An August Harvest

by Ben Marney

  Her eyes were closed, but her mouth was open and she was breathing rapidly, gasping for air. Her heart was barely beating, but the sound of the slowing beeps from her heart monitor still filled the room, echoing off the walls.

  The second I took her hand in mine, she appeared to calm down, closed her mouth and stopped gasping for breath. Her heart rate actually sped up a little, but the beep from the monitor seemed softer somehow.

  I bent over her bed and kissed her. “I’m here,” I whispered, stroking her hair with my fingers.” “You can relax now, don’t worry, everything’s going to be all right.” I wiped my eyes with my sleeve.

  I stood there silently, watching her breathe for a few moments. “Do you remember that first night we spent together walking along the beach? When I asked you what you thought heaven would be like, and you went on and on about the beautiful mansions and the streets lined with gold. You said that everyone there would be so happy, because they would be finally free of all the burdens of human life. Do you remember that?”

  I lowered the side rail of her bed, climbed in beside her and pulled her into my arms. “I hope you’re right about that, because you deserve to be happy for a change.” Holding her tight, I could hear her breathing softly, as her heart rate gradually began to slow down again.

  “You once told me that there was more to the miracle of Rita’s transplant, that you were actually praying for something else. You promised to tell me what you were praying for someday, but you never did. I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately and I think I know what you were going to say. It was me, right? You were praying for me to come make things right for you and Molly. I believe you’ve known for a long time you would not live to see her grow up. And I believe you also knew that Jerry wouldn’t be here, either.”

  A single tear appeared in her eye and rolled down her cheek. Gently, I wiped her face with my hand. “Maybe I’m wrong about this, but I honestly believe that when Rita and Audrey died, it was your time, too. But because of your prayers, God stepped in and brought me to you, so I could fall in love with Molly and take care of her. I honestly think Molly is the special one in all of this. She must be meant to do great things in her life and that’s what this has been all about. It’s the only thing that makes any sense.

  I’m sure Marshall was right. It was an august harvest, arranged by God himself to give us a little more time. Time to make sure Molly grew up the right way, so she could give the world her gift, whatever that may be.

  And I know now that being here for her is that ‘much more to do’ part Rita was trying to tell me about.”

  I cupped her face with my hands and kissed her for a long time. Another tear slowly appeared and rolled down her cheek. I wiped it from her chin and stared down at her pale, thin face. “Melissa, I hope you can hear me, because I want you to know that I’ve got her, I swear I do. You don’t have to worry about Molly any longer.”

  I’m not sure, but I think she heard me, because when I said that, her lips curled into a slight smile. At least that’s what it looked like to me.

  My entire body started trembling and tears soaked my face, as it became obvious that her breathing was getting slower and slower.

  “Goodbye…I love you”.

  A few moments later, holding her tightly in my arms, staring down at her beautiful face, Melissa opened her mouth, took one last breath...and drifted away.

  Epilogue

  We buried Melissa on a rainy, cold Tuesday. It was a small, private, invitation only funeral. The small, private part was not my idea; I was just following her specific instructions. She had given those instructions to Rob on the same day she had changed her will and signed her DNR, two weeks before Jerry kidnapped her. There was no question in any of our minds that sad morning, that Melissa had somehow known what was about to happen to her and her ultimate fate. It was a short, closed casket service, again at her request.

  After the service, Brenda, Molly, Marshall and I rode in the limousine, following the black Cadillac hearse that carried her body to the gravesite.

  I had followed her instructions exactly for the actual funeral at the church and had only invited her good friends Connie and Wilson, her lawyer Rob, and Brenda and Marshall. But since she had not been specific about the graveside burial, I allowed Connie to spread the word around town. When we pulled up, there were over a hundred people surrounding the gravesite, all waiting patiently to pay their respects, standing there under their umbrellas in the pouring rain.

  I was a little shocked but happy to see some of the faces. All of her neighbors were there and Annabelle, Drake and her parents had driven all the way from Boone, North Carolina to attend. Les Patterson and many of the architects that I had met working on the Beverly Beach project from his firm were there with their families. The president of Flagler College, who had been a close friend of her father’s, was there with his son, and several of the Saint Augustine city council members were there as well.

  Jake, Charley’s veterinarian, and his partner were there, as well as Detective Johnson, his wife and Anastasia.

  When I stepped out of the limousine and started walking toward the gravesite holding Molly’s hand, Anastasia walked up to me and gave me a gentle smile. Then she slipped her arm around mine, walked with me and Molly the rest of the way to the gravesite and held on to me tightly throughout the burial service.

  We laid Melissa to rest next to her beloved father and her mother, a mother she never knew. I smiled at the thought of them finally meeting for the first time in heaven.

  After the funeral, my house was standing room only for the rest of the day with mostly strangers arriving, bringing food and gathering in small groups swapping stories about the times they had spent with Melissa. Without me having to ask, Annabelle, Anastasia and Molly worked together as a team, greeting the guest as they arrived, serving them food and drinks.

