Kole

Kole put his car in park. He gripped the steering wheel and twisted his hands around it a few times before he turned the engine off. Opening the door he steps out into a sun-filled warm summers day. It was the kind you could really enjoy if it were better circumstances. Kole sighed and made his way, stumbled to a stop to lock the car, though he seriously doubted anyone would steal a car here and made his way down the drive. He noticed the mature trees swaying gently in the breeze as his feet found the well-kept but worn path of the drive, heard the chirping of happy little birds, smelled the fresh-cut clippings of grass, and yet those didn’t put a smile on his face.

Laughter? He frowned and looked toward where the sound was coming from and saw a camping chair, not facing him, and someone sitting in it. Shaking his head and kind of rolling his eyes, he moved along. It’s not that laughter was a bad thing, just in a cemetery, it seemed like bad form. Who laughs when the dead surrounds you?

He finally made his way to the plot of land he never thought he’d have to buy. He felt like an idiot, he should have brought something to lay here, flowers or, or,… but what good would it have done? Kole sighed and just shrugged it off. They hadn’t been married long before Mildred got sick. He thought back to her sunny blonde hair contrasting his own dark brown, her perfect smile as he surprised her with a kiss on her cheek. It didn’t take much to make her smile. He lowered his hand from his medium long sideburns. Anytime he thought of her, his hand would automatically scratch what she called her scruffy chops, now highlighted in gray. Would she have asked him to dye it? Kole doubted it. Mildred loved him the way he was, the way he would have been.

Laughter. Again? Kole adjusted his glasses and looked at the sound again. He had not needed glasses until last year when he finally admitted to himself Mildred would have said enough is enough. He’d already changed the font on his phone to LARGER more times than he could count. One last look.

Mildred Antioch

1983-2005

Loving Wife

He had 2 wonderful years with her, over 30 years ago. He kissed his fingertips and pressed them lightly to her inscribed name and set off to the laughter. He had a few words for this laughster.

He approached the lawn chair with quiet caution, and spoke a little loudly, “Excuse me, just why are you laughing in a cemetery of all places? Don’t you know people are trying to visit graves…,” He trailed off as sunny blonde hair turned towards him, and for a moment his heart skipped a beat, which at his age wasn’t super, but he recovered well in time for to be realized it was not Mildred, for this girl of maybe 24, had brown eyes, not the green he remembered. The face was all wrong (it was pretty, but again, not Mildred) and even now, he couldn’t tell you what this girl looked like.

The girl, put down her book and looked so apologetic after a slight yelp escaped her lips and she said, “Oh, I am so sorry!! There’s usually no one here this time of day and it was so nice out I thought no one would mind if I spent a little peace and quiet time here where I could read without interruption. I mean with all the virtual social media sites one can get engrossed in, it’s nice to be in nature. I’ve got snacks too. Berries, bananas, almonds. You could say I’m a bit of a health nut… I’m babbling aren’t I?” she halted and seemed to be waiting for Kole to respond as she sized him up.

“Isn’t it dangerous to be sitting out here all by yourself?” He said, being the protector he wouldn’t admit to being.

She chuckled and glanced around. “Um, I don’t think they are going to be coming back to murder me or anything. You’ve seen too many Zombie films. Besides, everyone loves The Princess Bride,” She showed him the jacket of the book while using it to motion to the graves, then pointed to him, and in a slightly accusing tone, added, “Are you going to murder me?”

Kole took a few small steps back with his hands up and replied, “Yes. I mean NO! NO, I’m not going to murder you. Yes, everyone loves The Princess Bride, but I can’t speak for Claus and Annie Gilbert. Are they the ones you are reading too?” Ok, these glasses came in handy he thought.

The girl half turned back to the graves she sat in front of, “Well, seeing how they died BEFORE the book came out, I’m sure they would have,” while turning back to him she quoted the following without missing a beat, “I mean, ‘Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles.’ ?? What’s not to love?”

“You’ve got me there,” he agreed. His glasses were good but not that good to notice the faded death date under Claus and Annie’s names, “Goldman sure did know how to capture your attention. By the way, how do you know about The Princess Bride? Most people your age are all about the Virtual Life or that hip actor turned old director, Ryan Gosling. He’s pretty good.” Kole admitted. Though, he still couldn’t watch The Notebook after Mildred passed.

The girl shifted in her seat and brushed her hair out of her face, “My grandfather would read it to me when I was sick. He took care of me all the time. He was also one of the groundskeepers here, and filled in at other cemeteries across the city,” she had the far-off look of one reminiscing of a loved one no longer here, Kole knew it well, “Which is probably why I am so at home reading here. Grandfather, would bring me with when he was working. We’d have long talks about why he worked here, why it was important someone took care of other’s dead loved, or hated ones. He’s pointing out the different flowers that would grow or people bring to their dedicated graves. It’s just so peaceful, ya know? No one here is in pain. They have no idea the state of affairs with the world. Sure, to put it bluntly, they were put in a box in the ground but that doesn’t mean they are completely dismissed. You are here, to visit someone no doubt?” she had started to talk so low and certain, Kole had moved closer to hear her and decided to sit on the ground next to her.

