I honour’d him, I lov’d him; And will weep my date of life out, for his sweet life’s loss.
– King John, Shakespeare
Andrea watched the progressing shadows creep steadily and silently across the lawn with increasing dismay. Her husband was fading fast. She read it in the ashen coloring of his face and saw it reflected in his pain-filled eyes. The dread of what was to come felt like a weight increasing its burden upon her shoulders with every waking moment.
Yet Alex had rallied his strength and been strong this day—or at least pretended to be for Andrea’s sake. In the soft glow of the setting sun, they were even now wrapped together in a blanket on a couch on the balcony, drowsing in the peaceful shelter of each other’s arms.
Andrea lay wishing in vain she could suspend time itself so the shadows of an unwelcome dusk would linger a little longer in their journey across the lawn.
But already the hasty sun was plunging behind the trees, taking with it the precious minutes and precious seconds of another precious day. The sands of time were running, and like the lengthening shadows on the lawn, Andrea was helpless to stop them.
Every moment, the earthly ties that bound them grew stronger. Yet every moment, she knew he was fading further away.
Sighing heavily, Andrea listened to the slow, steady beating of his heart as he held her in the strong, possessive circle of his arms. Although the thumping meant precious life, the heartbeats also ticked off valuable time, making every one of them doubly precious now.
Inhaling deeply, she closed her eyes and tried to remember every sacred feature of him—his smell, the feel of his arms, the warmth of his skin on hers.
“What are you thinking, darling?” he asked sleepily.
Andrea remained silent a moment. “I was thinking how very happy I am.”
Alex raised his head and gazed down at her, studying her eyes before lowering his head again. You don’t look happy.”
Andrea did not dispute his assessment. She knew what he’d read in her gaze. She felt his arms tighten around her.
“You will remember what we shared, won’t you?”
Now it was Andrea who lifted her head. “Yes. Forever.”
“But,” he said, choosing his words carefully, “I hope you do not allow my memory to darken your future peace.”
Andrea’s heart lurched. She could tell by the tone of his voice he was anxious. She tried to put his troubled mind to rest. “These days, these moments—how few they may be—will sustain me for the rest of my life. Please don’t worry about my future peace.”
“You are only twenty, Andrea.” He attempted to keep his voice indifferent, though it was clear he’d been thinking hard on the matter. “I understand, if you—”
“Never! Never!” Andrea placed her open hand on his cheek, tears spilling down her own. “I am yours now and through eternity. Oh, Alex, you do believe in God, don’t you? You do know that I will see you again. That our love is too strong to die with its earthly bounds. Death and separation have no power over a love such as ours.”
He smiled weakly and brushed a tendril of hair from her cheek. “My dear, how can I not believe in God when he answered the only prayers ever I asked of Him?”
He took a deep breath and laid back, his eyes searching the sky. “And yes, I believe,” he finally said, a reticent look upon his face, “immortal love, whence it flows, can never die.”
Andrea laid her head back down upon his chest and he gently stroked her hair. “You know what else I believe?” he asked after a long silence.
“No, what?” she murmured, soaking in the feel of him.
“I believe heaven is a Virginia kind of place,” he said musingly. “And I will be content there—to wait.” He stroked her cheek and gazed into her eyes. “Not patiently, not willingly mind you, but I will wait.”
“I wish I could go with you.” Andrea snuggled closer to him.
“Your duty is here. To stay and raise our son.”
Andrea lifted her head, thinking perhaps he was hallucinating with his pain. “You must have a sudden power of foresight unknown to me.” She gazed into eyes that appeared perfectly lucid.
Alex smiled and repeated words that were once spoken to him. “Some things are meant to be. And not even in your folly can you keep them from happening. Remember?”
Andrea stared at him thoughtfully. “And this son,” she said, playing along since it brought a smile to his lips, “what will his name be?”
“Daniel,” was the ready reply.
“Very well.” She kissed his cheek. “Daniel Alexander Hunter it shall be.”
Alex’s face radiated a look of magnificent trust, a look that implied he knew he had fulfilled his mission in life. He closed his eyes and sighed, a strangely peaceful expression upon his face as the lengthening shadows enveloped them.
“Oh, Alex, I wish we could stay like this forever,” Andrea whispered, snuggling against him again as the sun dipped below the horizon like an extinguished candle. “Our time is too short.”
“How much time would be enough, Andrea?”
She fell silent for a moment, her chest rising and falling in unison with his. “Never enough here,” she said quietly and with new resolve. “But what escapes us in this world, surely awaits us in the next.”