Last Breath

LAST BREATH Other books by Alan Sakell The Boy Who am I? | The Jane Brooks Story LAST BREATH ALAN SAKELL This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. For Debby & Brian, Thank you for always supporting me, and for being my home away from home every time I needed one. Love, Alan Prologue January 11, 2020, is the day Janice Brown has been waiting for, for as long as she can remember. She had set her alarm clock for seven a.m. the night before, though she knew she would not need it. She has not had a good night's sleep in the last seven years. She has been lying in bed wide awake for the last twenty minutes just watching the minutes pass by. At 6:59 a.m. she reaches over and shuts the alarm off before it has a chance to wake Richard, her husband for the last thirty-two years. There is no need for them both to get up so early. Janice gets out of bed as quietly as she can and slides her slippers on her feet. The hardwood floors are cold this time of year in New England. She turns around to see if she has woken Richard, but it looks like he is still fast asleep, or at least he is pretending to be. Richard, unlike Janice, has been dreading this day. The last seven years have been tough on their marriage. It is a miracle they have not separated, never mind getting a divorce. If their love is strong enough to survive this, it can survive anything. The house is eerily quiet, except for the creak of the third step, as Janice makes her way down the stairs to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. Some people may find the quietness a bit spooky, but Janice has become used to it over the years. It has not always been like this. There was a time when the house was full of chatter and laughter. Those are the memories that Janice tries very hard to hold onto. Over the years she has been finding it harder and harder to remember them. Memories fade with time, especially as we get older. When the coffee is ready Janice climbs back up the stairs to check on Richard. He is still asleep. It is beyond Janice’s comprehension how he can manage to sleep at all, knowing darn well what they will be doing today. She looks over at the alarm clock and decides to let him sleep another ten minutes. That will give her enough time to take her morning shower. Janice creeps out of the bedroom and down the hall to the bathroom. She turns on the light and closes the door. First, she flosses and brushes her teeth and then she gets into the shower. In the middle of washing her hair, she can hear Richard calling out to her through the bathroom door. She cannot really hear him well enough with the shower pouring down on her to understand what he is saying. She assumes he either said, ‘Good morning,’ or ‘Hurry up in there.’ She finishes in the shower as quickly as she can. The last thing she needs this morning is Richard attempting to make them breakfast. That man cannot fry an egg to save his life. Once she is dried off, she gets dressed and heads back downstairs to the kitchen. Richard is sitting down at the kitchen table sipping a cup of coffee. Janice notices that he did not pour a cup for her. She really was not expecting him to. After being married for more than thirty years, she is pretty sure he does not even know how she likes her coffee. Richard is a very loving, caring husband, and a good honest man, but let’s face it, he is still a man. The little details are things he just does not notice. Lucky for him he has never missed a birthday or an anniversary. Janice walks over and kisses him on his forehead before making herself a cup of coffee. Richard asks her what they are having for breakfast to which Janice replies, “French toast.” She knows he loves French toast, though he never asks her to make it for him. After they are done eating, Richard goes upstairs to take his shower while Janice cleans up in the kitchen. They have not said very much to each other this morning, which is how it has been most of this last week, last month, last year, the last seven years. Sometimes it is better to not say anything, instead of saying something you know you will regret right after you say it. Richard finishes in the bathroom and gets dressed. He is unsure what he should be wearing so he decides to match Janice’s dress attire. She is wearing navy dress slacks and a white button-down blouse. He puts on his black dress pants and a light blue button-down shirt and contemplates putting on a tie but decides not to. If Janice makes a fuss about it, he will put one on. But if she says nothing, he will go without. It is not like they are going to a wedding. He puts on his black dress shoes and heads downstairs. As he hears the third step creak he is once again reminded that he needs to do something about it. Janice gave up asking him to fix it years ago. As Richard makes it to the kitchen, Janice is just finishing putting all the dishes away after washing and drying them. He gets both of their winter coats from the hall closet. First, he helps Janice put her coat on and then he puts his on. They head out to their car