a story about an older couple and the worry of tomorrow will never come


If Tomorrow Never Comes

If Tomorrow Never Comes


A cars horn went off, and Alex appeared on the porch. "I'll be right there youse guys." he called before going back inside. "Ok Jennet, my bag ready yet?" he asked walking over to his wife. "Almost Alex." she told him as she continued to pack his bag.

"Geeze Jennet, I'll tell ya this convention is gonna be one of the best ones yet!" he told her excitedly.

"Oh I hope ya have a good time." Jennet told him as she kissed his cheek and handed him his bag.

"Well I'm off to fight the Nazis!" he exclaimed as he headed toward the door, with Jennet smiling away while following him.

"Come Alex! We're gonna be late!" Hank his friend yelled.

"Yeah kiss your wife goodbye and let's go!" Pihil agreed.

"Hey there don't go trying to wreck all marriges you two, it aint my fault Jennet here aint left me."

"Give it time." Hank whispered to Phil.

After hearing that comment, Alex frowned at his friends, and blew a raspberry. "Hey she aint going no where's when she knows she's got this here." he said before doing something none of them expected.

Alex quickly pulled Jennt, into his arms, dipping her, and giving her an unexpected kiss. The scene resembled the kiss of the sailor and the nurse, when World War two ended.

Pulling Jennet back up and pulling away, Alex looked over to the vehicle full of his buddies who had all rolled their eyes and then over to Jennet who had a shocked and breathless look covering her face. Alex smiled. "Alright boys I'm coming!" he called as he quickly walked off the porch while singing an old War song. After finally getting back to reality Jennet waved goodbye to her solider boy.

*~*~*~*~*

Days later the convention was over and all the men were coming home to their families some with hangovers, some still drunk, and some still in a good mood. Alex was one who was still in a good mood, but that would soon change. Faster than Ted, his son in law eating a whole sandwich.

"We'll meet again don't know where don't know when But I know we'll meet again some sunny day" Alex sang as he made his way up the stairs and took out his key.

"Alex!" Barney yelled from across the street as he jogged over to the street.

"Barney, wha are youse doing here?" Alex asked,

"Alex, you better come over to my place there's something I gotta tell you." he told him serious all in his voice.

Alex frowned, "Wha is it?"

"No I Alex I think you should come over."

"Alright alright..." he said still frowning, wondering what his friend had to tell him.

*#*#*#*#

"Sit down Alex, there's something I gotta show you." Barney told him and Alex did as he was told and Barney left to get what he had to show Alex.

Only a few seconds past and Barney was back. When Barney came back in Alex looked over at him to see that he was holding a newspaper... "Hey Barney that's just a news paper. Now there's your answer to your problem. Now I'm going home..."

"Alex read this." Barney said putting the paper in front of him.

Alex looked at his friend and then over to the paper. Pulling the paper back to read, and then read out loud. "Shadeyshine home burns down..." Alex drifted off after reading the first line. Shadeyshine, was the retirement home, where Jennet often helped out.

"Barney you aint trying to tell me...Jennet...was in...there..."

"I'm sorry Alex." Barney said as he placed a hand on Alex's shoulder, "I went over to your house as soon as I heard, and no one answered." "But she..." knowing what he was going to say Barney interrupted and shook his head, "I went the next day too. I'm really sorry Alex." Barney told him.

Alex snuck into the chair he was sitting on before, "Ah geeze." he said taking it all in. "I shouldn't a gone to that convention thing," he said as he put his head in his hands.

"Come on Alex don't blame yourself, you know Jennet would have gone even if ya didn't go." Barney told him trying to comfort his friend, "Cause you'd be at the Bar."

Alex glared at him but then shook his head, "Nah but your right, she would go anyways. She was always running off to help some one...and running over to me when I'd come home, sobering me with kisses. And then on them days when I'd come home and she'd be singing 'Blue moon .'..."Alex looked up at Barney.

"I'm really gonna miss her, Barn....I really nothing with out her." he said his blue eyes becoming misty.

Barney just stood there with his hand on Alex's shoulder not really knowing what to say. Alex got, up "I gotta go home..." he mumbled in a low voice. It really wasn't a home anymore.

Gabby and Ted were gone as well as Joey and Lily, their grandchildren. But Jennet had always been there, to help keep the 740 Medow Point house, a home.

