One Beat

**This is a true account of two dear friends of mine who have now left this earth.  The last paragraph is the only thing embellished.  he did not overdose but he did pass on. As a foreign girl in England thes 70 something year old couple took to me and I to them.  We share laughs and stories and one day they shared theirs with me.  Here it is with writer's liberty in that she did pass away first, but he did not overdose to join her**

Across the cobblestone path their eyes met. She was 16, he was 17. They were both visiting family in Edinburgh. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him. His skipped two. He attempted to act casual, as he slowly strolled towards her side of the street. He looked into her eyes from less than a yard and said 'Hello there, what brings you out on this rain laden day?’ ‘Why, to meet you of course.’ She replied. And they talked for hours. And hours. And hours.

They met each other's families and dated for a time. Her brothers even went so far as to threaten him if he didn’t treat her right and he respected them for that. Then the war with the Germans came. He joined the Air Force. She went to London to help in the bomb factories. The war went on and they forgot about love.

Eventually the fighting ended. He went back to Scotland. She stayed in London.

Within a short time of his return he began dating and eventually married. They had a child and felt content…for a time. Then one morning he had to turn back home because he forgot his lunch. A delivery truck was parked in the drive but he didn’t remember them ordering anything. He entered through the back door off the kitchen. He grabbed his black pail and was headed back towards his car when he heard his wife. He walked towards the other end of the house. When he glanced in the bedroom he saw through the partially closed door what he never wanted to see; a strange man in his bed. After 16 years of marriage, he turned and walked out the door, never to return.

In an effort to get away, he took a job driving ambulance in London. As he walked up Castle Street one morning he looked up and found a familiar face on the second level of one of the well known double-decker buses. It was her from all those years ago. Her hair was still as golden as the sun and her face barely looked like it had aged at all. Without a thought, he jumped aboard when the bus stopped at the next round about. Before he could reach the first stair the driver said ‘Why you gettin’ on the bus, the terminal’s just the other side of the round about.’ He asked to ride the remainder anyhow.

When he stepped off the bus he waited by the door for her to alight. There she was, suddenly, as if all those years had never passed. She looked at him and her heart skipped a beat. His skipped two. Then he glanced down and noticed the little boy holding tightly to her hand for his three year old life.

‘Well hello again,’ he said.
‘Hello’ she said.
‘Is the young lad yours?’ he asked.
‘Yes, he’s mine.’ She replied.
‘So…you’re married.’ he said with a little less enthusiasm than before.
‘No, not anymore.’ she said and watched as his eyes brightened as they were a moment ago.
‘Can I buy you a coffee?’ he asked.
‘Yes, that would be lovely.’ she replied and they strolled to the nearest pub and drank coffee. And they talked for hours. And hours. And hours.

It wasn’t long before they realized they loved each other like no love before, and had always held the other in their heart since that first meeting that rainy day in Edinburgh so long ago.

Eventually she said ‘I do’ and he said ‘I do’ and they did for forty six wonderful years.

When it was time for her to say good-bye her breathing was a mere raspy gasping. He leaned down and whispered in her ear ‘make the coffee when you get there and I will join you shortly.’ She smiled and let out a breath that could have been a sigh. Then she left him. He phoned the emergency number and asked them to come, then walked to the medicine chest and took out her prescriptions. He went to the kitchen and filled a glass with water. After taking all the pills he could find and swallowing them quickly, he then laid down next to her, took her warm and stiff hand and closed his eyes. The smile on his face said ‘I’m on my way’