THE LAST GOOD BYE.
I turned my head away so she couldn’t see me wipe the tear from my cheek with the back of my hand. When I turned back she was looking at me. I could see it in her eyes that she already new that she would not be going any further with me. Where she was going I would not be able to follow. Her breathing became more shallow as she tried to smile at me. She was so weak that she could hardly speak. I knelt down and bent close and place my right ear close to her. So I could hear what she was trying to say. As I knelt there I looked into her blue eyes. They didn’t shine like they used to now they were a dull grayish blue. I swallowed hard and fought back the tears. I gently stroked her face and said “They will pay for taking you from me.” My dear sweet wife raised her hand and gently stroked my beard like she had done a thousand times before. But this time it was different because both of us knew it would be the last time. She then said to me “ It will be alright my dear. Do not waste your life on vengeance.”
I looked at her in disbelief. “you can’t be serious I asked?
But she never heard my words fore she had died. I fell back on the ground and began to cry like I had never cried before. I took her hand in mine and brought to my lips and placed a single kiss in the palm of it. I pulled myself together and knelt back up beside her. I gently stroked her golden hair whispered “ I’m sorry my love I cannot have any peace until those who have taken you from me have paid.” My tears fell like rain drops from the sky as I closed her eye lids over her blue eyes. I dug a very deep grave over looking the river that she loved so well. I then lined it with flat stones from the river. I did not want any creatures dinning on my love. I placed
her into her final resting place.
And began to refill grave with the dirt I had taken out. I packed the earth tightly around her. Then atop of the dirt I placed the biggest and the heaviest flat stones I could carry. Then atop the flat stones I placed several pine logs varying in diameter. And finally atop the pine logs I placed more flat stones.
Taking my knife from it’s sheath I ran the razor sharp blade across my hand. When the blood had completely covered the palm of my hand I placed it upon one of the flat stones and made this promise. “I will not return here my love until I have every head of those responsible for your death.”