Always On My Mind

Staring out at the Gulf Lee was suddenly filled with a storm of emotions. Happiness, sorrow, guilt and anger attacked him from all sides. Overwhelmed, Lee knew he had to leave and do what he had promised.

His mind made up, his thoughts turned to Charlie still asleep inside. Lee noticed a patch of Marigolds growing on the side of the house. He used his pocket knife, found a nice bloom and cut it.

He crept back to Charlie's bedroom and placed the flower on his pillow next to her sleeping head.

With a last look, he let himself out the front and walked quickly down the path. His walk turned into a jog and he raced back to the hotel to check out and hit the road.

Lee drove nonstop the whole 800 miles stopping only for fuel and a stretch. The closer he got the more anxious he became and by the time he parked the Pathfinder and made his way to the dark windy beach, Sandy's beach, he was light headed and nervous.

Lee sat down with the urn next to him and looked out at the sea. For the next few hours Lee sat silent lost in happy memories of the past.

At last, Lee began to speak out loud looking up at the stars.

"Hey Sandy, well here we are. Yeah, I know I'm a few years late but this is so hard for me. I loved you so much and well, you know how I am about saying goodbye. It sounds so final."

Warm tears streaked down his face and a lump lodged in his throat. He could hardly talk and was silent for a while feeling the strong emotions, trying to find the right words.

"But it is time for me to say goodbye to you Sandy, I love you girl and always will. You will always occupy a special place in my heart and in my memory."

He took a deep breath, choking a little on the words, "But it is time, Sandy." Lee began to stand up and open the urn. " It's time to lay you to rest and for me to say Good Bye for now until one day we will meet again and watch our stars again" He tipped the ashes on the sandy beach and watched the breeze spread them where she had wanted.

He looked to the heavens to say a last prayer, "This journey is done, my promise fulfilled and now it is time for a new one to begin. Look after her up there Big Guy. She was and always will be one special lady. She was my Angel, now she is yours."

Then as if in answer to him, he saw it. A shooting star streaked across the western sky and fragmented on the horizon. Lee smiled and nodded in acknowledgement of his claimed sign from her and the lapping waves crept around and claimed Sandy's ashes.

The sun was rising when Lee walked back to his truck. Suddenly, he felt an inner peace sweep over him. He opened the back, unrolled his sleeping bag and climbed in. He was asleep in minutes with a contented smile on his face.

Unseen, unheard a wispy figure of Sandy appeared by him in the truck and looked over at his sleeping form.

"Goodbye My Love," she whispered and kissed his cheek, "Find peace and happiness now like me, it's what you deserve." Then she faded and disappeared forever.

A FEW DAYS LATER

Charlie sat on a bar stool working on her books when the juke box suddenly began to play "Always on my mind" by Elvis Presley.

She looked up to see who had put the song on. No one was about at first.

She hummed the words to herself and returned to her work again,

"Maybe I didn't treat you

Quite as good as I should have

Maybe I didn't love you

Quite as often as I could have

Little things I should have said and done

I just never took the time"

Suddenly a male voice joined in slightly off key "You were always on my mind,

You were always on my mind"

She looked up to see Lee walking towards her with a smile.

"Hey Tex. Just passing through?" Charlie asked with a touch of apprehension. She rose to her feet to give Lee a hug.

"I was thinking about sticking around, that is if you will have me." Lee said softly, in hope.

"Well I will have to think on that Mr. In the meantime make yourself useful and figure out what is wrong with my cell phone." She said clearly overjoyed to see him.

"Hey first of all, I am retired and second, I worked on the software end not the end product" Lee protested as he looked at the phone.

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of two men entering the shaded bar.

"Well slap my ass and call me Sally! He's back." Tim said slapping Lee on the back.

"LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Wes roared.

Charlie watched the men with amusement. She had hoped Lee would return and there he was.

"Who knew what the future held but it was looking good so far." She thought hopefully and joined in with the banter, serving the men their cold beers.