Regrets

Goodbye To You

1976

The next morning, Frank woke up once the sun began to shine through the window. He squinted and shifted until the sun was no longer blinding him, and the next thing to catch his eye was the face of his new bride. Alexandra was still asleep, her figure slowly rising up and down. Even though he couldn't see them, her purple eyes popped into his mind. Her brown, wavy hair was tousled around the shape of her head and neck. He gave a sad, tired smile before gently pushing a few strands of her hair out of her face then gently kissing her forehead.

Frank slowly and gently rose and got out from the bed, grabbed a pair of boxers, then glanced at the clock- which said 8:46 in the morning. If the twenty-four hours were correct, he had until 11:25 that morning, about three more hours. He let out a sad sigh before looking sadly at Alexandra in her sleeping state. I'm so sorry to have to leave you, Ally, he thought, But it's the only way to keep you safe. He walked out from the room quietly and made his way to the bathroom.

Frank quickly took a shower, then got out, brushed his teeth and combed his hair. He quickly changed into his jeans, a button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and walked to the living room. He looked over at all the guts they had received for their marriage, giving another weak smile. He then walked into the kitchen and began to cook breakfast for himself and for Alexandra.

About twenty-five minutes later, Frank nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard his name. "Frank?" Alexandra questioned, "What're you doing up already?"

Frank shrugged a bit and continued to cook. "Just making breakfast for my beautiful wife," he answered.

She gave a tired smile and walked up next to him at the counter. "You cook like the Italian you are."

"Is that bad?"

"No way. Haven't you heard that Italians are the best cooks in the world?"

"Actually, I haven't. But, it does make me proud to be Italian."

"Like my dad always used to tell me and my brother- there are two kinds of people in the world: Italians, and those who wish they were Italian."

Frank laughed. "I remember the first time I met your dad," he chuckled, "He told me that, then asked me if I was Italian."

Alexandra laughed as well. "I'll never forget how happy he was when you said you were," she smiled, "I really miss him sometimes, but it kinda makes it better that John's exactly like him, both in looks and personality."

The newly married couple sat down to eat their breakfast not long after that. The whole time, as they ate, they talked. As they talked, the laughed, smiled, shared memories, anything. Frank purposely steered their conversation in a good direction, so that when Alexandra remembered their last twenty-four hours together, she'd have happy memories.

After the two finished eating their breakfasts, Alexandra went to take a shower. At this point, it was 10:20 in the morning. As she showered and got ready- which would usually take around forty-five minutes- Frank got out a pen and paper. He cleared away what was left from breakfast, then began to write on the paper. He wrote out the noted he wanted her to rea after 11:30 that morning. Once he finished the note, he folded it up and slid it into the envelope. He then shut the envelope, place it on the coffee table, and let out a sigh as he nervously waited for the inevitable to come.

-/-/-

Alexandra got out from her shower a little before eleven o'clock; she liked long, hot showers. She dried off then went to the bedroom. She used the hair dryer to dry off her wavy brown hair, combing her hands and fingers through the damps strands to help them dry quicker. Once she finished, she then walked over to her dresser and changed into a pair of blue jeans and a black sleeveless Led Zeppelin t-shirt; she was very big on rock bands and musicians, and nearly all her t-shirts had some sort of bad or singer on them.