She watched as Nick left the graveyard. He was the only one. As he trudged out of sight, swallowed by the fog that hung in the air, she almost called out to him. She wanted to apologize, but she realized that he was not the one she needed to apologize to. That man lay on the other side of the iron gates.
She hugged her thick black overcoat around her. Taking a deep breath, she slipped out from behind the tree. She pushed open the heavy black gate and walked cautiously into the cemetery. The smell of earth was heavy in the air and for the first time in weeks she felt peace.
"Jay," she whispered kneeling down beside the churned earth. "Jay, I'm so, so sorry."
Tears poured out of her eyes like an overflowing water glass. "It's all my fault Jay. If only this had never happened. I waited Jay. I waited for you to come home from the war. But you didn't come. You never came Jay. And my parents, well, they liked Tom and they told me I couldn't spend my life waiting for someone who was never coming back. They set it up and, sure, I liked Tom well enough. In fact, I even loved him. It's nothing compared to my love for you, though. I tried to stop it Jay. But it was too late, we were married. The only thing left for me was to try to forget what we had. I'll admit it. I was pretty good at it Jay. I managed to convince myself that Tom was the man for me."
She sighed. It was the sigh of relief and sadness of a person who kept thoughts and feelings caged like a bird for too long. "Then everything came crashing down. Tom was seeing someone else and, oh Jay, he didn't even try to hide it. The glass fantasy I had built around myself was cracking. Then you came and shattered the glass completely. I couldn't lie to myself any longer. You always have been my one true love."
A light rain sent drops running down her face, mingling with her tears. She reached into her black coat, lay something beneath the shining marble headstone, and left the graveyard. The clouds parted above the graveyard. A single ray of light started its chaotic journey downward. It stopped, illuminating a single white daisy.
She hugged her thick black overcoat around her. Taking a deep breath, she slipped out from behind the tree. She pushed open the heavy black gate and walked cautiously into the cemetery. The smell of earth was heavy in the air and for the first time in weeks she felt peace.
"Jay," she whispered kneeling down beside the churned earth. "Jay, I'm so, so sorry."
Tears poured out of her eyes like an overflowing water glass. "It's all my fault Jay. If only this had never happened. I waited Jay. I waited for you to come home from the war. But you didn't come. You never came Jay. And my parents, well, they liked Tom and they told me I couldn't spend my life waiting for someone who was never coming back. They set it up and, sure, I liked Tom well enough. In fact, I even loved him. It's nothing compared to my love for you, though. I tried to stop it Jay. But it was too late, we were married. The only thing left for me was to try to forget what we had. I'll admit it. I was pretty good at it Jay. I managed to convince myself that Tom was the man for me."
She sighed. It was the sigh of relief and sadness of a person who kept thoughts and feelings caged like a bird for too long. "Then everything came crashing down. Tom was seeing someone else and, oh Jay, he didn't even try to hide it. The glass fantasy I had built around myself was cracking. Then you came and shattered the glass completely. I couldn't lie to myself any longer. You always have been my one true love."
A light rain sent drops running down her face, mingling with her tears. She reached into her black coat, lay something beneath the shining marble headstone, and left the graveyard. The clouds parted above the graveyard. A single ray of light started its chaotic journey downward. It stopped, illuminating a single white daisy.