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Life After
I sit on the grassy knoll in the middle of the park, overlooking the Seine which floats lazily downstream, the sun making it sparkle like a million dimants. My young daughter leaps around with bounds and giggles as she tries to make the kite fly, Bridgette lying asleep on the blanket next to me, her face full of calm. A feeling of contentment swishes over me. I stand up and feel the light breeze, heading to my daughter to try to solve her kite flying problem. Her eyes are bright, her brunette hair like Bridgette�s, her eyes full of innocence; that of any child�s.
�Now Joelle Marie you need to hold it like this,� I say grasping the spindle, then running off in the breeze, the kite rising in the air. Like any little child, she stands utterly amazed as the kite remains in the sky.
�Wow daddy!� she says at I give her the spindle back.
When I reach the blanket again, I softly caress Bridgette�s cheek. I look up to the others around us, and even though we have the clothing and money of a rich person, a result from the success of Memories of Satine, we still act different than them. I chuckle. To them we probably are like wild bohemians in fancy attire and to that statement we are. It is something I like. I went off looking for truth, beauty, freedom, and love and I found it in all places. Bridgette turns over lazily, her deep, blue eyes peeking out at me then closing. Her glance warms me.
I still remember the past, the scandalous days at the Moulin Rouge and my first love Satine, but the memories have begun to blur, and once that was something I feared, but now it�s something I embrace. As the years went by, and with Bridgette�s constant love and assurance, I have realized something that is miraculous in nature. When you first experience something that you enjoyed or love, you want to keep hold of it, not a second blurred or forgotten. But as memories grow fainter, instead of being one specific incident they become a part of you. I�m not saying that sometimes I don�t wish I could remember certain moments with Satine, what we did and said, but as these years go by, it is no longer a memory but a part of me. Satine is in my soul, and it is not like a possessive demon, but something that has blended with the vast experiences that now make me. The sun begins to set.
�Are you close to finishing the book?� Bridgette sleepily asks.
�Yes just about,� I reply.
She calls to Joelle Marie, and she races towards Bridgette, the kite crashing to Earth. Joelle reaches her arms out to me and I pick her up and carry her on my side. Bridgette walks toward me and I wrap my arm around her. As the sun slowly disappears I realize the unconditional love I have for Bridgette, and the bond of trust that has formed between us, the patience and understanding. We walk off and slowly fade into the background, into the eternity of forever.