1- The Glass Room 2- The Spirit Stone -3-bear Hugs-4- Believe (2 page)

She took a leave of absents from her job at Picayune High School to be with her husband. Even though he didn’t remember her most days, she remembered him and would not dessert him in his time left here on this earth.

One day when she went to the glass room, she saw this same man was there. Only this day he had his hands opened holding his bowed head. She felt sorry for him and went and asked him if he was alright; her nurse’s instinct.

“No one understands what my life is like now with my wife not knowing me. She has Alzheimers’ and if I say anything to anyone, they hurry and change the subject. No one wants to talk to me about what her sickness is doing to me. I love that woman. I always will. Why don’t people understand?”

“I understand. You can talk to me about how you feel because I am going thru the same thing with my husband, Joe. What is your wife’s name? What is your name?”

“I’m sorry. I should have introduced myself. I am Jimmy. My wife is Emily. We have been married it seems like forever.”

“I have to get back to my husband, but here is my phone number. My name is Anna. Call me when you feel the need to talk. I will listen to you,” she said as she hurried down the hall to be with her husband.

One Friday night as she was in the glass room, she could see at a distance, stadium lights shinning up the sky. She knew their football team had their home game tonight. She wished things were normal and Joe would be pacing the sidelines watching his team in every move they made. And she would be in the bleachers with the Quarterback Club members shouting to keep up the team’s spirit. She felt the tears stinging her eyes. She could not look out at the stadium lights any more. She had to get back to Joe.

Weeks later the end that she dreaded, came to a close. He slipped silently from this world into the new world that awaited him. She was alone now. She and Joe never had any children. They always wanted children, but it never happened. The school children took their place. The funeral was simple. Their friends were there to comfort her, but sometimes you can feel all alone in a crowd of people. That’s how she felt.

The hardest part was when she entered their home, alone. For most nights, she couldn’t sleep; even when she would hold his pillow close to her body didn’t help. Before he passed on, the loneliness didn’t hit her like now. She knew she would be with him the next day. But now, how could this house that seemed so small and filled with love and happiness, now seem so big and empty. Quiet. Yes, that’s what was bothering her the most; the quiet.

She sat her cup of morning coffee on the snack bar and turned the radio on. Now she thought, now it won’t be quiet. As she sat drinking her coffee, she was listening to the music. No, No! That won’t help. Why are the songs all sad? She reached over and switched the radio off. Just then the phone rang. It was her best friend, Lilly.

“Want some company?”

“Yes, please do come over.”

After placing a cup of coffee in front of Lilly, she heard her say, “Anna, what do you have planned for you life?”

“I will go back to work at the school, but not now. I need some time to adjust to my life without Joe.”

“Well, I was wondering. Would you like for the two of us to take a trip somewhere? We could go to the beach or the mountains or wherever.”

“That does sound interesting.”

“Where have you dreamed of going, but never got to go?”

Without hesitation, Anna said, “To Disneyworld!”

Lilly laughed so hard, she had to run to the bathroom to relieve herself.

“That’s where I always wanted to go, but Jake won’t take me.”

“Joe wouldn’t take me either,” she joined Lilly with a hilarious laugh. “Oh, that felt good. I haven’t laughed like that since Joe got sick.”

“Well, we are going on a trip to Disneyworld. Jake leaves for his two weeks work on the oil rig day after tomorrow. We could leave then, too, if we can get ready on time. I can get ready, can you?”

“Yes, I will make it a point to be ready,” she said while wiping the laugher tears from her eyes.

They left early, two days later. Lilly waited to send her husband, Jake, off on his hitch on the oil rig as Rig Superintendent. The time for his retirement was nearing which he looked forward to. He was getting old and feeling his age. He was now sixty-four years old. Lilly and Jake had a good marriage and two good kids that lived away in different states. They said their goodbyes knowing Lilly was so excited about her trip with Anna.

Lilly stopped at the nearest convenience store.

“We can’t make this trip without our goodies to snack on.”

“We haven’t even hit the highway yet and we are ready to break our diets?”

