Take Care, Sara

her husband at the same time it felt…right.
    “Till death do us part, Sara. You know the drill.”
    “Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Sara whispered.
    The air around her faintly laughed, gruff and masculine. “Nah. I’m just letting you know, in case you didn’t, I’m dead .”
    Inhaling sharply, she looked around the room, seeing nothing unusual. It was just a room; a room alive with memories, but still, just a room. Sara rubbed her forehead, shaken. She dropped her hands, determination jutting her jaw. She stiffly lay down on the bed, clasping her hands over her stomach, and forced her eyes to close. She hadn’t slept in the bed since he’d left. But she was going to now. Sara relaxed her breaths until they became deep, even, and she slept the dreamless sleep of an exhausted soul.
     
     
     

16
     
     
     
    The garage was exactly as he’d left it. The blue Dodge took up half the white-walled building. Tools littered the workbench. Sara’s eyes were gritty, stinging, as they swept over the room he’d spent hours a day in, tinkering with his endless projects. His tool belt hung on the wall by the door. It was a cooler day out and it seeped into the garage and into Sara, causing her to shiver though she wore his hooded black sweatshirt.
    She fiddled with the radio near the small refrigerator, finding a country station, her lips unconsciously curving up at the Tim McGraw song. He’d loved Tim McGraw. Remember him before the accident. Remember him with joy, not tears. That was her motto. Sara was trying to smile instead of cry.
    Most times she failed, but sometimes, like now, she could remember the love they’d shared before he’d been taken from her instead of the pain she’d lived with in place of him since the accident. She could remember him and not crumble. The hardest feat, the one she hadn’t been able to overcome yet, was saying his name, thinking his name. It was beyond her at this point.
    You don’t have to hurt to mourn someone , Mason had said. It made sense, it really did, but it was still too soon for her. She didn’t think it was improbable and that was an improvement. Some day.
    He’d been gone over half a year now, though really he’d been gone a lot longer. It had been close to two years since the wreck. It didn’t seem possible that it had been so long ago, and yet, she’d only said goodbye a short six months ago.
    Tim crooned about remembering him after he was gone, causing chills to go up and down Sara’s arms. The tears came then and that was no surprise, but the surprise was it didn’t hurt quite as much as it usually did. There was hollowness inside where her love for him had once been. It saddened her that that was what their love had been torn down to.
    With a deep sigh, she wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her sweatshirt and pushed the button to open the garage door. The garage door rumbled up, creaking as it went, allowing sunshine and a view of the street in. Sara jiggled the keys in her hand, hauling herself into the cab. It smelled like fresh linen and a fine layer of dust covered the dash.
    Sara inhaled and exhaled deeply as she sat in his truck, recollections swirling around her, sucking her into a happier time.
    “We’re gonna have a little white ranch-style house ‘cause I’m too lazy to climb stairs. You’re going to plant some pretty flowers.”
    “Really? You think so?” Sara grinned as she gazed at the pink and orange sunset from the passenger side window of the truck.
    “I know so. We gotta make our residence presentable so we don’t scare possible visitors off.”
    “Visitors.” Sara shuddered.
    He laughed, deep and low. “You’re right. They’ll interrupt our alone time.”
    “Our alone time or the time you’re hoping we’re spending having sex?”
    “Same difference.”
    The summer day was turning into night, the heat slowly lowering as dusk approached. Sara smiled, enjoying the warm breeze fluttering through her hair from the partially opened window. “And then what?”
    “Then, let’s see, two kids?”
    She shrugged. “Sure.” Sara glanced at his profile, watching as a slow smile formed to his lips.
    “We best get started on that ASAP. That is a prerogative.”
    Sara laughed, touching his lips with her index finger. “We can at least wait until after the wedding.” He kissed the tip of her finger, his blue eyes flashing heat at her.
    “Right. But there’s no reason we can’t practice our form until