Old Man's Lament

As the cold September wind bit at his neck, the old man reached up and pulled on the brim of his wool fedora securing it a bit tighter on his bald head. The leaves of summer green had turned to reds, yellows and golds that now littered the ground. The grass had gone dormant with the cool autumn temperatures, prepared now for the long winter ahead.

She loved this time of year.

He steadied himself with his cane. Bowed his head and closed his eyes for but a moment. Nobody could see the tears he cried for the black brimmed hat and fluffy white beard that covered his face.

He smiled as he recalled how she would pull out her giant wool sweaters, her ever growing collection of hoodies and long cotton turtlenecks. She would also dig out her special holiday edition coffee mugs and warm wool pajamas she wore to bed at night and every day she could get away with not getting dressed for the world outside.

The cold autumn wind had kicked up a breeze that hit the back of the old man's wrinkled neck and caused a chill that coursed down his spine causing an involuntary shiver. It reminded him of the kiss she had given him on the nape of his neck while standing in a restaurant lobby one afternoon when they were both still in their twenties.

That moment had meant everything to him, and stayed with him right up until his final moments.

He ran his gloved hand through his snow white beard, reached back and pulled the collar of his long wool overcoat up around his neck under the hat brim to keep the wind at bay the best he could.

For just a moment he could see her standing there in front of him, a smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eyes as she reached out and adjusted his collar for him like she had done so many times throughout the years. "There you go, silly," she would whisper.

She reveled with delight sitting on the cobblestone porch with her mom. Feet off the ground, tucked up under her on the chair. They spent days, even weeks every year sipping on cups of hot tea while watching birds fly overhead on their way to warmer locations for the coming winters.

She enjoyed reminiscing with her Mom - laughing until all hours of the night as they relived old memories, rehashed times gone by, told new stories they hadn't yet shared with each other and caught up on the most recent gossip.

She loved cool autumn days watching her children play on the jungle gym at the local park while she sat quietly on a bench with a hot cup of coffee and thanked God for giving her two gifts the doctors told her she would never have.

Autumn was the time of year for the holidays and she wasn't about to miss out on those. She spent months preparing the house inside and out for each holiday that came along. Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas led into a new year's blowout.

With each celebration that passed the parties grew smaller and more reserved. Valentines led into St Patrick's and eventually Easter where the entire weekend was spent decorating eggs and then sending the kids off to find the ones she had hidden while they slept. This tradition was passed on from her children to her grandchildren and to their children.

She would mark each occasion with a special celebration that would be remembered and talked about for years to come. She loved life and she was loved in return.

Her favorite passtime was creating memories for herself and for those she loved. While she took full advantage of the different seasons and what each had to offer, there was nothing more sacred to her than the beginning of autumn.

She loved him, truly and he loved her in return. From the day they met there was something between them that just clicked. Like two peas in a pod, she once told him that he was the only person on earth she could spend days locked in a room with and never grow tired of. Naturally, that had to be put that to the test.

One weekend when all the kids were gone and they had no other plans, he locked them in a room neither of them could get out of. Turns out she was right. She was always right. They would reminisce about that weekend for the next forty years.

They spent weeks together on the road driving across the country. Never once did they grow tired of each others' company. Infact the close proximity and the joy they brought each other pulled them even closer than they were before. They truly did love each other more than life itself.

Their bond endured years of separation and silence only to pick up exactly where they had left off more than a decade before. Their bond was eternal and in the years that followed, they made sure to let each other know it as often as they felt it needed to be said.

As the mourners that gathered to say their final goodbyes slowly made their way to their waiting cars, the old man, with tears hidden behind dark glasses, walked the few small steps to stand at her side one more time. He slipped one glove off, held his fingers to his lips then laid his hand on the dark mohagany lid and uttered one last "I Love You."

The old man pulled his overcoat close, with his cane in hand to balance him, he turned and walked off into the autumn wind to await his own fate when, with but a breath and a heartbeat, they would be reunited once more.