Marcie and Leo

(Hello Gentle Reader.

When I started writing this story with Good Neighbors, the premise of it was of two people who lost the love of their lives being there with each other. Through all the chapters, the story changed dramatically from one thing to another. However, I never lost sight of the way the characters were still grieving over their late spouses. That was where my heart was at when I started writing this one.

As I always due, "Marcie" saw this before anyone else. It has been a little over three years since she and I started talking and becoming friends. I was a little worried I crossed a line when I sent this to her because of her situation. Thankfully, she approved this one and told me I had to submit it.

As I post this on the eve of one of my mourning periods, I want to take a moment to remind everyone that grief doesn't leave. There are times it ebbs and flows at the weirdest moments and the best thing to do is allow yourself to do so. The love you feel for someone you lost doesn't go away when you truly love them. Cherish the memories of who they were.

Thank you for reading.

Azul)

I felt it as I lay next to her.

There are times Marcie has a rough night. The first time I witnessed it was the first time I slept in her bed when we were first dating. It was after our first date (Good Neighbors 12) although it wasn't the same as what I was witnessing at that moment. There were a few times she would have a bad dream involving her late husband scolding her for some odd reason. I knew from experience the best thing to do was to let her wake up on her own and be there for her when she did. True to form, she awoke and sat up in bed, the blanket falling revealing her chest. Her breath was heavy and fast. I waited until she started to calm down before I spoke.

"Marcie, are you okay?"

She turned and looked at me spooked out at first before she started to smile a little. Her head fell to my chest as she squeezed me against her before my arms surrounded her. We stayed like that for a little bit before she started to speak.

"Why does this keep happening?" she asked.

I didn't answer. I knew from being with her as long as I have that some questions were not meant to have a quick answer. I just held her against me, rubbing her back as we lay there. This was the part of my relationship I felt the most powerless about, yet it also felt the most familiar. So many times, since Missy passed, we would hold each other through the different episodes. Prior to her passing, I found out later, Missy would let Marcie know about some of my emotional outbursts. She knew about the angry ones (requiring the punching bag), the depressed ones (requiring the heavy blanket) and even the stubborn ones (requiring a smack along the back of the head.) To say Marcie was well trained would be an understatement.

Yet when it came to her things, I had to learn as we went along. One of Marcie's coping mechanisms was what she called "her bubble". Think of it like an emotional cocoon that she would retreat to just to give her a chance to reset. I made the mistake once of attempting to burst it with disastrous results. Ever since that mistake, which I worked hard to make it up to her for, I've become better about knowing when she was about to raise it around her. I also knew the things I could do to help her from outside until it was time for her to lower it.

The moments like where we were at that moment just required me to be there and hold her. Marcie knew I had her back with whatever she was going through. She also knew that I wasn't the type of guy to take advantage of that state. Sure, the feeling of "her girls" pressing against my check is a comforting feeling in its own way. However, I wasn't stupid enough to take advantage because I knew that wasn't what my wife needed from me. She needed me to be her teddy bear. I could handle that and then some.

It felt like moments later when the sun peeked through the blinds, and we were in the same position we were in earlier that evening. I opened my eyes to see the top of Marcie's head below me. I felt parts of me begin to stir as I carefully rolled over, so she was laying on her pillow. I then slipped out of the bed and towards our bathroom to take care of a few things. By the time I had a pair of my boxer briefs on and a robe and proceeded to the kitchen to make coffee, I was confident she would be up soon after.

By the time both cups of coffee were brewed, I saw the sleepy picture of my love walking towards me wearing a robe. She leaned in close and gave me one of her sleepy kisses before she proceeded to dress her coffee. As she headed towards the table, I popped a few waffles in the toaster before grabbing some of the berries we had in the refrigerator to make our breakfast. I turned after making her plate to her smile being more pronounced. As we enjoyed our breakfast, it was quiet. I knew the best way to proceed was to wait for her to start.

Then my ringer went off. I grabbed my phone and looked at the caller ID to see it was Matt. I looked at Marcie with my eyes asking for permission. Her head nodded before I hit the answer button.

"Leo, I'm stuck on the side of the road. Is there a way you can pick me up to take me to work? I know you had the day off, but I didn't know who else to call."

I looked at Marcie who heard most of the conversation before I heard her speak.

"Go ahead, Leo. We can talk when you come home."

I smiled before answering Matt before I hung up. Before I had a chance to move, her arms were around me and her hips sat on mine. I held her tightly before she started to kiss me. The kisses were chaste, but they were warm, and I felt the relief wash over me as she did. It was when she looked in my eyes that she said what made me know that everything was alright.

"When you return, you're mine, Master. I need my teddy bear home safe. Go rescue your partner."

She slid off my lap before we went to the room to grab some clothes to change into. Whatever darkness was messing with us the night before was replaced with the comfort of knowing she had me just like I had her. Just like it was meant to be.