The Secret (Watty Award Winner) | ✔️

Forty Three - Charlie

Ch43 - Charlie

Charlie sat in his truck, contemplating getting out. It had been two years since he had last set foot in the cemetery, two of the longest years of his life, and yet it didn't feel long enough. He knew Emily was gone, she wasn't coming back, and he preferred to remember her as she was before—young, beautiful and so full of...life. He didn't like to think of her this way, lying in a casket, her breath stolen from her at the hands of someone's selfishness recklessness. He inhaled deeply before opening the door and stepping out onto the soft grass. It had just finished raining, and judging from the appearance of the ominous sky another downpour looked as if it were waiting to fall.

Walking among the tombstones gave him the chills, it opened wounds that had been trying so hard to heal. But it had to be done, he needed to come clean with Emily. He needed to tell her about Talia. Charlie knew he wouldn't get a physical response from his wife concerning what was going on in his personal life, but he hoped he would at least find a feeling of...approval. A sense that what he was doing was right. He knew it seemed crazy, but he felt as if he were being dishonest with Emily. Like he was somehow cheating on her and her memory.

Charlie thought back to what her mother had said; that Emily would want him to be happy, that they wanted him to be happy, and he knew deep down it was true. Those words had given him the courage to come to Emily now, asking for her blessing. Although, the last thing he felt at the moment was brave. Anxiety gripped him as he made his way through the rows of grave markers and trimmed trees to the spot where Emily lay. He stood in front of her stone for a minute before setting a bouquet of red roses down.

Swallowing hard, he closed his eyes and drew in a shaky breath, then sank to his knees in the wet grass. His eyes scanned the calligraphy etched into the marble.

Emily Nichole Wilson

December 29, 1984 - March 31, 2012

Rest in peace, beautiful daughter, wife, mother and friend.

The knot in his stomach grew as he read the word "mother", and he could feel his lips begin to quiver. Even though Emily had never been able to give birth to their beautiful baby, she was in every sense of the word, a mother. He knew in his heart that Emily and the baby were together now, enjoying the fruits of Heaven.

Charlie looked around the cemetery, feeling uncertain. "Hello, Emily," he finally said. "I'm sorry it's been awhile since I came here to see you, it's just so hard—" his voice broke off.

"I came to Atlanta to visit your parents. Your father's been sick. I don't know, maybe you already know that..." he said awkwardly. "But he's doing better." Charlie glanced across the picturesque grounds before continuing. "I know you're probably wondering what I'm doing here now, after all this time."

Thick, gray clouds loomed overhead, filling him with a sense of emptiness. The dark morning sky only added to the nervousness he felt being there in the cemetery, about to spill his feelings. Charlie wondered if it was Emily's way of showing her disapproval, as if she knew what was coming and didn't like it.

"I miss you," Charlie said, his voice catching in his throat. "I miss you every day that you're not here with me. Mom has tried to help me move on...not that she wants to disrespect you, or anything," he quickly added. "She's just worried about me—you know how she is. I know she's just trying to help, but it's been so hard, looking toward the future. Sometimes, I wake up and expect to find you lying next to me, and when I realize you're not there—it's like losing you all over again."

Tears began to fall down his cheeks as he allowed himself to release the emotions he had been holding onto for so long. "It's not fair! It's not fair that you had to leave. And the baby..." he sobbed. "You were both so good and so innocent... Neither one of you deserved what happened."