When The Sun Came Up, You Were Gone

Noah(5)

"Grandpa!" My grandson's tapped his way into the kitchen, wearing his little overalls and his boat hat.

Bending down, I picked him up and tossed him into the air, "Look who has come visit me! My special little grandson!" I left a kiss on his cheek, blowing air onto them and hearing him giggle. He frailed around in my arms, giving off a belly laugh.

"If you keep throwing him in the air like that, he'll puke on you," my wife, Angelina, comes in wearing her gorgeous yellow sundress. Her grey hair was pulled back into a lovely braid, having a few hairs standing up, "My, my aren't you just spoiled by your grandpa Tyler? Huh?" She stole him from my arms, twirling him around the kitchen.

My son's wife came in with their newborn, Alicia, "Can I put the baby's things in the guest room?"

"Of course," I take the bags from her, "she looks just like you. Sadly she took my son's terrible hair color."

She laughed at my joke, "Didn't he get your hair?"

"My point exactly," I showed her to the guest room, helping her set up her things.

I met Angelina while I was attending college. She was getting her degree in fine arts, while I was focusing on becoming a psychologist. We got married when she was twenty four and I was twenty five. After that, we moved to North Dakota and have been there since. We had three children; two girls and one boy. Lucky for me, the son came first.

"Alicia?" My son came in, carrying some of the babies toys, "I see my father scooped you up. Don't let him spoil Mimi too... Tyler demands us everyday to go visit grandpa, to let him be with grandpa!" I just glared at my ugly son.

"It isn't my fault he loves me more," I slapped his back, watching him wince, "and I'm happy they take after their mother more."

"Same crabby old man," he muttered.

"Same stupid ass kid," I muttered back.

"If you two keep arguing, neither of you are having dinner," Angelina came in, Tyler reaching out to me. I take him away, blowing on his face and watching him twitch. "My she's so beautiful. She has Dominic's hair!"

"I love it very," Alicia peers down at her baby with absolute love and admiration, just like a mother should.

Letting Tyler tug on my hair and tell me about his toy car, my son came over, "Hey dad... I wanna talk to you about something."

"Go ahead," I smothered Tyler with kisses.

"Well, two months ago when Cathy and I were going through the storage unit to find mom's tea kettle she got from grandma," he went into his bag, "and I found this. Each page is addressed to you and I was curious about who Noah is." I stopped playing with Tyler, turning my head to see him holding the journal I packed away a long time ago, "I mean... I wouldn't usually take notice of these things, but since you named me Noah, I was just wondering... who was he."

Putting Tyler down, I kiss his forehead, "Go play with Grandma for a bit. I gotta talk to your daddy." He pouted but ran off. Fixing my glasses, I grab the journal from him. Flipping through the pages, memories of back then flooded in. A little grin came onto my face as I looked through it, "He was... was someone I cared about a lot. I met him in my senior year of high school. He was... was an amazing person."

He handed me another book, one with a sun on the front of it and words saying When The Sun Came Up, You were Gone. I Gave him a look as he said, "After reading it, I could tell that there was something between you two. I'm not sure what, but it inspired me to write this. The book is about you guys dad... I hope you're okay with it and if you give me permission, I would like to publish it through my company."

I felt my heart ache as I opened the book. Reading the first page, I felt as if I was going to cry:

"I don't know what we had, what it was or how it even happen, but something was there. Something I can't describe... something that has been tucked away in my mind. At night sometimes I remembered him, our times together, but what I remembered the most was the breathless moments of true bonding and connection we shared."

Clutching the book, I turned my face away from him, letting my emotions leak just a bit. It had been a long time since I've opened up my heart in this way. Letting myself be filled with all those beautiful emotions. Noah stood up and hugged me, rubbing my shoulders as he said, "I'm honored to be named after him... thank you for naming me after someone who is such a great person."

~

Staring out at the darkness on my front porch, I just replayed the times of my life. The me as a little toddler, to child and then teen. The me in college, falling in love and marrying. All those nights I spent with Angelina, the troubles and the hills. All the beautiful times such as the births of our children and our expanding household.

I had done what he asked.

Helped people, fell in love, married, had children... lived. I did all of this because of the promise I made to him in that flimsy journal. The life I have now is all because of his selfish words and his thoughtless smile.

Angelina placed her hands on my shoulders, kissing my cheek, "Thinking of him again?"

"Yes."

Resting herself on me, she whispered, "Tell me the story of you two again. Just like you did the first time."

Kissing her arms, I asked, "Not once have you opposed my thoughts about him, even allowing me to name our first child after him.... why?"

"Because I understand," she said, "Dominic, I do not doubt your love for me. I never have. I'm not jealous of Noah nor upset about your connection with him. I understand he meant something to you... that he had left this imprint on you. How I look at it, Noah helped create the man I deeply love. I'm forever thankful to him."

Turning my face, I pressed a kiss to her lips and whispered, "I'm thankful to him as well... for providing me the ability to meet you."

One day I will see him again. I will share the stories of my family and the challenges I face. I will introduce him to everyone that I so deeply love. We will watch Tom Cruise moves again and eat all the sweets we want.

And I'll be able to hug him again.

Soon... one day soon I will be with you again....

Noah.

THAT IS IT!

Thank you so freaking much for reading my book! I have loved the journal of finishing this novel... even shed a few tears as I wrote it. I hope you can forgive me for killing off the main character!

LOVE YOU ALL

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