Letting Go – Published in the Ekphrastic Writing Challenge – August 13, 2021
He stared out the window into the empty street lit only by the flicker of gaslights. The restaurant was empty and so was the page before him. Blank. Nothing.
“Another whiskey,” he called across the empty dining room to the waiter.
“Bar’s closed, sir. I can get you a cup of coffee if you’d like.”
The old man shook his head and dropped his chin to his chest. He wanted to dull his senses, not awaken them. So much to say yet not a word came to mind beyond her name. “Evie, Evie, Evie.”
Their lives had been linked, bonded, after sixty-three years. She was not his other half. They were together as one. Today she would nurture the earth. Tomorrow he would join her.
But first he was to deliver a stirring eulogy as he’d done for so many of his congregants who had passed away through the years.
The door squeaked open. He didn’t look up, but heard the footsteps approaching.
“Dad.” He heard Marilyn’s soft voice and felt her warm hand touch his resting on the table.
“Dad,” she repeated. “Let’s go home.”
“But I didn’t …”
“I know. I’ve got this one.”
He looked up. Smile lines deepened on his face. “Evie,” he said staring into his daughter’s eyes.