“Vacations are for forgetting dieting. Let’s open the chips first,” she said laughing. Anna opened the chips and took a handful out the bag before handing them to her. She was starting to feel a little better already.

“I wanted to surprise you, but I guess I will tell you my plan. I made a reservation for us to stay at a Bed and Breakfast Home in Pascagoula; the Renoit. Ever heard of it?”

“My goodness, yes. I have always wanted to spend the night there at the Renoit. It is famous.”

“It’s only a two hour drive, but it’s worth stopping early. Anyhow by the time we stop and do some sightseeing and shopping, it will be time for our supper and time to rest. Don’t you think?”

“Yes, we are not in a rush anyhow. And that will give us time to enjoy our stay in that unusual place.”

When they entered The Renoit, it was like entering the 1800s with everything from the wallpaper covering the walls and the Pricilla curtains, to the old fashioned bathtubs on legs. Satin covered dining room chairs surrounded the longest dining room table she had ever seen. Even the dishes were antiques.

All the furniture was from the same era and in perfect shape that you would think they were brand new. Queen Anne living room furniture adorned the rooms.

Ms. Algot, the current owner of this two story home, showed them to their room. There were twin beds in this lovely room. That is what Lilly requested when she made the reservation. Anna had never been in a bed and breakfast before and after her bath, Lilly handed her a soft white terrycloth bathrobe and matching slippers. “Compliments of the house,” she said. They lounged around in their cozy bedroom and talked about everything including what they would do at Disneyworld. Every time Anna would fall back into her real world with a sad look on her face, Lilly would come up with the funniest stories to cheer her up.

The next morning they sat at the dining room table and had their delicious breakfast served on antique china. There was only one other couple there that was on their honeymoon so they weren’t very sociable; being so absorbed in their own world, but they were happy for them. Their time there was everything they expected, but now it was time for them to hit the rode again.

While they were driving along the highways, Lilly looked over and when she saw Anna with tears running down her face, she put a tape in the recorder. “Let’s listen to some loud jazz music.” And before you know it, they were squirming in their seats; swaying their shoulders to the rhythm while Anna’s tears turned to smiles.

They enjoyed their travels all the way to Orlando; enjoyed their room at the hotel at Disneyworld, and their days there were like they traveled back to their childhood, running to get on each entertainment that had the shortest line.

“I knew I would enjoy it here,” Anna said.

“Me too, this is fun.”

As they traveled back home to Picayune, Mississippi, Anna had been doing a lot of thinking and wanted to share it with Lilly.

“First I want to thank you for this enjoyable and needed trip. We had fun didn’t we?” She looked over at her best friend who was knotting her head to the affirmative. “Well, I decided to go back to work. Joe would want me to go on and live my life, not sit around and mope. So it’s what I have to do for him and me. I need to be with those kids at school and help heal their scraps and cuts. That will keep my mind busy which I need. What do you think?”

“I totally agree with you. Besides we all need you there.” Just as she said that, she turned off the interstate at the Gulfport, Ms. exit and pulled into an ice cream parlor.

“What are you doing?”

“We are going to get us a double hot fudge sundae to celebrate our trip and tomorrow we start back on our ridget diet and exercise program; a good ending to a week of fun, right? Besides we are pretty good looking sixty-one year old broads with good figures from our work-outs. We can make up for it when we get back to our exercise schedule.”

“Yes,” Anna said while smiling at the one person that could always read her mind.

Chapter Two
 

It helped her to be back in a place she felt needed; and also a place with all her friends. Lilly taught tenth grade math and it helped her to have her best friend working there with her. They even went to the high school football games and sat with the Quarterback Club members. Part of her, she felt was missing, but if she didn’t continue with her life, then all of her would be missing. She tried not to look at the new coach pacing the sidelines like Joe use to do. Coach Al Penton was chosen to take her husband’s place and he was as good at controlling his team as Joe was.

It was March 9
th
with only two months left to the end of school year. She could work the summer months if she chose to. That would fill her time. It was then when she was trying to decide what to do after the two months ended when her telephone rang.

“Hello.”

“I would like to speak to Anna.”

“This is Anna.”

