star crossed...

STORY: FANTASY FICTION LOVE

she held the letter, not in her hand but in her heart . she couldn’t even comprehend how that much time had passed…90 yrs ! she remembered thinking when she was very young ‘I probably won’t even live to 35’. At 12 yrs old 35 seemed like an impossible age to reach, she smiled at the childish thought. Now here she was living with her grandchildren, her daughter and her daughter's wonderful husband. she felt tired, but happy knowing she lived. it was by no means an easy life but it was never predicable or boring. yes she lived and she had the memories to prove it. Her 'life contentment' came to a pause after reading the letter. it was from his son...as she read the words her heart felt heavy. it was a long time coming and it wasn't even so sad, as it was a part of life itself but it was an sudden jolt, a void, an emptiness she had never felt in her entire life. he was no longer here 'with her', on the earth where she was...she closed her tear filled eyes and she was back in time, 80 yrs.

they lived in the same 'three family house' when they were little in the Bronx NY. his family was upstairs on the top floor apartment and hers on the first floor. they grew up together from when they were born... during their young years, they were never really close but somehow always connected . He was the black sheep of his family…he was a drummer since he was born! He drummed on everything! He was always getting in trouble, little trouble but still trouble enough…..breaking windows (by accident) not great in school, getting in little fights, very misunderstood, as any genius musician would be. she was an artist at heart before ever putting pen to paper. she danced to the beat of a different drum from the rest of her family. she was the ‘gray sheep’ of the family, not really getting in trouble but as she got older it was obvious she was born into the wrong family, the wrong era, maybe the wrong universe! they were not close in physical terms but always connected somehow, someway. In their twenties they both went through 'life changing' hardships that altered their 'intended paths'. He a musician and her a bartender, riding life 'by the seat of their pants' they always fell back to each other for emotional and moral support for whatever they were going through at the time. No one ever understood her but whenever she explained her dilemma to him, what ever it may have been, he would always tell her that it was not her fault. During any traumatic drama she was experiencing, he would always assure her it was ‘them’ not her. He ‘got her’ in a way nobody could ever ‘get her’…it was pure love and support for each other in a 'soul connected' way. It was somewhat 'felt' by the very few closest to them. no mater what others would say about either of them, each would always stand up for the other. there was never, ever a time that they saw fault in one another. It was as if they were twin souls, separate physically but ever so loyal and protective of each others spirit. they both believed that, 'before we are born we plan and decide our earth's journey and the experiences we want to experience here on earth'. they would laugh, as they both agreed that maybe the experiences they chose for themselves, what they thought they wanted, were not the best of choices and maybe they should’ve stayed put where they were…wherever that may have been. her heart ached lovingly at their ‘cross-crossed’ paths. they grew up together and were attached at the core. to have a true soul mate without ‘desire’ of any kind, just pure love was inexplicable. their only desire was to be in each other’s company all the time, and they were…although not physically. as they grew older so did their ‘love, with maturity, intelligence and understanding. they always felt the same deep connection, sometimes in the same room and other times not even in the same country. they called each other, but not much…they had their own lives, but loved each other more than thought possible, without ever the touch of lovers. they were content just knowing the other was on this earth, they felt each other in spirit on an inexplicable ‘other level’ …it was fulfilling to them both in the heart, the mind and the soul. they spoke of the relief they felt, just to know the other was in existence on this same earth, at the same time …although often, geographically, many miles apart. they felt elated at the thought of, with a stroke of a pen or a short ‘check in’ phone call they could and would be in their own ‘other world’ privately sharing their existential thoughts that no other person would be interested in talking about… when their conversation ended, they could almost feel an ‘exhale of the mind’ as if it had just undergone an intense workout at the gym. no one would ever understand such a connection, so only they two knew of it…it wasn’t a secret but it wasn’t public either. they often laughed and said they were certain that they knew one another in a different life, another world, a parallel world of some sort or maybe an ancient world. with that thought in mind they swore to each other that when they were ‘finished here’ they would be waiting for the other in another place, in perhaps another galaxy…in another time. they never expressed their connection as 'love', they never mentioned it as anything, they both just had a deep gratitude and appreciation for the other's life touching theirs...it was a perfect, unequivocal, untainted love, not found amongst others in this life. 'cherish' was the only thought, the only word to come to her mind, as she glanced down at the letter one more time.

she watched, as she saw her daughter pick up the letter that had floated to the floor from her open hand. she was watching from above, not realizing at first that she had ‘passed on’. she felt both deep sadness and overwhelming joy. she felt frightened and completely at ease. as she saw the world she knew fade further and further away, she felt an amazing embrace without a touch, she felt an all consuming love without a word. it was him, her ‘soul connected’ human, waiting for her as promised… in another place, another galaxy, in another time.

that evening as her daughter ‘star gazed’ from her bedroom window as she often did, she noticed the midnight sky was practically glowing ,as there were two brightly shining stars almost as one. she was certain she had never seen those stars there before… and they remained there, ever after.