When the dawn breaks, and the daylight hits the ground,When the birds chirp and there is only a little sound,I sit by the window, restless from the night,Never slept, never ate, never did I lie down
How did we come so far? I wonder, I asked myself staring into nothingness,Was there an alternative path we could take?Or was there another situation to witness?
I look at my hands, now wrinkled with wisdom,I look into the window glass, staring at myselfI look into my eyes to see the past unfolding,My thoughts, interrupted by a thud on the kitchen shelf
What are you doing, up so early? He asked, still rubbing his eyes.Nothing. Just thinking about us, and our journeyAbout how we made each other’s lives
So, what did you think about us? Were we good? He yawned, and smiled, gave a gentle peck on my cheekNo, we weren’t good, we were the best. I said,I smiled back at him, sixty years later, still shy and meek
Tell me if I was a good husband to you? He insisted.Oh honey, there is nothing you could’ve done better,Then why are you angry with me? Confused, he asked.No, I’m not! I still have this, and I showed him the letter.
This letter. You still have this letter with you. He laughed,There’s not a day, that I don’t read it. It reminds me of you,Then why don’t you eat on time, and sleep? He complained.Because I don’t want to be far away from you…
You’re talking to yourself again, old lady!A loud voice, interrupted the flow of my imagination.Dressed in all white, she held my hand tightAnd pulled me away from that window in frustration
I’ve told you many times, not to sit alone, by that window paneBut I was talking to my husband you see…I tried to explainYou’re dreaming again, it seems. Did you take your meds on time?What meds? I have to go with him on a dinner date tonight!
She could sense the excitement on my face,Isn’t that great? Come, let’s get dressed up for the date,She pinched a needle in my arm, it hurt me badWhat are you doing? I cried in pain.
Nothing, it’s the time for you to get dressed, you seeShe picked a black dress for me, it was a long gownBut I want to wear red, I said as I began to close my eyesThat’s good. Shh…sleep now, smile and don’t frown…
What happened nurse? Is everything alright?Yes doctor, this old lady was talking to herself againDid you give her the medicines or the shot? Yes, I did. Soon, she should be out of her pain
Poor woman, it’s sad that she has to go through this everyday,I want to know her story, doc. What is it that made her this way?
Grief. It is the biggest cause for her condition,She still holds the letter dear to her heart,The letter that is her most prized possession,To understand it better, let me take you to the start
They were high school sweethearts, she and her husbandThey loved each other more than anything else in the worldIn their simple lives, they made every event grandWorked, focused on their careers, and the time whirled
They were together for fifty six years now,A life without each other, they could not bearThen suddenly a news turned their world aroundThe husband was going to die, in another three years!
The man somehow, gathered his courage But it was a news that the wife, could never believe,She spent countless nights without eating or sleepingWhat would she do without him? She would think and grieve,
Then one night, the husband wrote her a letter,I am always right next to you…read the last few linesA few days before he passed away, he saw her in despairSitting in the window of their kitchen, she was crying
The man asked if he was a good husband?The wife smiled at him, ‘You were the best’, she saidThen why are you angry with me? He continued,I’m not angry, look at this, it was the letter she read
The man asked her to get ready, We will go out on a romantic date tonight, he said with a smileAnd don’t forget to wear my favourite red dressOf course, honey! The wife winked at him, as she knew his style!
The man had a massive stroke, and he passed awayBefore they could go out that night, Not knowing of the fact that she has been bereavedThe wife was still in her room, dreaming of a new light
The moment she came out, her world turned darkHis letter was the only thing that she saw on the shelfThe memory of that night, became her very lastCould she have done something? She started to blame herself
The days and weeks passed by, months turned to yearsShe started to turn older, lonelier and scaredThe most beautiful memories she had, all turned to her fearsTo step out of her own house, was something she never dared!
Slowly she slipped back into that dreadful night,Holding the letter, sitting in the window pane, sobbing and cryingHoping that maybe her husband would return, if he saw her dying
She still holds that letter dear, close to her heartStill wishing for that dreadful night, to be just a lieShe still sits in the window, waiting for her manWith the letter that is titled ‘The Final Goodbye’…
Does becoming a paid subscriber sound like a big commitment? No worries! You can make a one-time donation to support my work.
If you enjoy reading stories like this and want to support me as a writer, follow me on Medium. You can also subscribe to my Substack for accessing unfiltered stories, and some raw experiences from my life.