Wednesday Story: The Ending!!!

The next morning I slowly assembled Harvey’s breakfast tray and maneuvered around the kitchen door. It’s amazing how much your back can hurt when you haven’t exercised in a while. Exercise involving second story windows and miles of rope. SWAT I am not. Frankly, was surprised to be alive. As it was I had a few scratches from the stucco walls and a nasty gash from a tumble in the rose bush.
     “What’s the matter with you now?” Mrs. Strenburger voice careened onto my aching ears.
     “Uh, skateboarding.” I said.
     “Don’t lie to me Elisabeth. I can tell when you’re lying. You should really take better care of yourself.  Just look at that bruise …”
     I looked down. Yuck. I had a bruise on my elbow! It might have been easier to just go through the front door and deal with …
“I’ve always said I wouldn’t interfere, days off are days off after all, but really if you mean to have a man before it’s too late…”
     “I know, I know, act like a lady.” As I brushed past her I tried to envision her younger self. She must have been very beautiful, but was she so angry, petty and sad?  Now, I could guess why and I felt a little pity for her. Just a little. I went on into Harvey’s room, he looked so small and frail it wouldn’t be long now. What could I do? I was sworn to secrecy but these lies could follow Harvey to the grave. I loved Harvey but after last night things were changing. Did he deserve to die in peace and leave those he loved with questions that could never be answered? Selfishly, I had to know if I had been wrong about him all this time. Instead of leaving the tray by his bedside I shook his shoulder to wake him.
     “Harvey … Harvey …” I whispered. She could be just outside the door. I wouldn’t put it past her. “It’s important Harvey.”
     His eyes slowly opened and he smiled weakly. “Elly. Elly my dear.”
     There wasn’t much time so I got right to the point. “Harvey, I know.”
     Shock flickered through his eyes, he laughed. “I’m dying, yes, of course you know…”
     “No Harvey, I know about your son.”
     Harveys' eyes grew wide and his hand clenched around my fingers. Strange that he could be so strong while his body was failing. “How? How Elly?”
     “He’s here. Barney wants to see you.”
     There was a long pause, I almost thought he had gone to sleep but when he opened his eyes they were so sad I knew he was going to cry. “How can I? Abigail doesn’t know. I was going to tell her someday.”
     I patted his hand. “Harvey, today’s the day. If you love both of them then the time has come. No more lies Harvey. It’s time.”
     He nodded his head, his breath quickening. “Bring him here, Elly.”
I watched helplessly as Harvey’s face turned grey. It was the point of no return. Barney would meet his father today and Abigail would know the truth while Harvey was on this earth or they would discover each other after he had passed on. Forgiveness then would be so difficult. I should know. I passed Abigail as I raced out of the room. She must have taken a look at Harvey’s teary eyes and drawn face for her yells followed me down the hall “Elisabeth! Elisabeth! What did you do to my husband! It’s alright my dear. Abigail’s here, I’m here.”
     I quickly picked up the phone and dialed. It wouldn’t be long now.

I paced in front of the door. Everything was set in motion but how I wanted to stop it all. As much as I didn’t like Abigail I couldn’t imagine a worse situation. She loved him so much. She had no children and Harvey was her world. To learn that he had been unfaithful and then to loose him in the same day would be unbearable. How dare Harvey do that to her?  How dare he treat his only son with such indifference? The seconds ticked on to the muted sound of Abigail crying in Harvey’s room. Finally, there was a light knock on the door. Barney had arrived. I let him in but he hesitated by the door.
     “Barney, you’ll have to make it fast. He really doesn’t look good.” I dragged him quickly down the hallway to where Abigail sat crying softly beside a pale and raspy man. Abigail stood up protectively between us and Harvey. She glared at Barney.
     “What are you doing here? This is my home. You were not invited! How dare you bring this man into my house Elisabeth?”
     Harvey looked up and whispered, “Barney? Come closer so I can see you.” He gently pushed Abigail aside.
     Barney stepped forward. “I never thought I would see you again … dad.”
For once Abigail was silent. It was like all the air had been sucked out of the room and we continued to breathe on faith alone.
       Barney continued “I knew you were mad at me. I wrecked your car.  Your beautiful white Cadalliac. You loved that car. I just thought you would come back.”
Barney held out his hand. “I’m so sorry, boy. Please let me tell you that it was not what I planned.”
“What? I wasn’t what you planned? I found out that day about your other life, dad. Your other world. Seems like you had a lot of things planned. You managed to fool a lot of people into thinking you loved them. You managed to live more than one life. You …” Barney sighed, “I should have never…”
Harvey waved his hand. “Please, just listen. You can argue all you want when I’m gone. You’ll have lots of time then. And Abigal, I’m so sorry, I meant to tell you a better way, but I couldn’t find a way to make it sound alright. Can’t make the wrong things sound better than they are I guess. Please, just listen. I loved your mother but she wanted to be free of me. She couldn’t stand all the waiting so when you were just a small boy she and I … I’ve thought lots about it Barney, for a long time it was just her in my mind but, really, we each had our way of letting down … we divorced. Still, I tried to be around as much as I could for you. In the end we both found it too hard, I remarried and moved, and to my everlasting shame, I left you for good. I’m so sorry son.”
     Barney stood there stunned. “But … the car? You didn’t leave because of the car?”
     Harvey reached for Barney’s hand, “It was just a car, son. Forgive me?”
     His eyes flickered over to Abigail whose frame almost disappeared into the chair. The change in her appearance was astonishing. The woman I had been so afraid of now looked like a small child who had lost her way.
     “How dare you Harvey … how dare you.” Her voice cracked softly.
     “Abigail, please forgive me. I thought that you would never marry a divorced man and I … it was stupid. Just plain stupid.”
     “Harvey, why would you lie to me? I’ve always loved you. After all we’ve been though why wouldn’t you tell me? What were you waiting for? Death? Did you want me to find out another way? I should have known when my father’s Cadillac was ruined!  What else did I have left of him? You could have told me then. Instead you lie and lie and lie. We never had a child Harvey and now … I never had a child!”
     “No … no …” Harvey was breathing very fast now. “Please … Abigail! I didn’t want to hurt you. I thought it would be easier for us if we could just forget.”
     “Life goes on Harvey. The things we do can sometimes be forgotten but they can never be erased.” Abigail dabbed away a tear from her cheek. “Oh Harvey.”
     Harvey struggled to sit up. “I have done wrong to both of you. I have been bitter and selfish. Lying here I’ve gone through all the things I could have done differently. I’m glad you’re here Barney. You’ve made it right.” He sunk back into the pillow as we all stared in stunned silence. Harvey was going to die, but the wraiths of what he had left undone would haunt us all. Barney bent down and picked Harvey up.
     “What are you doing!?” Abigail was frantic, “You’ll kill him!”
     Barney looked her kindly in the eyes, “Come on, I’ve got a Cadillac that needs one last ride.”

I can still feel the wind blowing through my hair. It was like a float on parade day. Abigail and I sat in the back of the Cadillac, our eyes streaming from the wind and our tears, Barney at the wheel, turned the car onto a country lane as Harvey drifted away in the passenger seat. A flock of black birds rose before the wheels, strange spectators filling the sky, clearing the way for our big, white, beautiful float on parade day.