A 500 word short story by
Scott A. Gese
They were married on a
Saturday. It was the first full moon in June. At the wedding, their
first dance together was a waltz. Fly Me to the Moon by Kaye Ballard.
Anyone who knew Max and
Lois Trebon knew without a doubt they were in love. The Trebon's
lived a full and happy life. They stayed deeply in love for over
fifty years. They raised three children during their time together.
From the day they were
married until the day Lois died, they held to the tradition they had
started on their wedding day.
On the first full moon of
June, they would steal away to the back patio. Light a candle and
drink a glass of wine. As the moon began to rise above the nearby
hills they would turn on the stereo and dance their wedding dance,
Fly Me to the Moon by Kaye Ballard. Not once in all those fifty years
did they miss their date.
Lois died of an brain
aneurysm at age seventy six. She died in May. It may have been only a
coincidence but she passed away on the day of a full moon.
Max was devastated. His
oldest son, Max Jr., convinced him to move into his house.
It was on the first full
moon of June, Max's son was upstairs when he heard the wedding song
his parents had always danced to. He looked out the back window to
see his father waltzing with an imaginary partner he knew to be his
mother. Max passed away shortly after. Everyone agreed he had died of
a broken heart. Max was laid to rest alongside his lifelong partner.
They were together once again.
The following June Max's
son knew he needed to find a way to honor the two souls who had loved
each other so much and who had given him life and a happy home.
On the afternoon of the
first full moon in June, Max Jr. drove to the cemetery where his
parents were buried. He set up a small table, laid out a clean white
tablecloth and set out a candle, two wine glasses and a bottle of
wine. On the corner of the table he set out a CD player. At dusk he
lit the candle and poured a small amount of wine into each glass. As
the full moon began to rise above the nearby hills, he started the
CD. It played Fly Me to the Moon by Kaye Ballard. He walked back to
his car to watch from a distance.
To his surprise, when he
turned around, His parents were standing hand in hand. They looked
young again. They were waltzing. When the song had finished, they
both turned to Max Jr. and gave him a bow of appreciation, then
disappeared.
When he went to put away
the table he realized the two glasses were empty. The traditional
moon dance had not come to an end. For Max Jr., a new one had just
begun.
©
Copyright 2019 by Scott A. Gese All Rights Reserved.
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