For Maria

There Andrew lay, unable to move, to speak, unaware of all that was occurring around him. The sounds of friends, family, and nurses alike all blended together, clouded by a fog of which had remained for some time now. Voices and footsteps blended together into a chaotic mess as if he was listening to a busy city street through a thin wall. His mind played many tricks on him and felt himself becoming heavier, sinking deeper and deeper into his soft mattress. In his detached state, he reflected upon all that had led up to this moment.

In his long life, love had always remained central for Andrew. He and his wife Maria met at the young age of 15. They went strong through high school, even winning prom court their senior year. They were everyone’s favorite sweethearts. Hot on the heels of graduating, they moved north and bought a small apartment. Andrew went into construction and Maria, who was always much brighter than him, continued her education towards becoming a nurse. Fast-forward a few years and Andrew was making a decent earning. He put together a few bucks and the month after Maria had finished her degree, he proposed. A great wedding ensued with an even greater honeymoon. “How could this get any better,” he commonly thought to himself. Not even a year later came their first child. A boy; 8 pounds and in perfect health. Then came the second and then the third child. In what felt like an instant the three products of their love developed into well-formed adults and one by one, went off on their own. Soon after came the grandchildren and subsequently the loud reunions and cozy holidays.

The pair had always remained in good health but at their age, they naturally began to deteriorate. Achy bones, saggy skin, and weaker bodies were a constant reminder of the ever-shortening road ahead of them. But Andrew held Maria and Maria held Andrew and they stared down this path with nothing but love and content in their hearts. Soon Maria’s medical problems seemed to become a little more serious and one night, on a sticky spring afternoon, her face fell dead as she gasped for breath which she couldn’t seem to find. Andrew called an ambulance swiftly and he watched as her motionless body was wheeled into the back of the flashing vehicle. A few hours later he sat beside her in the all too quiet hospital room, clutching her soft hand. Andrew had never been religious but that night he thought to himself, “God, if you’re out there, please let Maria make it through this. Take me if you must but please, let her live.” For Andrew, each minute was an eternity but in due course, Maria came around.

After the incident, Andrew had learned to treasure every moment he spent with her in new regard. For a couple more years, he enjoyed life for everything it provided him. And, he enjoyed life because Maria was always right there with him. Soon enough though, that fateful wish Andrew had made in the hospital many nights ago had caught up to him. At a routine visit to the doctor, a cancerous tumor was discovered in his lungs. At the stage the cancer was in and in Andrew’s dotage, all that could be done was reduce the pain.

This was undesirable news for him, and of course, Andrew did not want to die, but what hurt the most was how this broke Maria. Over the course of the next month, as Andrew grew weaker, Maria frantically contacted dozens of more doctors trying to get some second opinion or a treatment option or anything at all that could save her husband. All the while, Andrew couldn’t stop looking at Maria, taking in her every detail as if it was the last time he’d ever see her face.

So there Andrew lay, surrounded by friends, family, and nurses. He couldn’t quite tell what was going on but he felt Maria’s soft hand clutching his. The loving grasp felt like a rope, guiding him through a thick fog which only got thicker and darker… than black. “I’m okay with this,” thought Andrew contently. He appreciated all the love he had from his amazing kids, and sweet grandchildren, and his loyal friends, and Maria. So much joy and sorrow; success and failure; all of life’s ups and downs were experienced with and for her. It was a life defined by love. Andrew reminisced in all of this as he thought to himself one last time, “Maria.”