“Hello, this is Jimmy. I don’t know if you remember me, but we met at Roseland Personal Care Center. Well, my wife died about ten months ago. You had offered to listen to me about how I felt and what I was going thru. I was wondering if you are alone and free if I could take you up on that offer.”

“Yes, Jimmy, I remember you, and yes, I am alone and willing to listen to whatever you need to talk about. I could meet you at the coffee house on the boulevard in about an hour. Can you make it then?”

“Yes. I will be there. Incase you don’t remember what I look like, I will be wearing a royal blue shirt. My hair is gray and as much as I hate it, it is receding. I’ll get us a table close to the window. See you then, and thanks.”

Anna was wondering if she was doing the right thing. She never even thought about other men or dating. She just wasn’t ready for that. If his wife died ten months ago, he probably isn’t ready for that either. He just needs someone to listen to him. She remembered what he said, how people would hurry and change the subject if he mentioned his wife. Well, she thought, I will listen. I know what it is like.

She spotted him as soon as she entered the coffee shop. She wasn’t one to judge men or to admire them, but Jimmy was even, at his age which was probably mid sixties, a handsome man. I must be lonelier than I realize.

Careful, girl, she thought. She walked up to his table and he immediately stood up and pulled out the chair for her.

“Thank you for coming. I hope I didn’t intrude on anything important in your evening?”

“No, you didn’t. It was perfect timing. I really needed to get out of the house for a while.”

“I am so glad that I called then. What is your favorite kind of coffee or would you rather a soft drink?”

“I would like an iced mocha.”

“That sounds good. I like mocha, but I never tried it iced. I’ll join you with that.”

When their drinks arrived and he tasted it, he said, “Hey, this is good. Look what I’ve been missing all this time.” He started turning the straw while staring at it, and she knew he was deep in thought. Then with a little hesitation, he started talking. “It’s hard to get through the days; but the nights are worst. My days are filled with my job. That helps. And I shouldn’t complain because I don’t live alone. Never have I lived alone in all my life. I lived at home until I went to college, but even then I shared a room with my classmate. Then when I graduated, I married Emily, my girlfriend from college. After a few years, the children came along. I shouldn’t say this, but once you have children, you never seem to get rid of them. How many children do you have, Anna?”

“Joe and I were never blessed with children. The school children took their place in our lives.”

“I’m sorry. Why did the school children take their place?”

“Joe and I worked for the Picayune High School. I still do. I am the school nurse. Joe was the High School Football Coach. Did you ever go to any of our games?”

“Only one and I went alone. My boys never were interested in sports, and my wife never liked them either. When I watched football on television that was her cue to go shopping. It was the one thing I indulged myself in without her. We had a good marriage. A long lasting marriage, but not long enough. I didn’t think she would leave this world and leave me here without her. It is so hard. Every place I look, I see her. She is suppose to be sitting on the passenger seat when I drive. I look over and hope I am dreaming and she is there, but it’s not a dream. It never ends. She’s everywhere with me, but not really anywhere. Do you know what I mean?”

Anna just knotted her head, yes.

“She was so young; just sixty two. That’s too young to leave this world. But I am fortunate that I don’t live alone. When our youngest son married, he and his bride moved in our house with us. Actually she just moved in because he already lived with us. I have a large house which can be divided in two; so having them there, they still have their privacy, and we did too. Do you know the section they call Garden Lane?” Anna nodded her head, yes. “Well that’s where I live. I am very fortunate that I have my son and my daughter-in-law living in that big house with me. At least I’m not alone. I don’t know how to cook. Emily never wanted me in the kitchen while she cooked so I never learned, but I am so lucky because Gail, my daughter-in-law, cooks for me. She has always been the daughter I never had. When we sit at the dinner table and look at the empty chair, this feeling like I am only half a person comes over me. At first I couldn’t eat. I would just get my ice tea and go and sit on the swing on the back porch. But that made it worse because that was her favorite place to sit. It is maddening. My thoughts are on her constantly. Oh, Anna, I’m sorry; I must be bringing back bad memories to you. How long has it been for you?”