Who we were

Part 1

I managed to stumble to my feet and rush my ass out into the church isle before my stomach decided to turn itself inside out. Yesterdays dinner was swimming in a pond of yellow lava in front of me. I stood bent over for a few seconds, my hands on my knees. The priest came rushing from nowhere with a bucket and cloths.

"It's not my first time cleaning puke," he said half jokingly as he looked up at me and smiled. "I got two kids you see. Runa is 5 and Sebastian is 3. When your husband is overseas it's not like you can just say no to taking the dirty work." A longing shadow fell over his face. A priest with a husband? I wonder what's not to be found behind these hospital walls. "A priest with a husband? I bet you're thinking that right now," he laughed and wiped the final trace off lava from the floor. He got up and looked at me. With his hands he formed the word deaf?

I smiled at him, forming 'Can hear, not speak.' with my hands. 'How much signlanguage do you know?' I continued slowly.

"I can't swear yet," he laughed. "How do you feel?"

'The eruption has stopped,' I smiled.

He laughed and showed me a thumbs up.

'Your husband is overseas.'

The longing shadow fell upon his face again. He nodded, then slowly set down on the bench. I set down beside him. His eyes was dark green, his lips a pale shade of pink. He had strong cheekbones, stubs lining across it.

"Yes he is. I used to swear at God at night. I still do. But I can't blame God. I choose to marry a military guy, what you take is what you get. When we got married, we fooled them all. Our parents, our aunts, uncles, cousins; you name it. His sister, Emile, had a girlfriend at that time. Isabelle. They are still together so that's sad. Emile and Bernard they are twins. Luckily they look a lot like eachother from behind. The same height, the same building. I still have no clue how she got Bernard to agree to a dress, but she did. Everyone thought it was me and Bernard standing side by side in the end of the church. It was a double wedding. So they were excpecting Emile and Isabelle to go up the isle. They came in, walked up the isle and as they stopped in front of us we revealed their faces. I don't think I have ever heard that much panical laughter in a church before," he stopped shaking his head lightly. "Dobbel wedding. Plot twist; we're gay."

'I can't believe you actually did it'

"To be honest; me neither." He laughed. "It sounds to crazy, almost like a movie. But I guess that's life; crazier then the movies. If only we all could have stuntmen as well."

We talked for a few more hours. Mostly he talked. Telling stories of him and Bernard, and his kids and Isabella and Emile. The knot was still twisting in my stomach as I left the chapel, but at least my head had stopped turning for a few hours. The hospital corridores were quite. There were only a nurse now and then rushing pass, noting something in a book or going somewhere. Imagine how many people we pass every day. On our way to work or school, when we're going to the grocery store. Imagine all the untold stories. Strangers eyes meeting, or bumping into eachother.

I take a deep breath as I open the door to his room. The light is dimmed. They have hooked even more machines to his body monitoring every heartbeat. I sit down in the chair beside him, placing my hand over his. I used to look at him, thinking it wouldn't be possible to get paler then him. Now I see how wrong I was. All light is as gone from his body. There is nothing there. Still he is alive, breathing. They hooked him to a breathing machine after the surgery. Said it was just in case, and to make the recovery easier on his body. I lean forwards, letting my head rest on his chest. His heart is still pumping. Sending life through his body. I find comfort in the steady beating. It's weak but it's there. A comforting beating. A last hint of life.

  Authors note:

Is the sign language parts understandable? If not; how can I make it clear they use sign language?
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