Unspoken

Chapter 29

Chapter 29

November 18, 1992

John woke to the sound of water trickling over pebbles, and a soft breeze filled with the scent of summer flowers brushed across his face. As his eyes slowly opened, he felt the heat of the early morning sun on his face. He propped himself up on his elbows, glancing around him in confusion. He recognized the location immediately, but how did he get there? He glanced over at the small fountain, and ran his fingers through the thick grass he was lying on. He had been there before, with Marlena. It had been one of the best days of his life. A day he felt he would never forget. A day filled with laughter, and softness, kisses, and gentle caresses. Sitting up he tried to find her. He remembered their picnic, and the race around the park. "Marlena?" he called.

He remembered leaning against the boulder, with her head resting on his shoulder, and flirting with each other in between soft, slow kisses. He sighed deeply, leaning back on his palms, looking up at the blue sky, and closed his eyes, feeling dizzy. Something about this place was different, but he didn't know what. Everything had a light to it, and the edges seemed blurry.

Then he heard Isabella's soft voice. "John..."

His eyes opened quickly, as he glanced around in a panic. His heart was racing, and he felt his muscles trembling. "Isabella?"

Suddenly, on the ground before him, as if she had appeared from the mist, she sat facing him, wearing the same dress she wore the night they left for Italy. It was a soft, white sheath made of the prettiest lace. She smiled at him. "Hello, John."

He stared at her in shock, trying to memorize every line of her face. She looked so healthy. Her skin glowed with life, and her hair... He felt tears well up in his eyes. She was whole again. He'd spent weeks haunted by her appearance the night she died, but right then, in front of him, she looked complete. But he was confused about her appearance in that field in West Virginia. "Why are we here?"

"This place is special to you isn't it?" she whispered softly. "I don't choose the place, John, you do. This is where you brought us, because it holds very special memories."

He felt his heart break all over again. Her voice, her smile, the way the light reflected the auburn in her hair, "Oh, G-d! Izzy B!" He reached for her, but even though she was right there in front of him, he was unable to touch her. His hand went through her as if she were nothing more than a ghostly apparition. She smiled again, as he said in a choked voice, "I miss you. I miss you so much."

"I miss you, too... I miss our son," she said. "He's grown so much. He has two teeth now, and he's trying to crawl."

John chuckled, "Well, he mostly sits on his hands and knees and rocks back and forth, but he'll get it soon, and then there will be no stopping him." John was silent for a moment, staring at his deceased wife. This was all his imagination. Isabella was gone. His face fell as he thought about the fact that Brady had lost his mother. His son had no mother.

As if he had spoken out loud, Isabella responded, "He has a mother, John... he has Marlena..."

"Marlena," he whispered, feeling love well up inside him. He felt a deep sense of peace settle within his heart, where previously there had been confusion and turmoil. He pictured Marlena's face when she was singing to Brady, and then he looked at Isabella.

Isabella seemed different, almost angelic. She had lost the earthly trappings of pain, and sorrow, and she simply existed. Suddenly he felt release. As if a tether had been severed, and he was floating free without an anchor. He felt helpless. She was letting him go. She was blessing a new path for his life, and he didn't know how he knew, he simply knew. All of Isabella's words before her death, the ones where she encouraged him to move on with Marlena, they hadn't given him what that singular moment had just given him.