Cadence

     Tiny droplets of water rolled down the window as he sat drinking his morning coffee. He glanced over at the coat hooks to make sure his winter jacket was there, as surely his old bones would get chilled on his way into town. Looking at the calendar, he assured himself this was Wednesday the twenty-third day of December then returned to his coffee swallowing  every drop. It was a slow process for him getting ready to go outside, but he was in no hurry, those days had long passed him by.

     His rubber boots scrunched on the fresh snow reminding him of military cadence when he was in basic training a hundred years ago. Funny how he still remembered the drill sergeant shouting out the words to the rhythm of their boots. He was wrapped from head to toe in woolen warmth only his eyes exposed to the frigid cold that was December in the high country.

     He reached the small town and went inside the florist where the owner greeted him and set his order on the counter waiting for him to remove his gloves and retrieve his change purse from deep inside his pocket. He smiled and thanked her telling her he would see her in a month. The walk-through town was pleasant as Christmas decorations could be seen in every store window taking him back in time when he and his Mrs. Would take slow walks stopping in front of every window to admire the beauty that was Christmas.

     He proceeded up a small hill just on the outskirts of town and entered the cemetery where his beloved wife of sixty-two years was laid to rest four years ago today. Brushing the snow away from her headstone, he set the flowers on it and took a seat on the bench just a few feet away from her. He told her about the decorations and how he knew she would have loved them as she once did. He told her he still made a lousy cup of coffee and was having a hard time remembering days and even months. He wiped away tears before they froze to his face remembering everything he was because of her and how much he missed her.

     He figured he had been there a good hour, so he said his goodbyes and placed a kiss on his hand and placed it on her headstone. It was a slow walk back to the house they shared for so many years, his rubber boots keeping cadence but at a much slower pace.

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