Melissa Sweeney Simpson

You can’t take it with you

She was not sure what time it was when the pain woke her or how long she had been lying in the dark, waiting. The only sound she could hear was the old clock on the living room mantle faithfully, steadily slicing seconds off the borrowed time she was biding. The insidious ache grew larger and she struggled to control her thoughts. Once happy memories that brought her comfort had been reduced to longing and regrets causing her to shake her head now and then in an attempt to erase those faces that were long gone. Her body was too weak to get up on her own so she was forced to wait and try to breathe and relax like the hospice nurse had taught her. She focused on the muted sounds of her heartbeat and the small high pitched wheezing of her breath until the first pale rays of sun slipped through the tiny gap in her curtains. It wasn’t long till the staccato of bird songs began to welcome the dawn. In the distance she heard a rooster declaring his rightful place in the world. The pain was stronger now and she took deeper breaths telling herself it wouldn’t be much longer. When she finally heard a car door slam outside her house her eyes filled with tears. She had made it through. Leah was here.