He had read a book about personal redemption.
The story was about a man on death row, condemned;
and how the guards yelled “Dead Man Walking”.
An unforgettable story perhaps, but he had forgotten it.
It came back as a spontaneous recall as he sat in his doctor’s office,
along with his immediate family - his laptop computer.
He was single and remarkably unattached.
He had just received his sentence, the words that told him so simply:
He had a short time to live, no efficacious treatment available,
only experimental regimens …. He lost track of the words after that.
He also lost track of time, he sat in the conference room, referrals in his hand.
I don’t need a psychiatrist; I’ll go to Amsterdam and rent a barge…
“Hello” he looked up at the kindest eyes he had seen in a long time;
“Are you ok? Do you need anything?” No, he said, and he stood up.
He turned and walked to the door, then stopped.
She looked at him, as he left, and saw a slightly haggard looking man
with rough but handsome looks. She opened his file and read the report.
As a physician’s assistant she had seen this report before, sad, she thought.
He turned and walked back to the desk, “excuse me, there is one thing I would like,
your phone number….”
It had been two short weeks. First dinner turned into an overnight.
They made love after a talk, some tears, and what she told him:
“We are all dying; you just have a better idea of why and when.”
The overnight turned into a week, and at the end of the week,
she moved into his place. Sunday mornings were best, nowhere to go,
no reason to get out of bed.
“I am going to stay with you, and love you” she said from her nest beneath his chin.
She rolled over onto him, both slept naked as they preferred.
“One day, this face may be the last thing you will see.
I want you to think of Heaven.”
She kissed him, and again, and rubbed and cuddled over him.
He looked at this wonderful, loving woman, and smiled in a joy that came from deep within him. No, he was no longer alone.
Yes, when he looked into her face, he thought of Heaven.
A contest entry
- I WILL READ ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! by Vietbabe909.
350 points, ended April 24, 2007, 89 entries
• next story in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
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I read this few times before and liked it a lot. The choice of BG makes hard to read the first words of each line. Some minor editing would make it even better. The story does have a nice plot, would like to see you getting back at it
v
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This is a beautiful story. Loved the line, “We are all dying; you just have a better idea of why and when.” The final line is lovely, "Yes, when he looked into her face, he thought of Heaven."
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Heartfelt Words, Of Love & Pain
This story took me back to my days of nursing, seeing the look of fate on the faces of the ill. Excellent concept I wish it was longer with even more details. You have the makings of a novel here. (I like to add, all the poetry we read, tells a story in short form, so keep writing.) This one was emotional, and heathfelt..... novy
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interesting...
the story was stuctured as a poem. there are some grammar problems. overall, the story was okay. thanks for entering in my contest
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