Julie Gardner

NOW!

The sun would soon be peaking over the horizon as Charlie Henry walked laboriously down toward the beach. A paper cup of black coffee and a walking stick to steady his steps, were his only companions. Still, he was determined. He would watch the sunrise over the sparkling Atlantic before the two-hour drive home to the city. It wasn’t far, but it might as well have been half way around the world. It was the first time he had gone more than 20 miles in any direction since the death of his wife Maggie. She had always wanted to travel and he had promised her the world. A passing wave of guilt pressed down on Charlie like a knife. He pushed it aside and picked up the pace, ignoring the pain. Around the next corner he would be able to see the ocean, stretched out before him like an endless canvas of blue. Navigating past a high rise of luxury condos, he paused long enough to look up and wonder. “I bet the view from up there is grand. If I was staying here, I could just sip my coffee and watch the sunrise with Maggie. She would like that." But of course, that would be expensive. His hotel was several blocks away. Cheap room, cheap coffee, cheap view.