The Regret

Two......

Woke up from a coma a week ago with no recollection of who I am or where I was. I woke up scared with my hearth pounding heavily against my chest that I thouth I was going to get a hearth attack. I remember I grabbed this elderly woman standing by my bedside by the arm and asked where I was and why I was there; she looked at me almost teary eyed, a smirk which almost looked like she was on the verge of crying and said "I'm so glad your alright..." She leaned over and hugged me and then she gently kissed me on the forehead. I thought to myself, who is this old woman? Then I asked her kindly "Who are you?" She stared me straight in the eye and said "My dear boy, you told me that you were coming back and you did?" She said for quite some time now all she could think and pray about was me and that she missed me dearly. That's when a thought came to mind that this woman could possibly be my mom or something. She then began pouring out her emotions which left me crying along with her. Then the strangest thing happened. You know how when you feel like you know something but then you just couldn't put your finger on it? That's what I've felt that moment. I felt her pain and the sorrow that's been burdening her. I've felt the joy it brought her when she saw me. I've felt the connection and the bond between us that was so strong and it felt exhilarating. There were no words to explain what happened at that moment. Then the time came when she had to go but before she did, she handed me something. A white envelope which said "Take good care of yourself." As she walked out of the room, a woman walked in and instantanously I knew it was my wife. She gave me a hug and began kissing me numerous times. She told me that she was glad that I was ok after being involved in a horrible motorcycle accident. With a curious look on her face she asked "Who was that woman?" So I replied by telling her that I thought she was my mom to which she clearly disagreed. She told me that my mom passed away 10 years ago and then she jokingly added "You were in a coma... You don't have amneshia." "So who was that woman then?" I asked myself. The answer was probably inside that envelope she gave me so I hastily opened it and what was inside was a slightly burnt photo. It wasn't me but of someone else's. It was a young man in a business attire with the old woman next to him and in the background was the World Trade Center. On the back of the photo was a note that said "Keep reaching for the skies. I love you always, Grandma." My wife asked who it was but my response to her was that I had no clue.

Several days passed since and I slowly began piecing it together. It happened while I was watching the news and the topic was the terrible tragedy that happened on September 11, 2001. I remember when I woke up from that coma, it felt as if I were falling off a building and there were smoke, dark smoke and lots of it and I could smell it. I remember making a call to someone, telling her how much I love her. I remember seeing a glimpse of the same photograph that the old woman gave me that sits upon a desk. I remember looking out a window that seemed to be up in the skies and I remember a plane soaring in the sky as it flew closer and closer to me.

This revelation left me more in a shock. Could it be possible that I'm..... Was that woman my....

I never saw that old lady again but I never stopped looking. Someday I know we'll see each other again. Whoever she was, I know that her grandson loves her dearly and that he misses her so much.