798. I love you

Zeke sat next to the bed as Grand slept. Sometimes just rocking, letting his mind wander over their years, as now, there would only be days. From time to time he walked to the bed and took her hand in his. Gently, rubbing her palm, his warmth becoming hers. She remained asleep, as quiet now as she was in life. A good life. Full of touches and looks, laughter and joy. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead, then her cheek. Her faint breath, barely a whisper. Her voice was that way too. In all their years, never a yell. Her tone, even now, as spring eternal.

He straightened her pillow and ran his fingers through her hair. She seemed to smile although it was hard to tell. She seemed to know he was there, as he said he would, that their union would be always, always held in love. Letting go of her hand, he pulled the covers up, kissed her cheek again before taking his seat, only this time, moving the chair a little closer.

When she had taken ill, he had begun a journal. Mainly, he documented his conversations to her as she slept, which was almost all the time. Late at night, when Kyra was safely tucked away and the house held but soft breath, he would read from the day’s entry. Sometimes he remained in his rocking chair and sometimes he would stand. Most of the pages were smeared. Emotion endless. The need to convey love, a love conveyed over decades, as urgent as their first days. So he wrote and read and cried. This was the routine. Day after day.

After several weeks, on a bright morning, for the bedroom faced the ocean and the window was always kept open, Grand squeezed his hand, opened her eyes and said, I love you. They kissed, her frail hand caressing his face as she had done so many times. Then she smiled again as her hand found rest and her eyes closed.