Setting my heart free

October 2005

Leslie sat there, still unbelieving that her best friend was gone.  The funeral had ended and despite family and friends milling around, Leslie was oblivious to any of it.  She just sat there, looking at the hole in the ground that contained the casket that held her love.  Lester was gone.  Really and truly gone.  Leslie was alone and wanted to be with Lester.  She was so tempted to be in that dark, empty space with him.  She didn’t want to live anymore.  She couldn’t cry anymore.  There were no tears left.  Devastation couldn’t begin to describe what Leslie was feeling.  Lester, the man who encompassed Leslie’s world, was gone forever. 

Annabel, Leslie’s sister, didn’t know what else she could say to console her.  She saw Leslie just stare into the hole and couldn’t stand it any longer.  She worried for her sister because she knew Leslie would dive into that hole if she could.  As she walked toward her sister, she simply wiped the tears from her eyes.  Sitting next to her sister, she tried to take her into her arms.  She had no words.  Leslie was as stiff as a board.  She resisted at first.  She knew she’d weep again but she relented.  She knew Annabel was holding her more for her own sake and right now, she didn’t want to be difficult.  This was not the time to be “Leslie”.  Annabel knew she held on to Leslie because she needed the emotional crutch.  Even though Lester was her brother-in-law, she loved him like her own flesh and blood and his passing was just as hard on her.  The two sisters sat together in silence.