.....Till I See You Again....
The sound of the telephone ringing echoed through the dark hotel room, forcing JC from his deep slumber.� Blindly reaching toward the night stand, he retrieved the phone and brought it to his ear.
"Hello?"
"JC?...It's Lisa..."
"What's wrong?" JC sat up quickly, the tone of her voice sending chills down his spine. "Lisa, what's wrong? Is it Leslie?"
His heart raced as he waited for her answer. After what seemed like an eternity, her voice drifted across the lines. Lisa's voice broke as she responded. "You need to come home. She's asking for you."
JC nodded. "I'm on my way."
*************************************
JC reached above his head, grabbing the tree limb and pulling himself upwards into the branches, as he had done so many times before. JC smiled, remembering how night after night, he had made his way up to her bedroom window, emerging as through he were her very own Romeo. Even when sneaking around a curfew was no longer required, he had continued this tradition.� Reaching her balcony, he climbed over the rail, laughing out loud as he walked through the open doors.
"Damn it, Leslie...I'm getting too old for this..."
His laugh faded as his eyes fell on her for the first time. Nothing Lisa had told him that morning prepared him for what he saw.� Her blue eyes, once full of life seemed dim.....her beautiful face seemed as pale as the white sheet which blanketed her body. She lay unmoving, resembling nothing of the girl he remembered.
When had this happened?
Why had no one told him things had progressed this far?
JC slowly crossed the room to take this place at her side as Leslie reached for his hand. She smiled, struggling for the breath to speak. "You're......here....."
JC smiled, bringing her hand to his lips. "Yes, Angel, I'm here."
Leslie closed her eyes, wincing in pain, before focusing on his face once more. "Will you hold me?"
Without responding, JC lifted her shoulders and slid beneath her, cradling her against his chest. He caressed her hair softly, cursing God beneath his breath.
Why? Why Leslie....why now?
For eleven years she had been his everything. She was his most avid supporter and his toughest critic. When he felt his life was spinning out of control, she was always there to put things into perspective. Over the years she had nursed him through dozens of heartbreaks, innumerable disappointments, and the success which had finally found him. Whenever he felt himself buckling from the weight which rested on his shoulders, she had always been there to share his burden. She had always stood beside him, convincing him that he could do anything his heart could envision. She made him believe in himself and had stepped forward becoming not only his best friend, but the guiding force in his life. She was the very reason God had placed him on this earth. It had taken him nine years to realize that it was for her that his very heart beat....
....and now he had to let her go.
Every breath was weaker than the one before and JC knew that his time with her was slipping away. His heart was overwhelmed with things left to be said, yet he could find no words to express them. JC rocked her gently as he smoothed her hair for the last time.
"Sing to me Joshua."
Tears welled up in his eyes as he began singing softly into her ear. God himself must have placed the words on his lips, for he could not remember ever hearing the song before.....
"If you get there before I do....
Don't give up on me
I'll meet you when my chores are through
Though I don't know how long I'll be..
But I'm not gonna let you down
Darlin wait and see
So between now and then, till I see you again,
I'll be loving you....
Love, Me"
JC brushed the soft curls from her face, holding her tightly. Leslie moaned softly, closing her eyes.
"It's ok, baby...Let go...."
Tears ran down his face as her chest rose and fell for the final time.
~~~~4 days later~~~~
JC slowly pushed open the door to her bedroom, entering for the first time since the angels had taken her from his arms. He crossed the room slowly, making his way through the rainbows which filtered in from the window and danced across the carpet. He paused in front of her mirror which she'd covered with photographs of the two of them. JC smiled to himself remembering how he had watched as she taped them there, her voice filling his ears once more....
**************************************
"But if you cover your mirror with my pictures, how will you see yourself?" A smiled played on his lips as he watched her in wonder, awaiting her answer.
Leslie turned and stood to take him into her arms, gazing up into his eyes. "Why would I want to look at ME when I could look at your beautiful face instead?"
**************************************
One by one, he pulled them gently away, revealing his tear stained face reflecting in the mirror behind. Overcome with emotion, he lowered himself to her bed, burying his face into her pillow, inhaling her lavender scent. Downstairs JC could hear her family offering one another their condolences. Their words drifted up the stairs but offered� him no comfort.
He sat in the room distraught, disconnected from the world around him. Here, among her belongings, he could pretend she was still with him. Here, he could find an escape from reality.
JC turned his attention to her nightstand and lifted the photo album she kept there. The tears flowed more freely as he turned the pages, watching the years pass in a blur of treasured memories. As he returned it to the table, an envelope with his name on it fell from inside. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he retrieved it from the plush carpeting and opened it. JC's hands began to tremble as he read the words which graced the page.
~~My dearest Joshua
Words cannot express what you have meant to me. I sit here, trying to find the words to tell you what you have brought into my life, and nothing comes out the way I want. What can I possibly say that will compare to the love that you have given me? I know this is hard for you, Joshua but you have to be strong. You've always been my protector, and now it's my turn to take care of you . No matter where you are, I am with you, still guiding you..always watching over you.
Whenever you see the rain fall from a cloudless sky, know that those are the tears I cry, expressing my unending love for you. That's what my love is, Joshua. Inexpressible, undeniable, incompariable, and unending.
~~Leslie~~
Tucking the note safely in his pocket along with the photos, JC slipped downstairs and out the backdoor unnoticed. Squinting, he placed his sunglasses over his face to block the sun which shone down mercilessly. In long strides, he crossed the lawn, coming to a stop next to his rented Mercedes.
As he searched for his keys, a gentle mist began to fall from the heavens. JC paused, stepping back to gaze up into the sky above.
A perfect blue canvas....not a cloud in the sky.
A smiled covered his face as the rainfall intensified. JC stood, unmoving, as the warming rain ran down over his body...
....bathing in her love...
Inexpressible, undeniable, incomparable, and unending.