Sketched Dream

Final

"This is the perfect place, Jake. A house in the countryside? Not to mention the lake nearby. This is plain perfect, I'm telling you. We can go fishing on weekends."

That was what you told me, Liz. You wanted this place... and so we got it.

Jake grabbed another fistful of ashes from inside the urn he's holding and let it drift off into the air, scattering it across the lake. He stood at the edge of the dock, his face void of any emotions as he replayed his late wife's words in his head.

A year ago they had gotten this place. As what she had said, this is perfect; the scenery and the location is exactly what they needed to build their dreams, to start a family. But it was perfect only until two days ago.

His eyes would usually be bright and cheery but now they were nothing but ashen and blank. His only source of happiness was taken away from him, how then is he supposed to be happy again?

***

It was the fifth time he went over her things. Vina, Liz's best friend, walked in to find him profusely bent over the same pile he was on before she even left to fetch water from the well outside.

"What are you so earnest to find Jake?" she asked with her forehead creased. Based on what she can see, these are the things Liz had with her when she was on the hospital, her final belongings that was returned to her husband.

Jake threw her a brief glance before deciding to end the search then. He started straightening out the clothes and closing every zipper of the bag he unzipped. "Nothing. Just checking if I've missed anything." he answers.

Vina looked at him with doubtful eyes but decided not to push it any further. Instead she asked, "will you be okay?"

Getting on his feet, he pressed his lips together and put his hand on the scruff of his neck. "Yeah, sure." he smiled thereafter, but it was not the same smile he used to have. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." He added as if that would convince her more.

***

"I just spoke with the nurse in-charge with Mrs. Winters that day and she said that everything we've sent you was all she found in the room. Nothing more, I'm afraid, Mr. Winters."

Jake squeezed his eyes shut and nodded as if the person on the other line could see him do that. "Okay, thank you." he said then hung up.

After setting the phone back to its cradle, he propped up his arm against the window and rested his forehead on it. His eyes wander to the vast meadow before him but that isn't what he's seeing right now. Instead his mind is starting to be preoccupied of what he and Liz had talked about five months ago.

"Jake?" He looked up from all the papers he was reading. Liz walked in, already in her nightgown. That was when he realized he had been bent over those papers for so long now they should have slept already.

He opened his arms, inviting her to sit on his lap. She did and cradled his head as he planted small small kisses on her shoulder. "Why are you still up?" he asked in a hoarse voice.