So Shineth the Light

“So, you want me to apologize because they come to our house and ruin my day? They just like to create drama. I’m certain they do it intentionally to ruin my day. I won’t do it, I won’t apologize.”

“Jack,” Claire interjected.

“What?”

“We go through this every Christmas night. We sit here and have the same conversation.”

“Yeah, I know, and it needs to stop – I’m not doing this again.”

“You say that every year. Only you can correct this. You’re letting them ruin your day and by association ruining my day – our day.”

“I need to get away. I mean, we need to get away.”

“No, you need to get away. Let me ask you, when was the last time you did any kind of writing?”

“Umm, I’ve not written anything since last Christmas.”

“You used to write every day or at least every week. You used to say that writing was therapeutic.”

“Perhaps you’re right. I need to get back to it.”

“I’m always right,” she chuckled.

“Funny.”

Eight weeks later, Jack finalized the rental of a lake house in the same county where they lived. Not far away in any literal sense, but far enough to escape life. Their rental agreement had been secured for three months beginning in May.

Sadly, the time leading up to their departure for the lake house was spent dealing with the passing of Jack’s father. Jack had entered a dark place in those two months taking care of the arrangements, settling finances, and moving his mother into an assisted living facility. It was certainly unexpected, but Jack felt it couldn’t have been worse timing.

The first of May finally rolled around and Jack and Claire – who were newly retired – packed up and headed for the lake house. It was perfect, Claire could still travel for her volunteer work in the local area, they could still be together, and Jack could reinvent himself through writing.

The lake house was a short distance off the main road but there was a dirt road that dropped them down the hill and to the front door. The house sat twenty feet from the lake and the back deck provided a perfect view of the lake looking due east. There were mostly trees and foliage except for the view from the deck.

They arrived in the late afternoon and the sun had already passed over the house and into the western sky. They unpacked and walked through the house to get the lay of the house and then ventured outside to get the lay of the land. It was quiet and secluded.

The following morning greeted them with a sunrise to beat all sunrises. The orange glow bounced off the water and the warmth soaked their faces as they stood on the deck.

“It’s day one,” Claire said between sips of coffee. “I’ll probably be gone most of the day. I have errands and some time at the shelter, but I’ll be back around four o’clock.”

“Great, I’ll get myself set up for writing and begin preparing for dinner before you get back.”

Jack sat on the deck enjoying the full sunrise as Claire went inside to get ready to leave. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d watched a sunrise and began thinking about how their own house was positioned on a hill and that they couldn’t really view the sunrise. Also, anytime they went to the beach it was a similar situation – a sunrise was rare. Nonetheless, he took it all in.

As the weeks went on, Jack had settled in and was churning out better than five thousand words per day – some days more than ten thousand words. Claire had also settled in and had taken up a couple of crafting hobbies.

The sun rose and was viewable almost every morning. It never got old.

As their time at the lake house wound down, Jack had completed several manuscripts and had a much better outlook on life – Claire couldn’t have been happier.

Their time at the lake seemed short lived and was validated by the news of the passing of Jack’s mother only a week later. Again, he focused on settling his parent’s estate and finalizing his mother’s wishes, which consumed a large portion of his time.

In the time leading up to Christmas, Jack had completed another handful of manuscripts and was on his way to having three books published. He had been churning out manuscripts at a pace not manageable by Claire – she was his initial editor.

Before they realized, another Christmas night had arrived, and the conversation was slightly different between them, as Jack initiated, “Well, this year was quite a change from years past.”

“Yes, and we also had a much different outcome of the day.”

“Yeah, I never would’ve guessed.”

They both sat quietly for a moment.

“For me to have written three books is truly unexpected.”

“I do love reading them. I love how you always take something dark and allow the protagonist to discover the light.”

“Well, the books are still in consideration for publication. So, there’s that. I’ll keep writing in hopes that one day we’ll get something published.”

“I’m glad you’re back to writing. You should consider writing about this past year. You know, like an autobiography – where you’re the protagonist.”

“We’ll see,” Jack paused briefly. “Hey, I believe I owe you an apology…”

Claire stopped him short, “Nonsense, no apology needed. It’s behind us and we need to move forward.”

In the days following, they finalized the purchase of the lake house and – in a few weeks’ time – moved their lives to the lake. It was good for their souls and the timing seemed right. Albeit future Christmas gatherings would never be the same. However, on occasion they’d take a drive past their old house and think of the times spent but not forgotten. For now, the sun rose and blanketed their new house every morning as if every morning was a fresh start.

During Jack and Claire’s initial visit to the lake house, they hadn’t noticed subtleties of the house but one such subtlety they noticed when they moved in was the sign on the deck and above the sliding glass door that read, “The Sun Also Rises.”