The Dowager

She sat at the edge of the board walk with feet dipped ankle high in the water, eyes staring out to the ripples created  by the mid morning sun in the sea green ocean water. Her mind wandered back to the poignant memories she shared with him. 

"Kindly read your vows", announced the priest out loud. A grin appeared on my face when the man I loved whole heartedly stood fumbling with a paper in his shaking hands in front of me. Clearing his throat he began, "I remember the day we first bumped into each other in that cafe. I swear you were the most beautiful girl I had ever laid eyes on. I found myself staring at you lost in some kind of a trance while you explained with that adorable panic in your voice of how you weren't looking where you were going before you spilled your coffee all over me". She smiled recalling that day.

"So here's to all the things that wound us up in this state today, you in a white dress and me wondering how in the whole world did I ever get so lucky to have you by my side. Right here, right now I ask you to be my peace as we journey together on this wonderful path. I want you to be my escape, my home and your plain simple self to balance this crazy thing called life that would happen to us, bringing with it the many ups and downs that we get to face together. I promise to cherish you for the rest of my life and to hold you today and for eternity, to protect your delicate self when the going gets a little too tough". I noticed as his eyes started to get glossy. "I just..", he chuckled "I'm just so in love with you". I let out a watery laugh myself. From my peripheral view I saw the audience of the church gape lovingly at us and a few women dabbing their face with a tissue to circumvent the tears from falling.

A tap on the shoulder interrupted her train of thought. "We're ready to go", said her daughter, the first to the break the sad silence the woman was reminiscing in. Arriving at their destination and taking a deep breath they walked towards the crowd of people gathered in the middle of the enclosed ground. 

She watched the casket being lowered into the ground with numbness surrounding her. As the last rites were read out and everyone left, she sat near his grave mindlessly brushing her fingers on the grave that read "I promise to hold you forever and always; Tom Landon, September 1931- May 2015". Getting up and brushing the dust off her clothes while smiling at the memory a barely audible 'Forvever and Always' was whispered before she turned and walked away.