TEARS IN HEAVEN
Chapter Twenty-One
December 20, 2026
Chippewa Falls, WI
Jack stared down at the grave before him. How
could it be that his grandmother could be gone? All his life she had always
been there...almost as if she were invincible. But now, at the age of
ninety-two, she lay between his grandfather and parents. What's worse is that
they hadn't made it out there until now, nearly two months after she'd passed
on, due to Rose and the two remaining kids at home being sick with pneumonia.
Jack sighed deeply, crouching down to wipe away the snow on the stone. He then
proceeded to do the same on the others, stopping when he reached his sister's
grave. Even after twenty-nine years, he had never come to terms with her death.
It had been so unnecessary, and it still pained him to think he could've
prevented her suicide somehow. In a loving gesture, he kissed his finger and
placed it on her stone before turning in the direction Rose was, a few yards
away. He could faintly hear her sobs and quickly went to her. At her side, Jack
suddenly felt a wave of foreboding over him as he looked down at the
gravestones of Kenneth and Ruth DeWitt-Bukater. Ruth had passed away in her
sleep two years earlier, ironically the night before her first
great-granddaughter came into the world.
"You okay?" Jack whispered, pulling
her closer to him.
Rose leaned back into his arms. "I
guess. Even though it's been two years, I still expect her to call or show
up...I guess I expected her to live forever."
"I know what you mean. Just goes to show
we're not immortal. That we can go at anytime."
Rose nodded, a far off look in her eyes.
"Yeah. I want to get out of here. Are you ready to go?"
"I'm ready. Come on. Let's get back to
the house," Jack replied, leading her back to the car.
*****
Later that day, Jack and Rose decided to go
out for dinner by themselves, leaving six-year-old Taylor in the care of her
older brother. Jay, being two days shy of his seventeenth birthday, wasn't too
thrilled with the idea. He relented, though, after receiving one of Jack's
stern warning looks. However, had they known what the night was to bring, they
would've stayed home.
*****
Rose whirled around in circles, her face
turned up to the sky, letting the snow fall on her face. It had been so long
since they'd had snow at Christmastime, and she was determined to enjoy it.
Jack stood a few feet away, smiling as he watched Rose in this light-hearted
scene.
"You know, I don't think I've been this
happy in a long time," Rose commented, once she finished her child-like
activity.
Jack brushed a curl out of her face and
grinned. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," he said, as he led her
down the town's main street.
Rose giggled and grabbed his hand. "You
know what we haven't done in a long time? Gone dancing."
Jack arched an eyebrow. "You want to go
dancing? Aren't we a bit old for that?"
Rose smirked at him. "I don't know about
you, Mr. Dawson, but I believe that we're only as old as we feel, and right
about now, I'm feeling like a girl of seventeen."
"Seventeen, huh? I'm old enough to be
your father, then..." Jack teased.
Rose swatted him playfully. "Come on,
can we please go dancing?" she pleaded, causing Jack to laugh.
"All right. We'll go."
Rose let out a cheer, resulting in a few
weird looks, but they were ignored. "Come on, Grandpa, I feel like
boogying tonight."
*****
Both Jack and Rose's faces were glowing as
they climbed into the back of the cab. Once out of the cold, Jack pulled his
wife close and kissed her softly. "I love you, Rose."
Rose gazed up at Jack, love radiating from
her as much as it did the day she'd said I Do, twenty-five years earlier.
"I love you, too."
Sighing contentedly, Jack wrapped his arms
tightly around her, smiling as she snuggled closer for extra warmth. Suddenly,
the car hit a patch of ice, spinning out of control, and plunged headfirst into
the oncoming traffic. Tires squealed as the other drivers tried to avoid
hitting them, but it was no use. The mixture of snow and ice caused the man
driving a large van to slide into the cab, pushing it into the parked cars on
the side of the road and making it flip over. Inside, the driver managed to
crawl out, but Jack and Rose remained trapped.