Three years later, after another move, I sat on my deck in Ohio. Justin stepped out. “Dad, wrestling is cool. I love it.”
Vanessa, now sixteen, joined him, “Dad, they made me second in clarinet!”
I hugged them both. “Way to go, guys!”
The kids went to their rooms. Steaks sizzled on the grill. I pulled the bookmark from my book, placed it on the patio table, and read. Life was good.
*********************************
“Hun, I’ll get home when I can.” I said to Georgia. My job in Ohio was gone. I took an offer in New Jersey. We decided she would stay in Ohio, so Vanessa could finish her senior year of high school. Georgia and Justin would join me in Jersey in ten months. I stood on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. Manhattan sparkled in front of me. Miles of buildings, windows full of light, stretched out in both directions – a dazzling display.
Back in my apartment, I settled into bed, picked up my book, and thought about the day my family could join me and see the view. I pulled my bookmark from my book and placed it on the covers beside me. It was worn after years of use. I spoke to it.
“We’ve been through a lot. We can get through more.”
I dozed off in my new surroundings. The book rested on my chest, rising and falling with each breath I took. My bookmark lay beside me. I turned in my sleep. The bookmark slid to the floor.
*********************************
Eleven months later, I sat in a chair reading. Georgia lay on the sofa. She’d been in New Jersey for three weeks. My son slept upstairs in his new bedroom. My daughter stayed in Ohio to attend college. Georgia stirred and moaned – her organs failing. While I was away, her liver failed and then her kidneys. I feared her end was near.
Her eyes opened. “Michael?”
“I’m here, Hun.”
“I’m thirsty. Can you get me a drink?”
I placed the worn bookmark between the pages. “What would you like, Hun?
Do you want juice?”
She shook her head. “Is Vanessa home yet?”
“Georgia, Vanessa is in Ohio. She’s not here.” I replied.
“Oh! I forgot.” she smiled weakly.
I made her a cup of tea. She sipped it carefully as she stared blankly at the television. The bookmark rested on my thigh again. “Michael?”
I looked up. “Yes?”
“Is Vanessa home yet?” Georgia asked again.
“She’s still in Ohio, Hun.”
“Oh, right. I forgot.” Her eyes closed. She drifted off to sleep.
I placed my bookmark between the pages, put my book down and went to bed. Tears filled my eyes. I wished my wife could climb the stairs to join me.
*********************************
The bookmark stretched across my stomach, I held my book in front of me, not reading. On the television, a sitcom blared unwatched. My friends had left. Justin slept in his room. Vanessa, who came from Ohio, slept in the spare room. Georgia’s ashes rested in her urn on the credenza. My children were with me again, but I was alone.
I grabbed the bookmark, marked my spot, and carried my book to my empty bed. “Lord, I don’t want to be alone.” I prayed. “I want love in my life.”
*********************************
The sun warmed my back. Ginny sat in the chair across the patio table from me. Love was in my life again. I lifted the bookmark from my lap, marked my page, stared at her, and said, “Ginny, I love you.”
She looked up, put her book down, and smiled at me. “I love you too.”
“I love you more.” I smiled back. “Now back to our reading.”
We picked up our books and read. The bookmark rested on my lap.
