Twenty-Three

 

Henry could see her in the distance. The sun was setting and the sky was streaked with pink and orange. She waved her arm when she saw him approaching. She waited for him beneath a large dark tree with branches that stretched up into the colorful sky.

Henry knew it was a dream. He could tell by the ease he felt walking around. He felt almost like he was floating. Even though he knew it was a dream, he threw himself into it. "Ava," he yelled to her. "Have you been waiting long?"

She ran towards him in a bright pink mini dress and white go-go boots. Her hair was pulled up into a tight bun. Henry ran toward her too and when they met she laughed and wrapped her arms around him.

"It felt like forever, but you're always worth the wait," she kissed him. Her lips were soft and warm. She tasted of strawberries.

"I'm sorry," he said. These were the words he'd been trying to say for so long. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," she looked into his eyes.

". . . but I made so many mistakes . . ."

"So did I." She reached her hand up to touch his cheek.

"No you didn't. You never did."

"Everyone does. It's okay. I know you did your best."

He leaned down and rested his forehead on the top of her head. He closed his eyes and the tears squeezed out.

"Henry ..." It had been so long since he'd heard her say his name. "Henry, you have to let go."

"I know," another tear escaped his eye.

"I'm leaving. It's time to move on."

"I love you."

"I know. I love you too."

He moved into her lilac scent again and kissed her. He'd wanted to kiss her again for so long. The breeze blew cool on his face lifting his hair, whispering in his ears. The memories of the good times in his life flashed through his mind: their first date, her breathy laugh, the way she rubbed the back of her neck when she was nervous. When he pulled away expecting to see her green eyes again, the wrong eyes were looking at him. Brown eyes stared at him from a full round face.

"We need to move on," Rosa said. Her hair pulled up into the same bun Ava's had been in. She wore the same pink mini dress and white boots. "It's time to move on." She smiled.

Henry should've been startled, but he wasn't. He knew she was right. He was glad to see her smiling back at him. She touched his face just as Ava had before.

 

Henry opened his eyes to complete darkness. Just as he wondered if there had been another blackout, the air conditioner clicked on. He sat up in bed and turned on the lamp on the end table. His eyes were wet. He picked up the picture on his bedside table, the one Rosa had given him of herself when she was young. There she stood by the tree looking just like she had in his dream. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and placed his feet firmly on the floor. He walked over to the window and parted the drapes to look out. Rosa's porch light was on and he could see a single beam of light arching back and forth across the front lawn. Yard work again, he thought.

Henry moved quickly to put on his clothes. He didn't want to miss her. He slipped into the jeans he'd had on the day before and pulled a dirty T-shirt over his head.

When he opened the front door, the night air was cooler than he expected. He pulled the door closed quietly and stepped out onto the porch. He walked in the street to avoid setting off the neighbor's motion sensor light.

He couldn't see Rosa at first, just a beam of light shining in his eyes. "Rosa?" he said, already sure it was her.

She didn't answer.

"I've come to help you with your yard work," he walked toward the light. As he did she pointed it away from him so he could see her.

"He's gone," she said. Her voice trembled.

Henry knew she was talking about John.

"He said he had to go. He told me to move on . . . to let go." Rosa looked up at him. "I'm not ready yet."

"Yes you are!" Henry said. He placed his hand on her cheek just as she'd done to him in his dream. "We have to let go. We have to move on with our lives."

Rosa looked away in the direction that she was pointing the flashlight.

Henry brought his hand back down to his side, unsure of what to do.

She turned back to face him and bit her lip. "I'm scared . . ." she sniffled. "I'm scared if he's here. I'm scared of him leaving. How do I stop being so scared?"

"I don't know. I'm scared too."

She closed her eyes and her face softened. "At least I'm not alone."

"You never were."

She smiled slightly. Her calm face looked so inviting that Henry leaned in to kiss her, half expecting to be pushed away, but there was no resistance. There was no mention of her dead husband. There was just the two of them there in the dark. She dropped the flashlight in the grass. He placed his hands on the small of her back. She put her hand on his side and gripped his shirt. He could feel his heart beating quickly, thumping wildly in his chest. He felt like a twelve-year-old kissing a girl for the first time.

She pulled away from him and wiped her eyes with her hand.

"It's going to be okay," Henry said. "Everything is going to be fine."

Rosa exhaled loudly and smiled back at him. "I think you're right." She bent down and picked up the flashlight. She surveyed the grass around them. "I think the yard work can wait. What do you think?"

Henry nodded.

"Let's go inside." She grabbed his hand and led him to her front door. Henry hesitated, he hadn't been in her house since the heart attack. "Don't worry. He's gone," she said as she pulled his arm leading him inside.