One Life

A tale of life and love in London...

     I reach out to touch her cheek, tracing gently the smoothness of her skin with a crooked finger. She looks up at me through dewy eyes, chestnut and dappled with golden flecks. I lean over to press my lips to her cool forehead. Heather's cheek is pressed into the soft pillow, her face is wreathed in mahogany curls tinged with copper. She is smiling and has never looked so beautiful�

     It was that smile that had captivated me seven years ago, a smile that changed my heart forever on our wedding day and sustained it day after day from then on. I met her in the rain one spring afternoon in St James Park.
     The sun had been shining all morning, there was a light breeze and little hint of the squall that was to follow. It was lunchtime and I had take-out sandwiches and a coffee from a little Italian place on Half Moon Street. London had taken on a slightly greyer tone as the clouds blew in and it didn't take long for the rain to start to fall. I hurried across to the bandstand in St James Park and stood there, dismally staring out at the world.

     My first vision of her was a comical one. Bedecked in a black skirt and white blouse, she darted across the path and up onto the grass, where the heel of her shoe became stuck in the earth. I watched as she struggled in the rain, which had begun to fall in steady sheets, and then begin to hop, shoe in hand, towards the shelter. She was soaked to the skin. Her hair either hung in bedraggled coffee spirals at her shoulders or was plastered across her cheeks and water ran off the end of her nose. As she shook out her hands, her sandwiches, which were limp and soggy in their wet paper bag, suddenly opened and shed their contents on my shoes. Chicken mayonnaise and sweet corn.
     "Oh, my God � I'm so sorry," she said, her expression horrified.
     I just smiled.
     As the rain continued to drive across the park we stood next to each other staring silently ahead. Eventually, I caught her eye and was grateful of a small smile in return to ease the tension. I turned to offered her half my sandwich. She smiled, refusing politely and folded her arms self-consciously across her chest, her blouse was almost see-through.
     I removed my jacket. "Do you want this, you're a little� erm�. see through there," I said. Oh God! "I wasn't looking or anything�" I added quickly, feeling the colour rise in my cheeks.
     I must have looked completely at a loss, my mouth was flapping but no words would come. She laughed then and the rain had never seemed so wonderful.
     She told me her name was Heather.

     Our wedding was a simple affair, a modest church in the West Country, on a hill overlooking the sea on a hazy afternoon in late summer. Even now I just have to close my eyes and I can see her silhouetted in the white dress and the sunlight from the doorway. I'm not a religious man but if there are such things as Angels one truly appeared to me that day. I remember my breath catching in my throat and my heart pounding fiercely in my chest; how I got though my vows I'll never know. Heather remained a vision of tranquillity throughout; only at the conclusion did I notice her hands trembling.

     Tears blur my eyes as I recall the day you came home early from the office, your face was pale and drawn as you sat on the sofa and began to speak. Every word was a hammer blow. The cancer was so quick to spread, corrupting everything, shrinking you and taking your mind and washing away your memories. I truly thought that I would die as I watched it ruin you but through it all you remained strong and your smile never faded, not for a second.

     I took this photo three days before you passed; your eyes portrayed not a hint of the pain you were in and you never looked so beautiful�


............................................God saw you were getting tired,
.................................................a cure was not to be.
.............................................So he put his arms around you,
............................................and whispered, "come with me."

..........................................With tearful eyes I watched you suffer
..................................................and saw you fade away.
................................................Although I love you dearly,
................................................I could not make you stay.

...............................................So when I saw you sleeping
.................................................so peacefully from pain,
................................................I could not wish you back
.................................................to suffer that way again.

.................................................In life I miss you dearly,
.................................................in death I love you still,
............................................in my heart you hold a special
............................................place, no one else will ever fill.

.............................

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Reviews

[An Ordinary Woman]

Dang you, Howie.

You got me. I never even saw it coming. I should have known the ending ... I was sucked in so fast that I never made it to the music player at the bottom and it's prolly just as well, I would have been bawling, I'm sure of it.

that poem is stunning, a real tear jerker. the story as a whole is marvelous and yep, I can see it as a movie, too.

You should embed that music thingy at the top, Howie. lol

[Karli]

I read this like five minutes ago, but I was too speechless to review right away...It's not even funny how completely well written this was. Seriously, one of the saddest stories I've ever read on here. Also, a very beautiful one, and one I take to heart.

Such an amazing write.

[Doreen]

You've such a gift. Damn, I need to get a tissue, you've made me cry. That was so well written and absolutely beautiful. So sad and romantic. Nice work, Howie.

[Elvina CZq]

Oh, dang... you caught my emotion just right in the place. This is what I like to call a story when it ables to capture every emotion well in the readers. Wow, I just couldn't say much for this, it's just smooth and flowy right to the end. Thank you for sharing such wonderful love story.

[Tears Forgotten]

amazing.. truely....

[cest la vie]

I am at a complete loss of words right now. I am a firm beleiver in embracing our life past, present and future. This is simply a wonderful recollection of a snippet of that, yet really speaks volumes. When losing a loved one, especially when they are young, it can be just devastating. This finely written piece is a tribute to the strength the survivor still carries within. I absolutely love this piece.It is heartbreaking, joyful and hopeful.. Truly a wonderful write here!!


Lynne

[StoryTailor]

Very nice. Very beautiful. Hm... I wish I could say more, but I'm not one to criticize poetry, seeing as I'm not much of a poet myself. But, even so, I loved it. Good job with this! And, since I have finally found my hat, I can tip it off to you! Isn't that just the greatest? *tips hat* Congrats on an amazing write!

[Jules]

thats the saddest romance story i have ever read i enjoyed it though :D

[.Bunnie.]

I have to agree with "An Ordinary Woman"....

Dang you, Howie!!

I, unfortunately, DID see and play the song before I read this...and yes...I was bawling. LoL.

Ahh...this was written so beautifully. As a writer, I really don't even think words can begin to express how wonderful it was. It's so sad how it all ended. I, too, had someone near and dear to me that was taken by cancer...not a lover, a family member, but they're equally painful to lose.

I absolutely loved this. I'm super sorry for your loss. :( She sounded like a wonderful woman.

[Chellie]

It was so sad. I was drawn in from the very first line, and never even saw it comming. It took everything I had not to cry, and the only reason I didn't is because there are a bunch of people at my house right now. This was beautifully written, and it really shows how much he loved her. The poem at the end sent me over the edge, I almost lost it right there, then I went back and reread it with the music playing, and well, lets just say I had to get up and go to the bathroom so nobody would see me crying.

One of the best short stories I have read in a long time.

[OceanTropic]

...wow.

I am so stricken with heartbreak. This didn't bring tears to my eyes... my a depression felt so deep in my stomach. It was beautfully written, and its like the words had behind them magic that makes yu feel. This was so beautiful.