring. A warm breeze embraced her before moving on, kicking up a cyclone of dust down the driveway.
Her weary eyes played tricks. Her exhausted soul invited the respite. Her aging heart welcomed the illusion.
For as the dirt settled, her husband of youth walked up the gravel road and approached the porch steps. His wide smile flashed nearly as bright as the lightning zigzagging across the twilight sky. His eyes penetrated her core, sending chills of love down her spine.
She closed her eyes. She breathed in a deep sigh, pushing the vision from her mind. She saw through the mirage and wanted to enjoy an evening alone, free from the haunting of her husband.
But it wasn’t a vision. For just as real as she felt the warmth of the breeze passing by, she felt the heat of his fingers wrap around her hand. Her cheek felt the prickly kiss his bearded face always planted. She smelled the lingering cologne that encircled him. She could hear his enticing voice humming a tune only he knew.
She opened her eyes.
Her husband still stood before her, hand in hand. Youthful eyes lusted after her like they always did, for better or for worse.
“Where have you been?” She asked, avoiding his quirky smile. “It has been nearly thirty years. I thought you’d run off with someone or something.”
He sat down beside her, softly urging her head upon his shoulder with his bear-claw of a hand. She obliged, resting against him and watching the storm roil in like they used to.
“I’m sorry I was away for so long. You shouldn’t have had to wait like you did. Don’t worry, I’ll always be with you from now on. I promise. You and I are soul mates--together and forever.”
And so they were. As she drifted off into the slumber that shan’t be disturbed, her husband led her down the driveway. The sun shone through the storm clouds. The smell of rain wafted in from the horizon.
Lucy meandered in lockstep with her husband, humming the same tune of the distant chimes dancing in the breeze. Her hand in his. Together. Forever.
-(c) 2020 Kevin Barrick
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