  I am not good at these sorts of gatherings, so after a few hours, I slipped out quietly and took Charley, Little Charley and Donna for a slow walk on the beach. When we made it back to the wooden walkway, Anastasia was sitting there on the bottom steps.

  “All clear,” she said with a smile. “Your house is a mess, but it’s safe to go home, they’re finally gone.”

  I sat down beside her and grinned. “How did you know how to find me?”

  She laughed. “I saw you when you made your escape with the dogs. I knew you guys would make it back here eventually.”

  Charley walked up to her, lifted his paw and smiled. I started laughing. “I think he wants to apologize for barking at you that day in my house.”

  She took his paw and shook it. “Apology accepted,” she said, laughing, “Charley, it’s nice to finally meet you on good terms.”

  “Woof,” he said, licking her hand as she petted his head.

  “That’s a good sign,” I said, grinning.

  She tilted her head and lowered her eyebrows. “What’s a good sign?”

  I reached over and petted his head. “Charley is the best judge of character I’ve ever known. And he only lets the people he trusts and likes pet him.”

  She looked at him and asked. “I passed the test?”

  “Woof, woof, woof,” he said, giving her his best smile.

  Her laugh filled the air like a beautiful song. I had forgotten how much I liked her laugh. “So, how’s the search going? Have you found someone who’s not afraid to date a beautiful woman who carries a gun?”

  She grinned. “Not yet, but I haven’t given up. I’m still looking.”

  “That’s the spirit,” I said with a chuckle. “Just be patient. One day out of the clear blue, you’ll find him when you least expect it.”

  With the dogs lying in the sand at our feet, we sat there silently for a few minutes, watching the waves crashing on the beach. “Well, I guess I better go,” she said, “I have to work tomorrow.”

  We stood and started walking on the sandy wooden pathway over the dunes toward my house. “I wanted to thank you
for helping with the guests earlier and especially at the gravesite.”

  “I was hoping you didn’t mind, but when I saw you get out of that limousine, you looked like you needed someone to lean on.”

  “And you were right, I definitely needed it. This has all been pretty hard.”

  I walked her to her car and opened her door. “You never told me what you named your puppy.”

  Her face lit up. “Susie Q, like in the song.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Are you a Creedence Clearwater Revival fan?”

  “Yes! I love them! I have all their albums.” she said, followed by that great laugh.

  I smiled and said, “That’s one.”

  “One what?”

  “Never mind,” I said, closing her door, “It’s a private joke. Who knows, I may get to tell you some day.”

  She frowned. “Ok then, someday I’ll remind you to tell me.”

  “Give me a little time to get through this and back on my feet and maybe I’ll tell you,” I said grinning. “Why don’t you bring Susie Q over sometime? I know Donna and Charley would love to see her.”

  She smiled up at me. “That sounds like a great idea. Call me.

  It took a few months to get Melissa’s money transferred out of the offshore accounts that Jerry had forced her to put them in. Rob, working with the FBI, had overseen everything and had also made arrangements for Melissa’s aunt to have a proper funeral. I took Molly and it was beautiful, but very sad. Melissa had inherited her house, so while we were in Savannah for the funeral, I met with a realtor and had it listed for sale.

  I wasn’t sure what to do with Melissa’s house, but I knew that it couldn’t be good for Molly seeing it every day, sitting there empty with all of her mother’s memories inside. So after I did a few minor repairs and had it painted, I called Wilson and had him put it up for sale. I assumed it would take several months to sell it, but it sold for the asking price in less than twenty-four hours and the new owners wanted to take possession immediately.

  When I arrived at the title company, they told me that the new owners were running late, so I settled around the large meeting table and waited for them. When they finally showed up and walked in the room, my mouth flew open and I almost spilled my coffee. It was Brenda and Marshall.

  “You guys bought it?” I yelled.

  Marshall gave me a wide grin. “Yep,” he said, “I sold my house in Houston and needed a new house anyway, so I figured why not buy Melissa’s?”

  I tilted my head, confused. “Why did you sell your house in Houston?”

  Brenda looked at Marshall and laughed. “You’re right, he really is kind of dense.”

  “Are you moving here?” I asked with wide eyes. “Permanently?”

  Brenda ran around the table and hugged me. “Yes, we are.”

  I looked up at Marshall. “But what about your practice? And the hospital?”

  Marshall pulled out a chair and sat down across from me. “What about it?” he said with a smile. “I love what I do and as long as I’m affiliated with a hospital and close to an airport, I can keep doing it, and I will.

  “And so will I,” Brenda added.

  “But my job isn’t as important to me as it once was. I don’t know about you, but all of this, what we’ve all lived through in the last few years, has had a profound effect on me. It changed me and made me realize what is truly important in my life. In the end, what we do for a living, what we do with all the time we spend working, doesn’t really matter. What does matter is what we do with the rest of our time and whom we spend that time with. Brenda, Audrey and I have decided that we want to spend it with the people we love...with you and Molly.”

