Tears of Joy
The hospital wing was drenched in the blinding afternoon sun. Ethel blinked shut for a heartbeat. When she opened her eyes, her heart seemed to stop, then gallop away.
He was walking toward her. Her husbandhis smile etched into the tiniest lines around his eyes. Yet he could not be there; three long years had passed since he left this earth.
Ghosts, huh? the thought whispered, and she squeezed her handbag strap, trying to anchor herself to the waking world.
The man drew nearer, unmistakably his double: height, gait, features only his gaze was stricter, more restrained. He stared at her without wavering, eyes wide as if he, too, had glimpsed a phantom.
A hot flush swept over Ethels cheeks. She lowered her eyes shyly and slipped past him, heading to the ward where her aunt lay. It turned out that Aunt Margaret was the only family Ethel had, and after her operation she needed special care.
The next encounter with the ghost happened in the dressing room.
Ethel was pushing an empty trolley when she saw him, clad in a white coat, murmuring to a nurse. The squeak of wheels made him look up, and he froze, his stare as direct and probing as the day before.
Doctor Harper, the nurse called brightly, breaking the uneasy silence. Thats all?
Right, thank you, he nodded, yet his eyes remained fixed on Ethel.
Flushed pink, she hurried away with the trolley, feeling as foolish as a schoolgirl.
Days at the hospital dribbled slowly. Their glances met in the corridors time and again. Each sight of him sent a childlike delight bubbling in her chest. He sometimes visited Aunt Margarets room, always courteous and professional, but his gaze inevitably lingered on Ethel a heartbeat longer than needed.
One evening, as her son Tommy was about to start his night shift, Ethel stepped into the lobby for a drink of water. There, by the window, Doctor Harper stood, looking out at the darkening city.
Your son? he asked softly, turning. The young man who calls on Mrs. Margaret?
Yes, Ethel replied, surprised that he knew her aunts name. Tommy. Hes a bit of a scamp, but a golden one. So caring.
He smiled, and that smile was achingly familiar.
He loves you very much. You can see it.
Something fluttered in Ethels chesta tremor she had long forgotten. The body ages, but the sensations remain fresh and sharp, as they were in youth.
Indeed, she muttered, blushing. Just dont tell him Im proud; hell get cocky.
He laughed, a warm, living sound.
My name is Alex, he said. Alex Harper.
Ethel, she answered.
At that moment Tommy burst into the lobby, brandishing a bag of pastries.
Mum, hey! Doctor! I brought the promised treatsorry about the cabbage leftovers.
Alex accepted a pastry gratefully, and Ethel caught his sons quick, assessing glance.
The next day the chatty nurses mentioned that Doctor Harper had fallen ill and was on sick leave. A hollow dropped inside Ethel. So it wasnt meant to be, she thought with a bitter inevitability. Perhaps its for the bestno awkward goodbyes, no lingering whatifs, only sweet memories. Yet even that was a lot; she realized grief does not last forever, and the road ahead would grow brighter.
Aunt Margaret was discharged three days later. As Ethel packed her things, she tried not to dwell on the emptiness that awaited beyond the hospital walls. She was saying farewell not only to the place but also to the phantom possibility that never blossomed.
Tommy, loading the car, suddenly said, You know, Dr. Harper is a widower. His wife died in a crash three years ago.
Ethel froze, rooted to the spot. Three years. Coincidence? Fate?
How do you know? she asked quietly.
We chatted over the pastries, Tommy shrugged. He asked about my dad, very politely. You could tell he was lonely. And he looked at you not as a doctor, but as someone else.
Ethel slipped into the passenger seat in silence. Hope thumped anew in her heart.
At home, silence waited. She brewed tea and settled by the window, watching the familiar culdesac. Then her eyes fell on an envelope lying on the tableshe didnt remember placing it there. Tommy, perhaps.
Inside was a card depicting an old hospital, eerily similar to the one theyd just left. With trembling fingers, Ethel opened it.
Ethel,
I know this may sound mad, and Im sorry I fell ill and couldnt say goodbye. I cannot let you simply vanish. Three years ago I lost my love. When I saw you in the corridor, it felt like the sun rose twice in one day.
I am not your husband. I am another man, with my own pain and story. Yet perhaps our stories could share a continuation?
If this isnt utterly absurd to you, Ill be at five oclock tomorrow in the café The Edge, opposite the park.
With hope, Alex
Tears burst from Ethels eyes, but they were tears of joy. She was not alone in that strange feeling; he felt it too, and was brave enough to take the step that terrified her.
The following morning, at half past four, she stood before the mirror, nervously smoothing her dress.
Mum, you look lovely! Tommy called from the kitchen. Just dont overquestion the past, okay? The future matters more.
She smiled.
The Edge was cozy, smelling of fresh scones. Alex was already there, seated by the window, eyes darting over the menu with a tense air. When he saw her at the door, he rose, and that familiar yet new smile blossomed on his face.
I feared you wouldnt come, he said, pulling out a chair.
I feared youd regret your letter, Ethel admitted, sitting down.
Not a second, Alex shook his head. His gaze was serious. You know, the first time I saw you it felt like a miracle, a reminder that life doesnt end.
I felt the same, Ethel whispered. As if a warm wind from the past brushed my cheek. But it wasnt the pastsomething fresh.
He extended his hand across the table; she took it. His palm was warm.
Lets try, Ethel, he said. Slowly. Just lets try to be happy.
She looked into his eyeseyes of a man who had walked through the same sorrow, yet still clung to hopeand nodded. For the first time in three long years she felt not sorrow for what was lost, but a bright, trembling anticipation of what was to come. It was her happy ending, which in truth was merely the beginning of a new story.
