Reunion

This story was written for the

750 Word Project 2024

. The story below is exactly 750 words.

☁️☀️🌥

It was a beautiful day, cumulus clouds drifting slowly across the otherwise clear blue sky. The park was oddly deserted, save for a few fishermen off in the distance, standing by the water's edge, desperately in hope of a nibble.

I'd been sitting on the bench, feeding the ducks when I spotted her, making her way from the wooded path into the clearing by the lake.

She took my breath away. Her long, chestnut brown hair blew in the gentle breeze, scattered with reddish-orange highlights created by the midday sun.

Her oval face was youthful, radiant, with dark brown eyes that shone with an inner self confidence. Her lips formed a natural, easy smile that spoke to her friendly, caring nature.

Her dress was light, airy, diaphanous; spaghetti thin shoulder straps barely holding the front of the sheer white garment up over the rounded breasts that bounced ever so enticingly with each step.

Elastic cinching at the waist hugged the dress to her slender hips, highlighting their gentle curvature. The hemline floated on air, ending just at mid-thigh.

I knew her immediately.

"Hello Helen."

"Hello, Oliver. It's been awhile,

hasn't it?" Her voice was sweet, just as I remembered it.

"Almost ten years."

"That long? Huh. Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all. But... why are you here?"

Helen sat beside me. My heart fluttered as her thigh brushed against mine. "I think you know, Ollie."

Her eyes twinkled with a mirth that brought back memories of our life together, of the joys and wonders we'd shared over the many years.

I managed a nervous smile. "It's time? Right here, on this park bench, surrounded by a flock of noisy ducks?"

Her laughter was lilting. "It's not a bad way to go, is it? It's certainly peaceful here, very tranquil."

"I suppose it is." I chuckled. "So, when do we do this?"

Helen took my hand. "It's already done, my love."

"Really? Huh. I didn't feel a thing."

Helen rested her head on my shoulder. "Neither did I, when it was my time. I wish I could have told you not to cry for me, not to worry. That I was going to be okay. But I can tell you that now, Ollie. Don't be afraid. This is just the next part of our journey together."

We sat quietly for a few moments, then a question occurred to me. "Are the kids gonna be okay? The grandkids?"

Helen sighed. "I'm not going to lie to you, Ollie. I don't have that answer. Life is... unpredictable. And there are no guarantees. No promises. But I can tell you things on this side are different. And wonderful. Just wait, you'll see."

"So when do I get to meet God?"

"Oh, don't be silly, Oliver. There is no God, you already know that."

"Well, I THOUGHT I knew that. Discovering there's an afterlife kinda makes me wonder now."

Helen grinned. "I understand. I wondered too. It's... really hard to explain. What I can tell you is there's an entire universe out there, waiting for us. A universe we have become one with. And we have all the time we'll ever need to explore it."

I had to smile. "So we're like, what? Force Ghosts? I just knew George Lucas was a prophet."

Helen rolled her eyes."Still a geek, aren't you?"

I shrugged. "Hey, it's me."

I was suddenly frightened. "We do this together, right? You... won't leave me again?"

Helen wiped the tear from my eye. "Never. That I can promise you. Whatever the next great adventure is, we will face it together."

Instinctively, I kissed her. Her lips were warm, soft, wet. She returned my passion, and I felt my desire growing.

Confused, I broke the kiss. "I thought we were no longer physical. So how am I feeling...?"

"Aroused? Horny?" Helen offered a sly, sexy smile. "That's the beautiful part, hun. Love doesn't end with death. And neither does desire. I can't wait to show you all the amazing things we can do together."

I felt flushed with a vitality, a vigor, a... hardness, that I hadn't experienced in a long, long time.

"So when do we begin?"

Helen stood and offered me her hand. "Whenever you're ready, Ollie."

Taking her hand, I felt the weight of 86 years slip from my shoulders. With a spring in my now youthful step, we took the first steps of our new journey, and together we headed straight into the shining sun.