Rick sat next to the bed and took another glance at the young lady lying there sleeping peacefully. While holding her hand he realized her freckles which always started a little dance when she was starting to laugh due to the moves her nose made when she was laughing. Her hand felt soft and warm while he held it in his. Next to the bed where she was sleeping in there was a picture standing on a little desk showing a nice little family, their family. Rick, Judith and their two sons. The picture was taken on their summer trip to Wales in the last summer. Charles was now twelve years old and his little brother Tom was four years younger. Both had the same features like their mother, which he himself was looking at in the moment full of joy for what they both have. His attentions was drawn away because some noises brought him back to reality. His eyes wandered towards the window and he looked at the sun which was about to set in a short while. The heaven outside looked like a huge blanket of pink-violett cotton candy ready to cover the humans of the Western hemisphere during the dark times of night which were to come each day.
Rick´s glances again traveled to Judith who was still peacefully sleeping while his thoughts made a journey to the past. He remembered the day they met for the first time. He smiled because he was aware that their first encounter was a stereotype one. He had been out with his friends and she had a girl´s night and they met in the same bar. He was very drunk like most students are on a saturday night and she also seemed to have had some drinks. However, till today she was insisting heavily on the fact that she had been completely sober this evening. She had always been a little pighead, he thought and grinned. At this evening he had tried to talk to her or make himself being noticed by her but she did not seem to be interested and so he turned away for he was interested in that girl but not in getting the push. The surprise was even much bigger when he was shopping in a bookstore several days later and there saw her again, standing there and holding a novel of Bukowski and a book from Michel Foucault in her hands and her face gave him the impression that she could not decide which one to take. Her features looked very concentrated and it seemed she had not yet taken a decision. Rick regarded this as his second chance for he had not spoken to her the first time he met her. He prepared himself, walked over to her and just said „Hi, you are looking for a book?“
It took some seconds till she realized someone was talking to her, at that moment she gave the impression of living in her own world and not being attached to others.
„Sorry? What did you say?“
He wanted to answer immediately but in the moment she looked at him, his breath was taken away by the color of her eyes and by the way she was looking at him with her head laid a little bit to the side.
„Ehm,… I asked… I liked to know,… if you are looking for a book…? But, yeah, you already have one, ehm, two books.“, he felt embarrassed because he had no idea what he intentionally wanted to say.
„I can´t decide which one to take.“, she stated and showed him the two book covers.
He took a look at the two covers and felt he had to say something smart and funny.
„Take Bukowski, I would suggest. A man who said Write drunk, edit sober seems to be interesting.“
Her lips smiled but her eyebrows went up just after he and ended his sentence.
„That was Hemingway, not Bukowski. But though thank you. I´ll take Charles Bukowski.“ She stopped talking and took a closer a look at him. „Sorry, but I´ll think I´ve seen you before. Is that possible?“
Now he was not sure if that was a good thing that she could recognize him for he had really been very drunk on that one evening and of she was able to remember him maybe he had behaved stupidly. Due to his thoughts he blushed. And was getting more insecure because he blushed what him feel that he would blush even more. So, he chose the only logical option left. He decided to be honest.
„Well,… on the last weekend on Saturday there was this party at the Irish Pub… and, yes,… eehm, I was there and I think you were also there. By the way, my name is Rick.“
She looked at him and the impression of recognition came upon her face.
„Yes, I think it must have been last Saturday that I´ve seen you. I think you can articulate yourself much better today than last Saturday.“, she said and laughed.
Rick blushed even more but was happy that she seems to have a good sense of humor and so his confidence returned.
After Judith had bought the book the two young people left the bookstore and Rick asked her if she would like to drink a coffee with him.
„You are really funny! Why have you been in the bookstore? You haven´t bought any book. Is that your strategy? Going to bookstores and pick up a girl?“
„Oh, really! I completely forgot that I went there to get a gift for my brother. Well, I´ll postpone that:“
They went to a little café where they ate some cake, drank coffee and talked. It was a pretty nice way to have a first date. Rick go to know that Judith was studying in order to become a teacher for English and History. When she was talking about becoming a teacher her eyes shimmered and he could see that she was really passionate about that. At that time Rick was also still a student of engineering something he wanted to be since he was a little child. The idea of constructing things was something that fascinated him since his youngest days.
