Vacant eyes stared out over the porch railing and the rolling meadows of natural prairie grass beyond. Fletcher did not see the beautiful autumn colors, nor did he hear the sound of Canadian geese honking as they passed overhead. What he did see was going on in his tired old mind. Loneliness had him waxing nostalgic for memories of days gone by. Mostly, of the woman who came into his life. Some of whom won his affections, only later to break his heart.
The most recent, his girlfriend of thirty some years. Their anniversary lost to both of them in the mist of time.
“Hell, I can’t even remember why we never married.” He mumbled under his breath.
His eyes glistened with tears as images of her losing battle with cancer flashed through his mind.
“She was beautiful right up to her final day.” He remarked to a barn cat sitting on the rail. A lone tear ran down one of the many creases in his weathered cheek.
“It was a beautiful ceremony.” Her family members all said as they shook his hand, or offered up a hug.
God how he hated the kind words directed towards him at her funeral. She was gone, and there is nothing beautiful about saying goodbye to a loved one.
His own children knew better.
God how he missed his dear sweet Sandra. They were each other’s last. Finding one another after decades of shitty relationships’. Getting their hearts and finances stomped by selfish, evil, people.
“Things were nice with Sandra.” Fletcher said to the cat still sitting on the rail.
It responded with a single blink and a twitch of its tail.
Nice, Fletcher thought, but not spectacular. Not that fairy tale love he always dreamed of, no, it was just good.