The Dance

Chapter 106 Life and Death

Two Years Earlier, in Savannah, Georgia

"You're a hit, Jill!" Jake waved the Savannah News Times in her face. "That crone gave you a fantastic review on your gallery show."

Jill wiped the sleep from her eyes and saw Jake jumping up and down on the bed. He held the Sunday newspaper in his hand and began reading aloud the review. "Jillian Heather has captured the essence of all things southern. She has painted the coastline of Georgia in an ethereal way far past her years in age. She is destined for greatness as one of the premiere up and coming artists from SCAD (Savanah College of Art and Design).

Jill squealed with excitement. She had spent the last four years studying and painting all things southern. And now at her first gallery showing, she had receive the blessing of one of Savannah's top art critics. Her art would sell now and at much higher prices. Old Savannah money would pay premium prices to own a painting Claire Chastain had dubbed as "up and coming."

It was a relief both to Jake and Jill. The pair had been together since her first year at art school. He worked as an evening bartender in one of Savannah's most popular bars while she attended art school during the day. They had slowly built a life together hoping when she graduated, he could then pursue his passion at culinary school. They had moved in together shortly after meeting to split expenses but from that grew a mutual admiration for one another and then something more. They had planned a future together but they both agreed to wait until money and work were no longer issues. It was the responsible thing to do is what they both believed.

And so life went on day in and day out. Jill made extra cash painting nursery murals in the evenings while Jake worked at night. Their schedules were somewhat erratic but they managed to save enough money for a down payment on a fixer upper home in an artsy neighborhood that would be their project house.

When their schedules matched up, they drew up plans for their future home. Jake had a passion for wood and looked forward to the restoration projects while Jill would handle the colors and esthetics.

But sometimes life has a bad habit of getting in the way of hopes and dreams and Jill and Jake were not immune to those realities. Everything happened so suddenly. Jake found himself standing at the jewelers picking out an engagement ring. Saturday night would be the night he would propose to her. He would surprise her with one of his special dinners and pop the question. Jill arrived home that Saturday to find the table set lovingly with her china and grandmother's silver. She found a note from Jake saying he had run up to the store to grab a bottle of wine and to change into the surprise that waited for her upstairs. Jill was intrigued as it wasn't her birthday or any special holiday. She followed the instructions and found a box waiting on the bed with a card that read "open me." She took the top off the box and found a beautiful white nightgown with a beaded bodice and tiny pink ribbon roses. Jill changed into the gown and freshen her makeup and perfume. She heard a knock at the door and raced to open it to show Jake how beautiful it looked on her. But when she opened the door, she didn't find him. Instead she found the somber faces of two police officers.

"Jillian Heather?" The officer asked in a formal voice.

"I'm Jillian."

"May we come in?"

Jill grabbed a sweater from behind the door and pulled it on and showed the officers into the living room. The shorter officer took notice of the table and glanced at his partner. "Is there something wrong?" She asked with all seriousness.

"Ms. Heather, do you have family or a friend you can call to come over?"

A feeling of panic rushed over her. "What's wrong?" She demanded an answer.

"Ms. Heather, there's no good way to say this. We found your name in Jake Luis' cellphone under the ICE (in case of emergency) listing."

"What's happened to Jake? Is he okay?" Terror had now settled into her.

"There's been an accident." The officer exhaled deeply. "Mr. Luis was hit by a car. He was thrown from his motorcycle and...I'm sorry...."

"Sorry, sorry for what?" Jill's voice trembled as she asked again "Where...is...Jake?"

"Ms. Heather, Mr. Luis did not survive his injuries."

Jill stood there stunned as if all the life in her and the room had been sucked into a black hole. "What did you say?" She asked as if she hadn't heard the officer correctly. She looked at the officer who was talking to her but the only words she understood were "Jake" and "dead."

"Ms. Heather, did you understand what I just said to you?"

This wasn't happening. It was surreal. It couldn't be happening to her. He would be back soon and everything would be right in her world. She had played by the rules her whole life. Things like this didn't happen to people like her.

"Ms. Heather, we will need you to come downtown and identify Mr. Luis' body."

Jill excused herself and changed clothes. A scary calm fell over her. Her mind couldn't process what she had just heard and instead of tears she just grew numb. Everything she loved had died that night including herself.

On the ride to the hospital morgue, the officers explained that Jake probably never knew what hit him. It was quick and fast. The driver that hit him was drunk, had failed a sobriety test and was arrested at the scene. It didn't make Jill feel any better to know the details.

At the morgue, the staff was perfunctory in their duties. They showed no emotion as life and death were routine to them.

The police officers and the coroner led Jill to where Jake's body had been housed. When the sheet was pulled back to unveil his face, he looked like he was sleeping. He was so still and as she touched his cheek, he was ice cold. All the essence and soul of who he was had been drained from his lifeless body and all that remained was a shell of who he was. "Ms. Heather, is this Mr. Luis?"

Jill nodded and went through the motions as if she were a robot. The coroner had her sign for his belongings which included his cellphone, wallet and the remains of his leather jacket. They gave her instructions on how to claim his ashes after cremation since their was no immediate family.

Jill asked the officers if they could take her back home. "Ms. Heather, please let us call someone for you." The officer pleaded to her as he felt like she was going into shock, if she wasn't already there.

Jill refused and asked to be taken home again. They obliged and left a card with her in case she needed help or wanted to speak to a counselor. Jill thanked them for their kindness and closed the door to the world for the remainder of the night.

She walked to the bedroom and laid out his jacket, phone and wallet. A box fell out of the jacket from her favorite jewelry store. She and Jake would visit the store and press their noses to the cases looking at rings but never committing to buy one. Jill opened the box and began to cry hysterically for in the box was an engagement ring, the one with the Victorian setting she admired weeks ago. He had remembered and tonight was the night he was to propose. The tears finally came harder and stronger than one could imagine and she vocalized her pain screaming for answers that went unheard by God.

Her life had been changed forever. Her future was now unknown. All she wanted to do was sleep. She slipped on Jake's jacket and put the ring on her finger and collapsed into a long deep sob until she had cried herself to sleep.

She woke the next morning hoping her nightmare was over but it wasn't. She was alone now. Her heart and soul were extinguished by a stranger's choice. She called her friend, Cassie, to come over and asked her to sell everything including her art, her household goods, and their project house. When all that was done, Jill would contact her and let her know where to wire the money. By the end of the day, Jill had packed her clothes, his jacket and the ring and headed for the airport. She asked to go anywhere as long as it was far away from her nightmare in Savannah and so began her journey to run away from her past and forget what may have been her happily ever after.