It was a cold and gloomy day in the heart of winter. One of the worst cold spells in a decade or so had descended on earth to make life miserable for everybody around. Icy winds moaned around the corner of old buildings and tore without mercy at the clothes of the small group of people surrounding an open, shadowed grave.
Every now and again a gust of air would pick up a few grains of dirt from a fresh heaped of earth that laid silent and patiently next to the grave and mockingly flung it against the legs of those that dared to stand close enough.
"We are gathered here not to shed tears over the passing of a beloved friend, father and husband but to celebrate the influence he had on the lives of those he had left behind..." The words from the minister was meant to comfort, but instead was drowned by the sound of nature's fury.
In front of the assembled group, surrounded by friends and family, yet with an air of loneness surrounding her, a proud, yet sad, figure stood upright with her chin held up. Only the slight tremble of a lower lip offered any clues as to her inner turmoil, to the devastating sadness that had invaded her soul at the lost of a friend, a partner, a husband...a soul mate.
"Family and friends will now have time to offer a last token of respect to the departed..." the minister's words managed to break through to the surface again.
"Samantha," a deep, yet kind voice resounded from next to the morning widow. A strong arm that had supported her frail body since the exit from the church barely an hour before gently nudged her towards the direction of the grave barely a few feet away from her. "It's time," the voice added when it got no immediately reaction from her.
Slowly nodding her head, before turning around to face her friend of so many years, the woman stared at him for a moment before responding in barely louder than a whisper, "I know, Teal'c...I know."
"Do you require assistance?" he inquired in an equal soft tone, not wishing for bystanders to overhear their conversation.
"I may be old my friend, but this is something I can and need to do by myself," she replied.
Nodding his head in acknowledgement of her need to proceed without any further support from him, he allowed his arm to fall away from her shoulders and took a respectful step backwards, before crossing his arms in front of his abdomen.
"Thank you," she responded and without another word or backward glance started walking slowly and difficult, leaning heavily on a walking stick, to the edge of the grave.
When she came within a foot from the edge she stopped and accepted bright flowers, offered to her from nearby hands, with a small nod of her head and a whispered, "Thank you."
For the next few moments she remained frozen on the same spot, like a delicate statue, with eyes shut closed, lips that silently moved without uttering a single word and the flowers clutched against her chest. Whether she was offering a prayer for the soul of the departed, replayed past memories or was merely addressing the image of a now dead husband in her thoughts...or maybe all of the mentioned, nobody would be able to say for sure.
It was as the winter winds around her reached a new high of crying and despair that barely audible words were heard spoken out loud.
"You were my superior officer, my friend, my lover...my husband, but above all you were my live, my reason for breathing. Through all these years I had only one regret and that was that we wasted so many years before finally committing ourselves to each other."
The chain of words was interrupted by a soft sob before continuing at a slower pace.
"Since I've met you...you gave me hope when there was only darkness. You made me laugh when I felt down. You offered me you friendship, heart and soul without expecting anything in return. You blessed me with two wonderful children and were the most amazing father to them...they worshiped the ground you walked on."
Another sob entwined with the spoken words.
"I am lost without you Jack. I know your last words to me were to be strong, to carry on after your death...but every day I am struggling not to drown in the demands of everyday life."
Wiping away at some unshed tears lingering at the corner of an eye she took a deep breath and lifted her gaze to the gray heavens above, silently looking for an answer to the unspoken question as to where she was supposed to find the strength to continue with life without her husband.
As if on some prearranged arrangement a single, pure-white, dove entered her visual horizon and flew in a wide circle high above the grave, before returning to wherever it has originated from.
Experiencing an unexplained sensation of intense serenity, she stared at the retreating sight of the dove, even for a while after it was no longer visible.
Closing her eyes for a second, she murmured, "Thank you." After one last glance in the direction the dove had disappeared to, she sighed in resignation, stretched out her hand over the grave and allowed the flowers to fell onto the still visible coffin at the bottom.
"I will always love you. Goodbye Jack, goodbye my love," she whispered one last time before turning around to return to the embrace of her family and friends.
The End
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc, are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plots are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. ... [ read more ]