But now it was only a house.

"Alright Arch, be careful. Don't do anything to drastic, you know Jennet wouldn't want you too."

"I know." he said as he walked out f the house not really listening.

*^*^*^*^*

Alex slowly opened the door and walked in standing there missing his usual welcoming. He took off his cap and coat and dragged himself to his chair where he flopped down onto. Sitting in the silence he took this time to let out what he had be holding back since he read the headline.

He began to cry.

"Oh Jennet, why'd ya have to go. Why'd ya have to that sunshine home? How am I gonna go on alone? With out the kids with out...you. I know I'd always tell youse, you were going first, but I never really wanted youse to. Geeze Jennet, I wish I woulda know the last time I'd seen youse would be the last time I'd see you...I didn't even get to tell you that, I love you Edith." He continued looking up his eyes still watery. "Geeze wha I'd give to see youse again. To feel you slobber on me, to her you singing to see your smile, to hear you say Alex, to tell you I love you."

"Alex?" called a voice, a familiar female voice.

Quickly Alex turned around to see his wife standing on the stairs in her blue robe, with a tissue in her hand. He quickly walked over to her. "Jennet? How did you....Jennet what's heaven like?"

"Alex I aint in heaven."

Alex started at her, "You aint? But, you'd think you of all people would be there." Jennet looked at him confused, "Alex, honey what are you talking about?"

"You and heaven. Where you are now..."

"Alex, I aint dead." Jennet said wondering how he got that idea.

"You aint?"

"I don't think so..." she began to say.

"But I saw the headline, the Shadeyshine home..." Alex started to say, he was totally confused.

"Ooohh!" she said in that classic way, as she walked closer to Alex. "Remember last week when you came home with that cold, and youse barley got over it the other day..."

"Ah geeze is this gonna be long?" he groaned although he was secretly happy to be able to hear one of her long stories once more.

"No. You see I musta caught your cold, cause this whole time I was home resting. I didn't go to the sunshine home at all." she said as she wrapped his arms around his neck, smiling trying to reassure him it really was her.

"But Barney came over, twice and no one answered." Alex pointed out.

"Oh I musta been asleep at that time." she said feeling sorry, about that.
"Ah geeze, Jennet, do you know how worried I was."

"Oh Alex you were scared you lost me?" Jennet asked

"Course I was, Jennet. Don't ya know by now, you are like the cream in my coffee you're the salt in my stew; you will always be my necessity I'd be lost without you." he said telling her a lyric from one of their favorite songs. Jennet smilied. "Ooh Alllexx!!" she said in that classic way and Alex just had to smile as he wrapped his arms around her waist, while she cuddled against him.

"You know Jennet, I know I don't say this enough, but I love you..."

Jennet moved a bit so she could look at Archie. She placed her hand on his cheek, "I know." she said softly, "I love you too Alex." Slowly they moved into a kiss.

Once the kiss was over the embrace wasn't, they still stood there Alex's arms around her waist and her around his neck, while Jennet rested her forehead against his. "So how ya feeling now?" Alex asked, having something rolled up his selves.. "Oh I'm feeling much better, why?" she asked knowing he must be up to something.

"Well I was just thinkin' how about you giving your 'solider boy' a proper welcoming home." Alex told her but of course Jennet was confused. She looked at him with that classic confused expression, "What do you mean?"

"I mean..." he began to move his eyebrows along with his eyes upstairs, until she understood.

"Oooohhhh!" she in that classic way, "Oh Alllexxx." she said smiling and he smiled back.

Alex laughed before sweeping her off her feet and into his arms, she gave a surprised, cry as he did so. The two laughed, and then Alex began to walk but groaned as he did. Taking only two steps more Alex out her back on her feet, "Ok ya can make it the rest of the way." He said and she nodded before the two left hand in hand up stairs.

The End







Short story by PrincessPebbles
Read 830 times
Written on 2006-11-07 at 05:25

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Audrey Barber
Hello Priscilla dear

This is wonderful, You do have some talent girl. I am amazed. Keep it up and do not ever let it go.

Take care
Audrey
2006-11-19


Mitzi
wonderful story! keep the great work up! :D
*hugs*
Mitzi
2006-11-16


Kathy Lockhart
You capture me in the first sentence and kept me until "the end." Well written short story. I loved the dialogue. Excellent!
2006-11-07