The Everlasting Gift by David-Matthew Barnes

Author:David-Matthew Barnes [Barnes, David-Matthew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cayelle Publishing LLC
Published: 2021-08-06T19:13:24+00:00

Fifteen

Ashes

Sharleen and Ivy were sitting on the living room floor working on costumes for the show. Nearby, the decorated Christmas tree twinkled and blinked as though saying hello. A fire crackled in the fireplace. From the kitchen, delicious aromas floated in the air.

Jake was busy cooking an elaborate dinner. Earlier in the day, he’d texted Sharleen and invited her over for a home-cooked meal, a mini feast for the evening including his specialty, beef stroganoff, along with steamed asparagus, garlic mashed potatoes, and a bottle of wine for the adults, and apple juice for Ivy.

The invitation had been too irresistible to turn down.

It had been a few days since they were able to spend time together. Jake explained he’d been busy with a new project as a contractor. Sharleen was dealing with an equally full schedule: preparing her students for the show, studying for final exams, and trying to decide what she was going to do with the three boxes of porcelain cows now gracing the middle of her apartment.

When Jake appeared in the entryway of the living room looking somewhat flustered, Sharleen lifted her eyes from a complicated stitch. “Everything smells so good. I picked the right house to have dinner at tonight.”

“My dad is a very good cook,” Ivy boasted.

Jake grinned. “Dinner will be served shortly, my ladies.” He turned to his daughter. “Ivy, can you set the table?”

Ivy jumped up and started working on the assigned task. In the process, she picked up Sharleen’s heavy backpack, dropping it. The bag hit the hardwood floor in the dining room with a hefty bang. Out of the backpack rolled an object, spinning across the floor in what looked like slow motion when it collided with the edge of Jake’s shoe, stopping. He stared at it, and a flash of realization covered his curious face.

Sharleen felt her cheeks singe with embarrassment. It was a moment of truth she wasn’t prepared for.

Ivy was intrigued, but also looked fearful. “What is that?” she asked.

Jake looked at her and said in a calm voice, “Ivy, can you go to your room for a few minutes? I’ll call you when we’re ready to eat.”

Ivy complied and left the room, disappearing down the hallway and into her bedroom. She closed the door. A few seconds later, the faint sounds of Jingle Bells could be heard in the near distance.

Sharleen stood, reached down and picked up the urn. She shoved it into her backpack, next to its identical deep burgundy and gold twin.

Jake looked at Sharleen for an explanation, but she remained silent, avoiding his gaze. Finally, his words cut through the stillness and silence, bringing the moment of aftermath to a necessary end. “You carry those around with you everywhere you go?”

Sharleen nodded, a strained and uneasy movement at that moment. “Yes.”

“Are they your parents’ ashes?”

“Yes,” she said. “They were both cremated … not by choice. Their bodies were so damaged in the fire there was almost nothing left of them. I’m not really sure how much of these are actually their ashes.

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