The End of the Light

A single beam of light filtered through the blinds as a young woman dressed in all black laid on her double bed. The room was shrouded in darkness but for that line of light. Unseeing eyes watched as dust particles danced around the room. Cold food lay untouched on the side as a long silhouette made its way towards her. She suddenly jerked forward into sitting position.

Her bed dipped as the figure sat before her. The room no longer dark, Blue eyes twinkled in the dim lights. Her cold hands sought for his warm ones in futile efforts.

“Saaaammmyy!” she shouted at the top of her lungs and lunged forward wrapping her arms around his neck. A deep chuckle resonated in the said man's chest as he wrapped his arms around the petite form of the blonde.

“Miss me?” he whispered in her ear. A shiver went down her spine.

“Where were you!” She cried separating  “ I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever!” she punched him in the arm.

“Ouch! That hurt woman!” he fake exclaims and pulls her back into the embrace. 

“I am here now.”

“I’m glad. I missed you.” Sam pulls back and kisses her forehead.

“ Me too Juni. Me too.” he whispers against her forehead.

She sighed contentedly. “Don’t you dare leave me again. Else-” Her voice wavered for a second “ Else I’ll castrate you,” she says in a sickeningly sweet voice.

“I promise, my sweet violent sugar” A hearty laugh followed by a dull thump as another punch made its way on his arm.

“Oh, dear” He contentedly sighed against her, a moment later held her at an arm's length and just gazed at her.

“Let me check on little Ben, now will you .” He said softly as he got up.

“Who?” she rubbed her sleepless eyes.

“You forgot your son so soon?” he sarcastically exclamations putting his palm over his heart, as made his way around the bed and into the adjoining room where in an instant, the wails of an infant could be heard. His long legs took only a few steps to reach the other room. June watches as a smile made its way on her face.

The room darkened again. A knock is heard and a red-rimmed, brown-eyed woman in her mid-twenties peeps in. “Jess!” June on noticing her a second later exclaimed. “When did you get here? I thought you were in London this week”

“June…” Her expression somber and her voice tinged with pain.

“What’s wrong Jess? Is Matt Alright? Why do you sound so down ”

Jess shakes her head and enters the room, silently closing the door behind her, she kneels beside the other woman. The room was once again pitch-black. “ They are waiting for you June..” she said slowly and in the softest of tone that anyone had ever heard from the ever uncontrollable, excited woman. “Who are you and what have you done to my rambunctious best friend?” June laughs in the eerie silence.

“Why are you talking like this?”

“Oh, June..” Jess pulls June into her arms and sobs into her hair. “Sam’s waiting for you Juni...Let’s go” she continued insisting.

“What are you saying? Sam is with Ben-”

“Yes, honey. They are together. ” A drop of water splashes down the wooden floors.

“The roof’s leaking again.. I’ll call someone to fix it,” June says dazed as she unsteadily gets up.

A soft cry echoes in the empty room. The sound stirs a familiar yet unfamiliar emotion in June.“I..I’m so so-” strangled sob tears out from her form “ so sorry Juni” Jess’s voice cracks as thunder resonates somewhere in the background. she hurriedly stands and rushes out slamming the door shut.

“Who was it hon?” The black-haired head popped in through the other door. The environment brightened with the arrival of the joy of her life.

“Jess, she kept saying that you're waiting for me and that I must go…” Her voice trailed... A voice in the back of her head was being blocked.

“Oh, Yeah. We must get going. It’s our date.” A beat of silence echoed between the dark walls.

“Oh? ” Her eyes stung and suddenly she could no longer stand. Sam caught hold of her elbow before she fell. Why am I so emotional all of a sudden?

While holding her by the waist in a half embrace, he whispers in her ears “I love you, you know that right?” She nods.  “You know what. Let me go and get the car. You can take a moment.” He lifts her chin and kisses her cheek supportingly and with a final wave disappears.

“What about Ben?” she calls after him, but he’s already gone. Shrugging, she gets up on her weak knees and makes her way to the quiet nursery. “I suppose he already took my baby. Our baby.” She whispers to herself. Another droplet of water splashes. Oh, the roof. Just as she turned to leave the room, a stick-on note caught her eyes.

Wait for me, my darling.

More splashes of the salty water lined the wooden floor. The bright blue of the walls contrasted her dark eyes.

Dazed she made her way to the front of her house where she was engulfed in a bear hug by her mother. “My Baby..” More splatters on the ground. It must rain soon...

“Mom? What are you doing here? When did you get back from Georgia?” she mutters through the hair of the older lady.

“I’m here for you honey. For you. For Sammy. For Ben.” She holds June at an arms distance and whispers softly. June looks at her questionably.

“It’s going to rain soon. We must go now?”

“Yes, Sammy and Ben are waiting for you there.”

“They are?” The bright sun shone in the mom's eyes as she nods and guides the younger to the waiting car, barely holding herself together.

“Oh..Okay…”

Bursts of color in grey background rush by as they followed the black roads. Her eyes were glued to the passing cars, as though in one of them she might see the man she so desperately loved. The car slowed before coming to a stop at the red light, her gaze lingered at a young boy was selling blue hydrangeas. A surge of loneliness made her double in her seat. How cliché, I just saw him a few minutes ago, yet I miss him so much. She sadly chuckles to herself. Sammy loves Hydrangeas. Especially the blue ones..

Something at the back of her brain kept hinting that she was missing a pretty important fact, but she couldn’t recall what. What further made no sense to her was that she kept caressing her flat stomach. Like she was expecting it to be swollen. The rumbling engine came to a halt, breaking her out of her reverie.

She looked up and in a distance, near a congregation of individuals in black, stood a blue-eyed angel in white. He was a strong contrast to the gloomy faces. June brightened up seeing the familiar face, and without a preamble took off towards the sun. His one tanned hand was outstretched while the other held a blonde toddler with perfect blue eyes, chuckling and flailing his little arms. But no matter how fast she ran, she couldn’t catch up to them. Hands still outstretched, the orangish-red ball of light behind them made it difficult for her to see them. Still, She pushed forward, using all her energy to put one step after another.

Suddenly, Her knees buckled and June sank to her knees, stood beside her then was a pillar of stone, wide as her arm, and right in level to her eyes, laid there a single branch of blue hydrangeas, the same shade as their eyes. A stream of salty raindrops splashed on the ground as the earth trembled beneath her form. The storm was here. She looked to the only fading color in her grey world and whispered.

“Wait... Please wait for me...”

He looked back, their bright blue together shone brighter than the sun, as his lips lifted at the corners and the eyes crinkled. A smile so joyous, it could make the sunshine a little more brighter.  He looked straight at her as the dying rays of the sun consumed their being and left behind was one whisper....

.

.

“ I’ll always wait for you, my darling.”