Dear, Aurora...
I find myself sitting at the edge of my bed, lit only by a flickering light, as the wind howls in the chilly night. I light up a cigarette and take a deep breath, letting the flavor of the smoke blend with the weight of my thoughts. I reach for a whiskey glass that is half-filled with a bitter concoction and place it to my lips as I swallow my woes in an effort to dull the pain inside. A half-empty bottle sits next to my left foot, and I have a heavy heart and am holding a glass tightly. I take off my coat and untie my tie as I watch as tears start to cloud my vision and wonder if this is my fate. To picture my daughter, who I have lost, resting inside the constraints of a casket is an unpleasant sight. I suddenly come to the awful realization, which makes my existing suffering worse. Should I not follow them too? to adhere to their course towards the light? There is no end to my unquenchable love for my wife and kid, and the idea of a never-ending reunion tempts me. In the depths of my misery, I toy with the idea of tying a rope around my neck and taking the final plunge to put an end to my suffering. However, as I stand there, teetering on the verge of oblivion, an illogical event happens. She appears to me like a mirage, vision, or ghost. They are long dead and in the grip of death, so it can't be true. They are dead, my mind shouts with definite certainty. AND STILL... My kid is standing there with a lovely smile on her face. Disbelief and astonishment converge in that mere instant. I whisper to myself, trying to make sense of what I just saw, "For a second... I saw them." I turn my attention inward, examining both my surroundings and my own existence. How did I get to this point after all these years passed? My journey seems far away and unfamiliar; it was a maze of feelings that brought me to this precipice. The scars left behind by the deaths of my wife and daughter are still too fresh to allow them to fully heal. But I've also learned to appreciate the love they gave me and the life we had in their absence. It is a memory that shouldn't be ignored without thought. I make the decision to visit them soon because I still feel the pain of my losses. The road ahead is uncertain, but it serves as a reminder that love can endure through unfathomable suffering. The story of the life they given me calls to be continued even though the chapter of pain is far from over.
Sincerely
Your Husband Adam...
