Eight Years Ago

Bright rays of sunshine pierced the morning fog as John strolled through his garden oasis behind his 1800s mansion. He held his morning coffee in one hand and his cell phone in the other, following the stone-paved path through the blackjack oak trees lining his spacious well-manicured back gardens. The black trunks stood out in contrast to the white morning mist.

As he rounded a corner, his wife Peri was several strides ahead, facing away from him. She wore a flowing white dress that blended in with the surrounding haze, making her invisible except for her luxurious black hair. She was admiring a red cardinal flower, delicately cradling it in her hands.

He creeped silently along the path, a good-natured game he has played with her since the day they met. Two hummingbirds flitted on either side of his wife. Graceful in flight, they inaudibly dashed off in opposite directions as he approached.

“If you think you can sneak up on me in the fog, you’re kidding yourself,” she said, not looking up.

“The thought never crossed my mind.”

“Liar,” she lightheartedly said. “I know you too well, my love.” She finished caressing the flower and turned to face her husband. “This garden is so beautiful in the rising sun.”

John smiled and said, “It pales compared to your beauty, my dear.”

“Oh, oh. What did you do?” She tilted her head and with a half-smile said, “You only butter me up when you’ve spent another fortune on something I might not approve.”

He didn’t answer right away.

She said, “Well, out with it, dear.”

To stall for time, he pretended to observe the lifting mist to his right, pondering how much of his plan he should reveal. He knew eventually she would learn everything. Throughout their time together, he shielded her from the stress of day-to-day business decisions, but she had a certain way about her. She would inevitably uncover the entire story.

Any attempt to keep parts of the plan from her would be futile. He said, “I’ve decided we should expand our operations.”

For several seconds, Peri remained silent, pretending to analyze a flower near her. Without looking at her husband, she asked, “How do the shareholders feel about that?”

“Well, I’ve only begun the initial discovery stages so it’s too early to bring them into it, but I think we can grow our fleet nationwide.” She turned toward him. He looked her in the eye and said, “We can be larger than any airline.”

She sighed heavily. They had gone through this before. “With big expansion come big headaches. Are you absolutely certain you want to proceed?”

“I know, dear. We will continue to bring in the right people. I am certain we will grow into the finest airline that has ever flown. It’ll take time and won’t happen overnight.” He paused, gazing at the sunshine creating rainbows in the fog and searching for the words he wanted in the vibrant colors. “Through meticulous planning, it took us two years to complete this garden. We can build our airline using the same fortitude.” As he said this, he made an arc with his left arm across the expanse of the backyard, spilling some of his coffee onto his fingers and the walkway below.

With coffee dripping down her husband’s hand, Peri said, “Well, before you get your morning coffee all over my dress, why don’t we sit down? You can try to convince me why we should have more stress in our lives.” She softly grasped her husband’s hand, guiding him with a gentle touch to a bench several steps up the pathway.

He said, studying the antique before sitting, “I believe this is the last bench we placed in the garden. Unlike the other ones we had to hunt down across the states, this antique came to us from that fellow out of the blue. I don’t think I have even sat on it yet.”

“Neither have I. The bench does look inviting with its smooth polished seat.” She sat down, adjusting her dress beneath her so it didn’t wrinkle. She continued, her hand tracing the lines of the wood beside her, “Strange how it’s not damp from the morning dew.”

“Perhaps the sun has already taken care of it,” he said, not giving it much thought. He shifted to face her as he spoke. “Look, dear, if you tell me no, I won’t proceed with the expansion, but I feel it’s the right way to go.”

The excitement in his voice was unmistakable as he spoke about the project. She had witnessed the fire of passion in his eyes many times, and it usually meant that his dreams would become reality. Nonetheless, when they failed, they caused them a significant financial setback. She never let those downfalls interfere with the steady rise they had. Over the course of their thirty-eight-year relationship, they had saved up a fair amount of money and established a renowned airline business.

Others would have been satisfied to keep the status quo, but not John. He was ever pushing higher. Her view was the opposite. She felt it was time to enjoy life without the corporate stress.

“Honey, perhaps we should take things slower. We’re getting closer to retirement every day. Wouldn’t you rather spend your days here in our backyard enjoying this garden than sitting in a concrete building surrounded by stress?”

John was disheartened by his wife’s words. Occasionally, she had played the devil’s advocate for his eccentric ideas. Most times, he could glean when she was on board with an idea. However, he could see in her eyes this time she didn’t share his vision.

He locked eyes with her for a second more and then had to turn away, gazing at their beloved garden for a quiet moment. He set his phone down on the bench, regained eye contact, and held her hand in his. “Peri, there is nothing in this world I would do to cause you pain. If you believe this to be the wrong decision, then I will abide by your judgment.” He tenderly squeezed her hand in a sign of his love.

To cheer her husband’s mood, she said, “Why don’t we sit here for a spell? Let’s enjoy this beautiful garden, the sunrise, and each other’s company.”

