A Grieving Loss Part 3: Moving On

As the children finished their dancing class, Joe got up and walked outside, surprised to find that it was dark. He never remembered Amy’s classes being that long. He jumped into his car, turned it on, and pulled out of the parking lot. On his way home he was thinking about what to have for dinner when he realized he didn’t feel like cooking, so he stopped by the local Mc Donald’s drive thru and got himself a Big Mac, eating it on the way home. He missed his wife’s cooking. 1

Then came the funeral. He wanted to go; had to go, to say his goodbyes and last “I love you”s. But when he got to the caskets, all he could do was cry. He just wished he could move on… but it wasn’t so easy. 2

For the next two weeks, he attended every dancing class even if Amy was no longer there to participate. It calmed him down seeing other children dancing. He also kept eating fast food, refusing to cook for himself. He had gained a few pounds from this and everyone at his job was noticing, but they didn’t say anything. He kept trying to move on, realizing that he was still alive and his family would have wanted him to be happy. But everytime he met a nice woman who was interested in him, none of them amounted up to his beloved Sarah. He just couldn’t let go that fast. 3

Years passed, and Joe was getting better. He still went to the classes out of habit, and had tried dating a few women. But they all used him in one way or another. It didn’t phase him either. He had lost his wife, that was enough pain to deal with in itself.4

He moved out of the house near the woods and closer to town, in fact, right down the road from where the dancing classes were held. He saw older children leave, and newer children come into the class. Even Amy's teacher was so used to him being there she offered him a job working as janitor, which he dropped his old job for this one. It may seem like it wasn't a good paying job, but it actually was. 5

One night when he was cleaning the dancing mats, a young woman came in to get her child who he had been watching for Miss Jenny, since she had to leave early. 6

"I'm here to get Amy..." She had said. His heart skipped a beat. 7

"Amy? Where?" He looked around, thinking she was talking about his Amy. 8

"My daughter Amy, sitting right there." She had said to him. Joe calmed down, while thinking in the back of his mind how much this woman looked like Sarah. 9

"Thanks for watching her, I apprieciate it greatly." She shook his hand. "My name's Jane, just to let you know. If Miss Jenny isn't able to watch Amy, I'd love for you to do so next time." 10

He nodded, releasing his hand from hers. "And you can call me Joe." 11

TO BE CONTINUED 12