“My wife,” he answered quietly, “died many years ago. Her death was, is, the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through. It’s like I was cheated on the happiest life. Don’t get me wrong, while she was here, we were happy. But, I see the life we could have shared if her’s hadn’t ended. I figured, nothing could beat what we had, so I never tried to look for another love interest. She is the only one I’m still interested in. It might not be “healthy”, I don’t care. People have told me to move on. I don’t think they could ever understand what it was like to be so….” he struggled to find the right word and ended up with, “Us. I visit her after all these years, not to tell her how I’ve been, or what is new, but because… it is where she is. I want to be where she is, only not be dead too. She is my, Princess Buttercup, and I, her Westley. I was ‘fine’ after she died ‘but, I must never love again’. She too loved The Princess Bride too and would often call me ‘Farm Boy’ and with whatever request she’d ask of me I would say ‘As you wish’. When she got sick, we’d joke that when she was better, we’d go to the Cliffs of Insanity, hire an Andre the Giant like person to pull us up to the top. We knew it wouldn’t happen, that the sickness was killing her. It was our mechanism to deal. We watched the movie a lot. I read her the book, even to the day she died. I still read it once a year. Maybe, I’ll try reading it here, like you are to the Gilberts,” he kinda chuckled.

“To be fair, I’m reading it to myself but am laughing out loud,” she replied with a soft smile. He had not noticed that she rested her hand on his arm. “I think that would be a lovely idea to read it here. It wouldn’t be for her, but for you.”

Abruptly, she looked at her watch. “I am so sorry,” she said, “I’ve got an appointment to keep! It has been wonderful to talk to you, Oh, what was your name?”

“Kole Antioch. Its been a pleasure to talk with you too, Miss…” he trailed off.

“Florince,” she answered with a smile, “Florince Stein. Grandfather suggested I be named after Florin. It took, kinda.” She, Florince, got up and put her hand out for a shake.

Kole took gingerly shook it and then, not sure why he did it but kissed the back of her hand. She smiled again and curtsied. They both laughed. Then he realized, she wore black shirt and skirt. He got up and helped her gather a with a few things, handing her the book of the day.

“Thank you, Kole. Reading is how I relax before a funeral,” she said, putting the book into a bag, then added, “You noticed I was in black, huh?” She slung the camping chair easily behind her back seeing how it was a super cool retractable one.

He nodded. She looked like The Lady (Man) in Black. Minus the mask.

“I actually work here. As well as read here. Well, I help out when I can. I guess you could say I followed in my Grandfather’s footsteps. I’m this way,” She begun to head toward the Funeral Home, located on the opposite side of the hill from where Kole came in.

“I should be headed home now too. Ms. Stein, I hope you live happily ever after,” Kole meant it.

“And you don’t give up on love. You never know, you might meet someone laughing, in a cemetery at an Archdean saying ‘Mawidge’.” She gave him another smile and to Kole, it seemed a sad smile and was older and wiser beyond her years.

With that, Florince was gone. Kole wondered if one day they might bump into each other again. After stopping for one last glance at Mildred, he headed back down that worn path thinking about the conversation, and hearing the birds, thought they sounded a little more chipper than when he first arrived. At his car, he looked over the cemetery and it dawned on him. The name above the archway as you entered the well-worn path.

STEIN CEMETERY.

She more than worked there. She owned the place. A low chuckle emitted from Kole as he got into the driver’s side.

“Stein, Florince Stein,” he said aloud as he drove off into the sunset.

End.

And yet…

Upon reaching the Funeral Home, Florince Stein nodded hello’s at the employees and headed for her office and closed the door behind her. She collapsed into her chair and heaved a sigh. She retrieved a hand-held device and pressed a button that allowed the hologram mask she wore, to fall and she was once again, Mildred. Picking out a picture from her desk drawer, she stared at the two people for a long time. The woman’s face matched her own, only she’s older now, and she stroked a young Kole’s cheek. She hated deceiving him with the mask, but they had been clear on her not speaking to him, as herself. She couldn’t take listening to him talk about her last year. To see the pain he is in, after all these years. She had to give him some hope somehow. Even, if only for a day.
Mildred while sighing, pushed the button on the mask and was instantly Florince. She had hoped Kole would remember they had talked about having a daughter and naming her something from The Princess Bride, but she guessed her pseudonym might have been to obscure this time. Must return work, she said out loud. And keep planning to reach Kole, she thought to herself.