As they were awed by the swirling mist dancing through the sun’s rays yards away, John’s phone buzzed with an incoming call. At first, he ignored it, continuing to hold his wife’s hand. She worked her hand from his and said, “You should answer that. It may be important, dear.”

His gaze lingered on his wife, a gentle smile on his face. Her face was composed, giving nothing away. He eyed the phone, heard the buzzing, and felt its vibrations as he picked it up. “Hi, Anders. What can I do for you?” He rose to his feet, silently telling his wife something and gesturing to his phone. He carried on his conversation as he walked through the fog, the sun’s rays creating a kaleidoscope of colors.

Peri watched her husband walk away. As the distance grew and the sound of his voice faded into nondescript words, the mist encircled him in an unrecognizable blur. She contemplated what he had said about expanding their airline and wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea. Over the years, she came to rely on his acute business acumen.

Despite the happy times, their life together had seen its fair share of struggles. When they were married, money was tight and the smell of cooking beans and hot dogs lingered in the air most nights. She smiled as she remembered him saying, “As long as I have you, nothing else matters.”

Her parents, especially her father, had other thoughts about John. They had called him a dreamer and someone who would never amount to anything. Much to her parents’ chagrin, she was in love, and they begrudgingly gave their blessing to the marriage. That was undoubtedly what drove John to his success. He not only wanted to provide for his wife and his family, he steeled himself to show to her father that he was worthy of his daughter’s hand.

He exceeded expectations in every way.

In their first decade together, John successfully climbed the corporate ladder, squirreling away the money he made. Just seven years into their marriage, he began his own business delivering packages in the Carolinas and Georgia via a vintage plane he had purchased after obtaining his pilot license. This grew into a regional shuttle for business clients and ultimately Benchmark Air.

Now he had his sights set on expanding the business from coast to coast.

Peri pondered that. John not only had built his business, he built a team who followed the mantra of the golden rule, striving to act with kindness and empathy. Treat others with the same warmth and compassion you hope to receive. His resolute philosophy had allowed the business to thrive.

Thirty years later, she desired to turn the business over to them so she could have more quality time with her husband. This brought other thoughts to her. Was she being selfish? Would this deprive John of what he truly enjoyed doing? He had become more than her father had ever thought possible, albeit he had not seen how high John had progressed.

The day before she lost him, her father told her in a raspy voice. “Peri, I realize now that I was mistaken in my opinion of John. He has given you so much more than I ever could have hoped for. He’s been a wonderful husband to you and father to my grandchildren.” A coughing fit came upon him, preventing further comment.

She answered when the coughing subsided. “Thank you for saying that, Daddy. I know it would mean a lot to John if you would tell him.”

The day never came. He passed before he had the chance.

Peri thought all this while she watched the swirling mist dance through the black trunks and red flowers. Her eyelids drooped and within moments, she drifted off to sleep.

***

When John returned thirty minutes later, he found his wife sitting on the bench as he had left her. With her arms wrapped around herself as if to ward off a chill, she stared at a flower not too distant from the bench.

She said she had a strange dream, her voice trailing off as if it had left her with a feeling of unease.

John closed the distance to the bench and sat down next to his wife. He was startled when she turned to face him. She was pale and in stark contrast to how he had left her a short time ago. He asked her, “Peri, my dear, are you okay? Are you chilled? You look white as a ghost!”

She released her self-hug.

He reached out, taking hold of her left hand. “Your hands are as cold as ice.” He brought up his other hand, clasping hers between them. “Let’s get you back to the house before you catch a chill.”

Not moving, Peri said, “It’s not the air that has me chilled.” She placed her right hand over his and guided them down on to her lap. She took a deep audible breath, finally saying, “We need to talk.”

When she had finished recounting her dream-like narrative, she urged her husband to expand his business. In an uncharacteristically somber voice she said, “Fear clenches my stomach when I think of what our grandchildren’s children will have to go through if we don’t do something!”

John was speechless. He let go of Peri’s hands as they warmed, and he embraced her. He was uncertain what to make of the dream she had, but he was pleased she had changed her mind and supported his airline’s expansion.

However, all too soon, he discovered what had caused her reversal on the expansion. Within a week, he returned to the garden. It was a scorching summer evening after a long day of work. With a brandy in hand, he sat upon the bench. Within minutes, he let his eyelids drift down, his body feeling heavy and relaxed.

Later that evening, he did not call it a dream when he built up the courage to share with his wife what had occurred. He called it a vision.

It was the first of many. Peri had several as well, and on two occasions they had joint visions.

John’s last revelation was crystal clear. Humanity’s urgent need demanded the bench be relocated. After this vision and the alarming images encompassed within it, he never sat on the bench again, not admitting this to anyone, even his wife; he lacked the courage.

On the day the bench was crated to be shipped to New England, he felt a chill run through him. He had endured visions so shocking he could feel his pulse quickening in terror at just the thought of them. He closed his eyes and prayed on behalf of the people he had seen while on the bench, the very souls he had been tasked with assembling at the terminal.

As the bench was loaded onto the truck, he prayed they had greater strength than himself.