Two hours after they had entered the café Judith stated that she had to leave because she had to give a presentation on the next day and she needed to do some last preparations. They changed their phone numbers and after that day they had some lovely date-nights and after a short phase of three weeks they had become a couple.
Rick was torn out his thoughts by noises coming from the surrounding and he looked out of the window again. The sun had come closer to the horizon and the sky had changed its color again. The pink and violet had passed away and instead heaven haas taken a dark red touch.
His eyes wandered again through the room, back to the picture and finally to the Judith, who was still sleeping. While he was looking at her and at her lips he supposed that she was smiling at him while sleeping and maybe she shared his thoughts.
The picture of the little fancily stood next the bed and he gave it another glance.
He thought about the day when she told him that she was pregnant. They had been a couple since three and a half year till that day and he could remember that day as it was yesterday. He came home after work and had suddenly realized that there was something going on when he walked into the living room. Judith was just sitting there and in front of her on the small table she had posited his old, his very old shoes. The shoes he ha worn when he was a baby and he had been given by his grandmother several years ago. He had kept them because it reminded him on the days of his childhood and they used to stand on a little shelf in the living room. When he realized hat little baby shoes on the table and when he looked into her face he knew that she was expecting his baby. He was overwhelmingly happy but though had worries for from now on he had not only to take care of Judith and himself but also of new person, their baby. He had promised to always do everything to make Judith and that little wonder, which they held in their arms after nine months, happy and feel safe. Four years later Tom had completed their family and after another three years they gad decided to marry. Since that day everything he and ever wished for had come true. Rick had felt unconditionally happy.
While he was thinking about Charlie and Tom he looked again to the picture and realized again the similarity between the boys and their mother. Especially Charlie had the same blue eyes like his mother and the same high cheekbones like Judith. Rick was concentrating now on Judith´s face and how the sun, which was now only minutes away from setting shone on her face.
A huge sadness came over Rick, a sadness which he knew would vanish but in the blink of that eye thought about that he looked at her and a smile came back to his face.
He remembered the day six months ago. The day that changed their entire life. It was early in the morning and he was already at work. Judith was about to bring the boys to school when it happened. The three of them had just arrived at the school and had already got out of the car. Charlie had crossed the street, Tom was about to follow him and Judith was still at the car looking for something.
„Tom! You forgot your lunch packet!“, Tom heard his mummy saying at turned back to fetch it. He got back, took it, gave his mummy a kiss and returned to make his way to school. In this moment a car chased along the street which he was crossing. He did not realize what was going on, but he had seen it and did not know where to turn to. He stood on the middle of the street and had seemed to be unsure if he should turn back to his mummy or run to the school building. So he stood there of too long. Judith realized the danger much faster than her youngest son did and ran on the street to get out of car´s way.
The car did not hit Tom. But it hit her. Judith knew that the boy would be hit by the car, the eye witnesses who were present stated this at the police. Neither the car seem to know where to turn, nor didd Tom know. Judith had entered the scene in order to protect her son. And she did protect him.
The hospital called Rick immediately after Judith had been brought there. The information were devastating. The doctors had told g´him that her brain was irreparably damaged and that there was no hope for recovering. Since that day she laid there in a coma vigil, hanging between death and life. There had been no betterments in the sat sic months.
Now, in the moment he was think about all that and when his thoughts had brought him back to reality he felt like having lost everything. While he was struggling the hardest struggle of his life she was still lying there and seemed to sleep peacefully.
And he remembered what they had promised to each other.
His left hand took her both hands into his ones and his right hand went to the life supporting machines which he switched off now. Now tears were streaming down his face while the last glimpses of life were streaming out of her.
Outside the sun had finally set and it had became night.
ankasjuwel 