Excerpt from August Farewell
As I open my eyes, I can see through the bedroom shades that it’s light outside. Oh jeez, how long did I sleep? Bill is in the same position he was when I came to bed last night.
I watch the sheets for the telltale rise and fall motion. I can’t detect any. His left arm is lying on top of the covers. I touch it gingerly. It’s stone cold. I pull my hand away and just lie there absorbing the implication.
I get out of bed and walk around to his side. My eyes fill with tears. I kneel down beside the bed, wrap my arms around him, and start to bawl.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he screams. He’s wide awake and he’s livid.
I jump back almost knocking the bedside table over. I stammer, “I thought you were gone. I thought you were dead. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
He’s still yelling. “I was almost gone! I was on my way! And now I’m back! Damn you!”
My grief of a moment ago morphs into despair, and the tenderness of yesterday’s good-byes seems like a distant dream.
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August Farewell can be purchased through http://amazon.com and other on-line book retailers.
More information, including YouTube video on why I wrote August Farewell, on my website at http://DavidGHallman.com
