I closed the book and marked the end of the book reading session. This was my 10th session of the book launch's week. I wiped the tear from the corner of my eye.
"Mr. Bentley so your publishing house, Al'Sav is really named after Ms. Savatore?" A person asked from the audience.
"Yes. She was very much into writing and therefore, I dedicated this publishing house to her." I answered smiling.
"Ms. Savatore really wrote this book or you?" A lady asked.
"This is completely her work. The last chapter and a little editing is my only addition. That's why we have only Alice's name on the cover as the author. "
"You are a lawyer, now a bit of a writer and also own a publishing house. How do you plan to manage all this together?"
"I have a strong and hard-working heart." I smirked at the reporter who asked the last question.
I saw my 5 year old daughter standing alongwith one of my security guards at the end of the hall. She waved at me and asked me to come soon. But I was being shot with so many questions.
"Did you guys got secretly married?" I smiled at the question and finally stood up from my chair. I could keep anyone waiting in this world except my daughter.
"Daddy! You're late. Mommy must be waiting for us."
"I am sorry Doreice, sweetheart! You know how this people are. Now let's go and not keep your mommy waiting." I took her into my arms and started walking towards my car.
Riley opened the car's door and helped Doreice get into it. I followed her and got into the backseat, as well.
"Where to sir?" Riley asked roaring the engine to life.
"You know that very well, don't you." He nodded and drove us away into the New York's traffic.
"You know, granny is already there. She reached an hour ago. We are going to be late."
"No, we aren't. We have Riley."
Everything about Doreice reminded me of Alice. She was the carbon copy of her. She could get excited just about anything anywhere. The other moment she could get her mood off for something.
"Daddy, we have to pick up flowers for mommy!" She clapped her little hands.
"The usuals." I handed the florists, dollars. He too was now familiar which flowers I would buy.
•••
"Sorry, mommy! We are late. But it's all because of daddy. He made us late." Doreice stood holding her ears.
I kneeled down and joined her too.
"Yes, mommy it's my fault. And, I apologise for it. I promise to make it up for this. Now Doreice, give mommy the flowers we got for her."
"Oh yes!" Riley hands over the bouquet to Doreice. She keeps the white tulips on Alice's grave. And bends down and kisses it. I re-read the gravestone everyday when I come to see her.
_______________________
In the loving memory of
ALICE SAVATORE BENTLEY
"O lord my god, I will give thanks to you forever."
-Psalm 30
_______________________
It's been two years since she left all of us. Today was her second death anniversary.
"Doreice Grace Bentley, I want you to teach your father, my son, how to be punctual. " My mom joined us.
"Granny! I missed you so much. Mommy look who's here." She took my mom to Alice's grave and told her about her new friends she made in school.
We had kept a short prayer service today. Everyone was joining us today for the service and then a small reunion/ celebration for the successful book launch and in my love Alice's remembrance.
I saw Allan and Susan coming with their one and a half year old son, Andrew. They both couldn't meet Alice during her last time and Susan would have been still regretting, had Alice not left her a letter. Soon, Neil showed up with his wife Merlin, Serene with her fiancé Edward, Zia with her husband Shawn and last but not the least Hans and Agnès.
After the prayer service ended, we all recalled our promises we made to Alice and we kept updating her if we were keeping it not. We wished her a final goodbye for the day. I told her to come tomorrow again, as usual with her favourite flowers.
•••
"Daddy my name was Grace but then you changed it into Doreice. Why?" We were all at the dinning table for dinner.
"I will tell you, sweety." Susan answered.
"You know your dad's name is Theodore and your mommy's is Alice. So you have been named after both of them. 'Dore' is taken from Theo-dore and 'ice' is taken from Al-ice, making Doreice."
"Oh is that so." She gulped her juice down quickly.
"Excuse-me for a minute!" I stood up and walked into my room.
I stood infront of our picture, her favourite one, with which I surprised her.
"I have been keeping all my promises. You wished to adopt Grace, baby I did that for you. Everyone is happy. I am leading a happy life too, just the way you wanted." I walked to my cupboard and took the book GONE out. I came back to the picture with it.
"See, I read the story you left for me and turned it into this. This is the best part of you that I have, other than your heart." I placed it on the table that was right under the picture.
"You did left a gap in my life with your absence but still I have you, right here to fill that gap." I placed my hand on the beating heart inside my chest.
"Theo?" I heard mom. She was standing at the door.
"Mom. Come in." She took awl steps to me.
"She loved you a lot." She looked at the picture and said.
"Oh! She still loves me." I smiled thinking at the thought.
"How long will you stay alone like this? I am not asking you to find another girl or something. I just want you should come back there, meet me and dad, more often. We are alone too. We could give each other some company. Doreice too needs a women in her life. We all could help you raise her. Why don't you come back to Houston?"
"Mom you know that isn't possible. I have work here. Just like dad's got work in there and doesn't want to move in NY. But I promise that Doreice and I will come there more often. You can come here whenever you want and stay."
"Okay, dear. Now, come and join us for the dinner."
"Let's raise a toast to a lovely friend, who changed all our lives. To Alice!" Susan stood up on her place to raise the toast.
Everyone raised their glasses and looked at the empty seat next to me. "To Alice!"
No matter if others believes it or not, others see it or not, others feel it or not but I still feel you next to me all the time. I still believe that you are seating next to me that's why I keep this chair for you. As long as my heart is beating, I have you. You maybe GONE for others but you are still there with that beating heart. I have you in Doreice. I have you in every place you ever visited. I have you in your book and in this. I took the ring out of my pocket, kissed it and kept it back.
I still wish for more time with her but whatever I had, I lived my life with it.
Alice once said, "It doesn't matter for how long you stay or live. What matters is how much you love and for how long your memories stay."
T H E E N D