  Before Charley was shot, he had a favorite spot. If I couldn’t find him, I always knew where to look. With his head high, and his long shiny mahogany red hair blowing in the breeze on top of the tall berm behind my house, he would sit there for hours, staring out over the ocean. He wasn’t supposed to get up there, because the berm along with the lush sea oats and grasses were protected land. I tried to tell him, but he ignored me and climbed to the top of that berm almost every day. He especially loved being there when the sun was rising or setting. He absolutely loved that spot on top of that berm.

  Because he wasn’t strong enough to climb up there anymore, almost every morning, I would pick him up in my arms and carry him up to the top and leave him there until he barked for me to come get him. It was a pain to do, but I didn’t care. I was just so thankful to have him back in my life.

  A few months later, Anastasia brought Susie Q over one Sunday afternoon for a visit. Charlie, Donna and little Charley went absolutely nuts. It was quite the reunion. They had so much fun I decided to invite Jake, his partner, and Detective Johnson and his wife over a few weeks later to bring the other two sisters for a full dog family reunion.

  We set up on the beach and ate hamburgers and hotdogs while watching the dogs play in the surf and run up and down the beach. They had an absolute blast.

  It was a little sad to me to see Charley, always trailing behind the other dogs twenty or thirty feet, trying his best to keep up. But he never gave up and was always smiling.

  During that day, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of Anastasia. I think she and Molly were having just as much fun as the dogs were — playing in the surf together and rolling around in the sand wrestling with the dogs.

  Over the past several months, she and Molly had bonded and had become very close. She had surprised me one Saturday morning when she and Brenda rang my doorbell to pick Molly up to go shopping. I was lost as usual, in deep thoughts about my newest project I was designing and hadn’t realized that it was back to school time and Molly needed new clothes. Rather than bothering me, Molly had called Anastasia and Brenda.

  “Card please,” was all Anastasia had said to me that morning and it wound up costing me a small fortune when they returned, but Molly was over the top excited about her new wardrobe and put on an hour-long fashion show for me when they left.

  After our dog reunion beach day and everyone had gone home, I asked Anastasia to stay and have a glass of wine with me on the back deck.

  Molly and the dogs were worn out and were sound asleep when Anastasia and I finally settled around the table on the deck with our wine.

  Although it was a full moon and the reflection from its bright glow on the dark ocean was especially breathtaking that night, I hadn’t noticed. My eyes were focused on her.

  “How do you live here and get anything done?” she said. “I would never leave this spot. I can’t get over how beautiful this is. And this cool ocean breeze is spectacular.”

  “I’ve been here almost three years,” I said, “and it still takes my breath away.”

  She lifted her glass and motioned toward the beach. “It looks like Charley loves it, too.”

  I turned and saw Charley, who had somehow made it up to his favorite spot by himself. He was sitting erect with his head held high and his long mahogany red hair was flowing in the breeze. It was a beautiful sight.

  Anastasia took a small sip of her wine and smiled. “Are you ever going to tell me?”

  I turned my head and looked at her. “Tell you what?”

  “Tell me what ‘That’s one’ means. You said you ‘might’ tell me someday.”

  I shook my head and smiled. “I did say that, didn’t I? Well, actually I was going to tell you after we had a few dates.”

  “So you don’t think all these times I’ve been over here in the past few months qualify as ‘dates?”

  I nodded. “No, ma’am. I wouldn’t call them dates.”

  “And why not?”

  “Well, ma’am, in Texas we don’t call it a date unless it ends with a little smooching. And I’m pretty sure we haven’t even held hands before.”

  She stood, walked around the table and sat in my lap. “To be real honest with you, cowboy...I didn’t think you were interested.”

  I took her face in my hands and gently ki
ssed her for the first time. When our lips touched, I felt a jolt of electricity run through my body.

  She jerked her head back. Her eyes were wide open. “What was that? I felt a shock. Was that static electricity?”

  I smiled and shook my head. “I’m not sure. Let’s try that again and see.”

  This time, my heart skipped a beat and the tingles ran all the way down my spine. “Did you feel that?” I whispered in her ear.

  “Yes,” she whispered back. “What on earth is causing that?”

  I pulled my head away and stared into her eyes. “To answer your first question... ‘That’s one’ means...that’s one more thing that I love about you.”

  Her red hair was blowing in the ocean breeze almost covering her face, but in the bright moonlight, I could see her eyes glistening as they filled with tears. I gently cupped her face again with my hands and softly ran my thumb over her wet, pouty lips.

  “Anastasia…I’m not exactly sure what causes those shocks and tingles we are feeling, it’s only happened to me once before. But I think…and I’m praying…they’re caused by something called...love.”

  The End

  A Note From Ben

  Thanks for reading An August Harvest. I hope you enjoyed it. I was inspired to write this novel after hearing a story about someone I admired greatly. The things she had lived through in her life were unimaginable, but somehow she survived… and through it all she never lost her faith in God or herself.

  Hearing her incredible, tragic story made me realize how lucky and blessed my life has been, but it opened my eyes to the harsh reality that life to some…can be difficult and very unfair.