30 Day Picture Prompt Challenge

Fulfilment

The reporter settled down with her notes and her recorder. "I won't take up much of your time, Sam. I know you are recovering from surgery, but this will make such an interesting story. I am glad you are willing to share it."

"So, I just talk about what happened?"

"Please."

"Well, okay. The appointment to see the lawyers wasn't until 4 PM and we had two hours to kill. A carnival exploded down the road and, as we'd met at one, I thought perhaps it might be one last ditch effort to remind her of all we'd once had. I hadn't wanted the divorce, but she was adamant in wanting to get one, saying we'd just grown at different speeds and she wanted to be on her own.

"She agreed to wander it for a while, but didn't go along with my suggestions of a ride on the Ferris wheel or the carousel. I,quite frankly, had hoped to recreate that momentous first kiss at the top of the wheel, but I should have known better. The whole 'wander the carnival' was a really bad idea, but then, I'd been grasping at straws long enough to know that there was nothing left at the bottom of the glass.

"Everything between us had changed shortly after I was diagnosed with a heart condition that, down the road, could deteriorate. She would joke about my heart not being good enough to love or my not having enough heart. Those comments always hurt, but she was joking, never saw how they cut and my being a man, I never let her see. Perhaps that was my problem. It was my problem now as she would shortly be off following her yellow brick road to her future.

"I offered to try my not inconsiderable skill at baseball throwing to win her an over-sized stuffed owl, but she just looked at me askance, rolled her eyes and shook her head before wandering over to a tent across the way. Inside, along with skee-ball machines and pinball games was an ancient looking contraption with a life-sized manikin inside it. Zoltan the Magnificent read the sign. With his black top hat, red eyes and villainous handle-bar mustache, he was the creepiest looking fortune teller I'd ever seen."

" "Gimmie a quarter, Sam," she said, holding out her hand and not even looking to see if I'd agree. They were the first words she'd uttered since we walked through the front gate.

"She popped the quarter in the slot and we watched as the machine buzzed into action. Zoltan's head came up and his red eyes swirled. His mechanized voice instructed her to think about her question. Zoltan paused, momentarily, giving her time to think. I thought too, my wish being for her to stay with me. Silly, eh?"

The reporter smiled, nodded to him to continue.

"Lights blinked and changed colors, he twisted his mustache and then said, in a most menacing voice, "Beware of what you wish for." A bell rang, something else bleeped and a piece of paper shot out of the front of the machine. It fell to the ground. I reached for it, but she grabbed it first. She opened it to read what it said, crumpled it up and stuck it in her pocket."

" "What did it say?" I asked, curious as all hell."

" "Nothing. It was stupid. Let's go. We'll be late." "

"I followed her out the gate and we got into the car. We had plenty of time, but there was no point in delaying the inevitable. We were only a couple of blocks away from the attorney's office. We sat waiting at the light. When it turned green, I rolled forward and that's the last thing I remember. "

"Has anyone told you what happened?" she asked gently.

I nodded, a tear running down my cheek. "We were hit by a city bus. I guess the brakes failed or something. Crissy never had a chance. The bus hit us in the passenger door on her side. I don't remember any of that part. I was awake in the emergency room and it's kind of confusing, but I know they said I needed a new heart immediately and as she was on life support because of her donor card and we matched, that if I agreed they'd do the transplant right away. There was no time to really think about it. I said yes." "

"So the woman you had just filed divorce from saved your life," said the reporter.

"Yes. I guess she did. I haven't really taken time to think about that part of it yet. It is too overwhelming to consider. I keep thinking that I will think about it tomorrow."

"Seems like you got your wish, Sam."

I looked at the reporter. "This isn't what I wished for. I think you need to go."

Lying there a bit later, having finally had that crying jag I needed to have, an aide popped her head into my room. "Mr. Waterman? Folks downstairs said I should bring this up to you. It's, ah, your wife's personal effects. I need you to sign for them."

I did. Her purse, her jeans, torn and bloody. Her blouse. I felt so cold inside. I swear I could hear the sound of her heart beating strongly in my chest. I lay there, holding her blouse, rocking back and forth. The monitors by my bed began beeping wildly.

My nurse came running into the room, immediately checking machines and readings. "Mr. Waterman, are you okay?"
I nodded, just holding up my wife's belongings in explanation.

"What in heaven's name were they thinking?" she said sounding exasperated as she reached to take them from me.

"Wait," I said before she could put them in the closet. "In her pocket is a piece of paper. Could you give it to me please?"

She did. I waited for some time, lying there, just holding it in my hand. Finally, I opened it.

1009 words