Throughout the whole story Gladys hadn't said a word, she just held Rachel's hand, every so often giving her hand a gentle squeeze of reassurance. She knew all Rachel needed was to be able to talk to someone. The rest of the healing would be painful and long, but she knew Rachel could get through it if she would let herself. The grieving process, for some, takes years, but Rachel must start the process or she will never be free. Gladys felt she almost knew Rachel. Not everything about her but they were of the same spirit she decided.
Rachel stopped talking and almost as if coming out of a cloud turned to Gladys. She looked tired and worn, she looked drained from having relinquished thoughts and feelings to the outside that had been trapped in her head. Rachel apologised to Gladys for taking up her time, to which Gladys replied that she was happy to help. Gladys didn't want to push herself onto Rachel, so she just said that if Rachel ever needed anything, even just someone to talk to, to please give her a call. She handed Rachel a piece of paper with her careful handwriting spelling out her name and phone number. She tapped Rachel on the knee as she got up off the bench and Rachel thanked her again. Gladys smiled supportively and told Rachel to take care and that she hoped to see her here next week. She left Rachel to her thoughts, as she headed for the awaiting taxi.
When she arrived at the area the taxi usually waited no one was there. She looked at her silver watch, another reminder of her husband. My goodness she thought, she had been there for almost 3 hours, instead of her usual 1. She wasn't sure of exactly how she was going to be able to contact veteran's affairs when she heard Rachel's voice from behind her. Rachel asked if she could take Gladys home. It was the least she could do after Gladys had been so nice to her. Gladys gratefully agreed as Rachel led her to the car.
Gladys didn't want to upset Rachel any more, so she chatted about general topics. Without thinking, she asked if Rachel had plans for the rest of the weekend.
"Well" Rachel said as she stared ahead at the road "actually I have to look for a new place to live. I can't afford the place I'm in at the moment. I'm not sure where I will look but I have to find something soon. I have been looking for something for a few weeks now. I just can't seem to get motivated to do anything."
Gladys recounted her own wish to find somewhere new to live, she was not happy in that old house any more, it was falling apart. However, Gladys knew that she would never move. That house held to many memories for her to just up and leave for no reason. Gladys reassured Rachel that everything would be all right, she just had to persevere. Rachel asked Gladys about her husband and family. Gladys related her own story to Rachel about her life and her husband's death. They had been married 54 years. They met during the war when Brian was stationed in Italy near her small village. War had done such terrible things to people and to her home, but it did bring her love. They were inseparable. She made the hardest decision she ever had to make, she decided to marry the man of her dreams and move to a new life, in a new country. Over the years she had seen her family every few years. She kept as close to them as she could. Two of her brothers had even moved here to Australia. She was the youngest of 5 and everyone but her had died years before. She was left with just her husband and her own 4 children. However, the children grew up and moved away. They still kept in contact but it wasn't the same as it used to be with them, she didn't feel as close to them as she once had. Of course she very rarely bothered them for anything, she didn't want to be a nuisance. She didn't want to bombard Rachel with to much information all at once. Gladys knew what Rachel really wanted to know about and she thought carefully before relating the story. She spoke slowly and softly.
She will never forget that morning as long as she lives. The air had been heavy for days, it was summer and there was hardly any wind for almost a week. It felt as if the air just sat of your shoulders. Every window and door had been open for days to let any air in that was possible. On their pension they could barely afford to eat, let alone have the luxury of air-conditioning. Gladys had got up earlier than usual that day. She could never sleep when the air was sticky and muggy and thick, she hated summer. She got up and sat in front of the ancient electric fan watching TV until it was time to get Brian up for his breakfast. Her program finished and she walked into the bedroom, threw off his sheets as she had always done when he wouldn't get up on his own and threw open the curtains. "Come on" She said to him as she moved around the room "time to get those lazy bones up and get some breakfast into you". She loved taking care of him. She touched his bare foot with the intention of shaking him awake, but when she touched him he was like ice. She started breathing very hard. She couldn't quite catch her breath. She very slowly walked over to him, she couldn't move fast, she physically had to go slow. She stood close to him and put her hand over his heart, nothing. She laid her head on his chest, nothing. She felt his neck, no pulse. All she could do was look at him in shock. This wasn't happening was all that kept going through her mind. She was dreaming, this isn't real. She thought she would have gone into a panic, a mass hysteria of not knowing what to do. But instead she sat near him gently on the bed and looked at him. She didn't know what to say. Shock gave way and she cried for over two hours, but her eyes never moved from him. She had loved him so much, he wasn't even sick, it was just his time to go. She gently kissed his forehead, said their goodbye sentence through a voice of tears "Goodbye my love, until the sun brings your warmth back to me" and she kissed her fingers and pressed them to his lips. She covered him with a sheet and while still crying she called her neighbour for help.
