The Old Man’s Prayer

The Old Man’s Prayer

I can’t believe that it’s all come down to this, the old man thought. He lay there, paralyzed from his latest stroke, and surrounded by his family. His weak eyes moved from one to the other. The fear in their faces was easy to read, even in his condition.

It won’t be long now, he figured. Debbie, his oldest daughter, stood in the doorway. Her husband, Paul, wrapped her in his arms in an effort to console her pain. She trembled with panic and wiped the tears from her cheeks with the monogrammed handkerchief that her father had given to her on her last birthday.

At least I’m home and not in that cold hospital room, the old man thought. They brought him home earlier today in an ambulance. He heard the doctor explain to Martha, his wife of sixty years, that there was nothing more they could do. They were standing in the doorway of room 312 at the Baptist Hospital. “The important thing now is to keep him comfortable,” the doctor said. The old man closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, as Martha returned to the room and picked up the phone beside his bed.

“It’s your father,” Martha said. “The doctors are sending him home.” The old man silently shuttered from the pain in his wife’s voice. He didn’t want to leave her. “I don’t know, son,” Martha continued. “But it won’t be long. Will you call the other kids? We’ll be home in about an hour. I love you, too.”

Martha hung up the phone and sat down on the edge of the bed. The old man could feel her lonely eyes on him. Her arthritic fingers gently pushed the gray hair from his brow. He knew that she was crying. He felt her soft hand touch his cheek as her lips kissed his. “I love you, darling,” she whispered.

“I love you, too, Martha!” He wanted to scream. But the words would not come. He slowly opened his eyes and looked into hers. Beyond the aged features of an old woman, he saw the young and tender face of the girl he married so many years ago. She sensed his fear, and he sensed hers. “It’s going to be alright, honey,” she said.

That’s when the ambulance drivers entered the room and lifted him to the gurney. Martha walked beside them until they reached the ambulance. “We’re going home,” Martha explained. “Our car is here, darling; I’m going to follow you home. It’s going to be alright,” she repeated.

When the doors of the ambulance opened again, Martha was there. David, their youngest son, was there too. He gave his mother a warm hug, and patted the old man on the shoulder. “You’re looking good, Dad.”

The air was bitterly cold and the skies a gloomy gray as they wheeled him up the sidewalk and into the house. The lights from the Christmas tree that Martha and he had decorated just a few days ago blinked softly in the living room as they maneuvered him through the house.

Is it Christmas? The old man wondered. He didn’t know. Since the stroke, he’d lost all track of time. He tried his best to remember, but the answer would not come. The mountains of presents were still wrapped and stacked neatly under the tree. It must not be Christmas yet, he decided.

Christmas had always been his favorite time of the year. Martha’s too, he recalled. How they loved to buy little treasures for the kids. Even after they were grown, they wanted to do all they could to help them.

When the kids were small, Martha was concerned that they would spoil them by being too generous. But Christmas was always an opportunity to overindulge. It seemed like the mountains of toys and presents grew every year. There were balls and trains for David and Todd, and Debbie and Lisa were smothered with dolls and tea-party kits.

Martha insisted that he was snugly in his bed before she allowed the ambulance attendants to leave. She put an extra blanket over him and discreetly wiped away another tear. “We’re going to let you rest awhile, honey.” She gave him another short kiss and patted him on the cheek. “David and I will be out in the living room. Don’t you worry about anything.”

Martha turned off the light and closed the door. He could hear their muffled voices from the next room and knew that they were talking about him. He didn’t want to die. There was too much to live for, too much love to give.

With warm tears forming in the corners of his eyes, the old man glanced around the room that he shared with his wife. His mind raced back to the day they met, so long ago. When she walked into his English class, his heart skipped a beat. She had just transferred to his high school from Kentucky and was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen. He wanted her from the first moment he saw her and his hunger for her had never faltered.

It took him more than a week to work up the courage to ask her out. The first time, and the second time, too, he recalled, she turned him down. “I’m really not interested in dating anyone right now,” she said. But the third time, she finally agreed to at least have dinner with him.

They drove his old clunker of a car to the local drive-in and ate burgers and fries. With the radio softly playing, they talked for hours. It was like he had always known her. She told him about growing up in Kentucky, and he shared with her his dreams for the future.

Just after graduation, Martha’s mother died. It broke his heart to see the girl he cherished in so much pain. During the hellish days of the funeral, he refused to leave her side. He held her hand and dried her tears. When she nearly collapsed at the cemetery, he was there, and supported her in his arms. That was the first time he whispered, “I love you.” Had he missed a day of telling her that since then? He didn’t think so.

They were married later that year and like many couples, struggled with finances the first year or two. Then, things seemed to get better. They managed to save a little money and bought their first home. How excited Martha was to fix it up, he remembered.

Although they weren’t trying, and really wasn’t prepared, Martha became pregnant with their first child during the first few months in the house. She had a hard time with the pregnancy and almost lost the baby on two occasions. He finally insisted that she stay off her feet and relax.

For the next two months, with endless energy, he catered to Martha’s every need. Despite all his efforts, Debbie was born two months early. And to make matters even worse, before they could even bring their dear child home, Debbie caught pneumonia and had to spend several extra weeks in the hospital.

The next three deliveries were cake walks. I guess Martha took to having babies like a duck takes to a June Bug, the old man silently chuckled. But through it all, through all the happy moments and all of the terrible tragedies, they held fast to the love they shared.

Suddenly, Martha was standing beside his bed. ”I didn’t mean to startle you, darling,” she said softly. “Look. All the kids are here.” Martha patted him on the shoulder and flipped on the light.

David and Todd, both handsome men, stood behind their mother. Lisa sat down on the bed and kissed her father, while Debbie and Paul remained at the bedroom door. “You’ve got to see something,” Martha said. She rushed to the window and opened the curtains.

Outside, through the deep shadows of a full December moon, a bright and brilliant star flickered in the East. “It’s the Christmas Star,” Martha said. “Can you see it, honey?” The old man’s eyes were drawn to the star, and it seemed as though it was pulling him to it.

This is it, the old man thought. He closed his eyes, and prayed.

“Wake up sleepy head, it’s Christmas.” It was Martha’s voice. “The kids are already downstairs, dear. It’s time to get up.” He felt her soft lips on his and opened his eyes. Martha’s young face looked at him. “What’s wrong, honey? Have a bad dream?”

His four small children came rushing through the door. “It’s Christmas, Daddy! Come on! Come on! Let’s open presents!” He gathered them all into his strong arms and held them tight. “I love you all so much,” he cried.

As they left the room, he gave a grateful look toward heaven. “Thank you, Lord for the wonderful gift,” he said.