Whisper

44

Christmas was an amazing time.

I put up so many lights on my house that John call ed me up one night and joked, "Will, me son. Ise jest got a call from da Deer Lake Airport, boy. Dey says dat youse gotta turn off dem lights, me son. Da planes tinks yer backyard is a landing strip."

I just might have overdone it, especially when I lined the entire earthen fence with three strings of different lights.

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I held a huge Christmas party at the new Village centre. I invited everyone from the village. Nearly everyone attended.

Actually, I believe everyone was there, at some point, during the night.

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I had presents for everyone and even a Santa Clause to deliver the presents. I also had a huge feast supplied, minus the turkey dinner. I was told that I could have anything else at the party, but that everyone liked to make their own turkey dinner.

As far as the drinks for the evening, well, that went without saying. Every possible liquor anyone could desire was there, as well as soft drinks and juices for the kids.

I hired two bands for the party. One that played traditional and Newfie music and another good old rock and roll band. They would alternate 30 minute sets, so that the music never stopped. Of course, all night long they were joined on stage by musicians from the Rock. And there were plenty of us.

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We partied all night, and I mean literally all night.

I believe it was like 6 in the morning by the time I staggered home. Myself and a few of the younger, legal aged, residents of the village, were the last to leave.

It had been a great night. In spite of my intoxicated state, I was so happy.

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I had dozens of invites for Christmas dinner, but I decided to stay at home and have it with Spirit and Ghost.

I actually baked a turkey and it came out none to bad. The cats certainly seemed to like it.

As lonely as some might think it was for me, it wasn't.

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Bobby and Jessie came to my house after their Christmas dinner and we sat and had drinks. They were honestly the first real friends I had ever had in my life and we had grown quite close over the months since my return to the Rock, from Twillingate.

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They gave me a beautiful gift. They had secretly recorded a song for me and gave me a CD with the song on it.

It was absolutely beautiful. It brought me to tears.

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Then I gave them my gift.

Months before, Jessie had showed me the plans for a house she always wanted.

I hired a contractor to build their dream home.

It was going to be built on land just outside my stone wall, which I had signed over to them.

I was paying for everything.

To say they were speechless was to say fish don't live in the sea.

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At first they would not accept, but I was insistent. They were my family. I made them understand that for the first time in my life, I actually felt like part of something and they were the closest thing that I had ever come to having a family.

Both were in tears by the time I finished my speech and the three of us hugged for what seemed an eternity and by the time we parted, we were all in tears.

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By nights end, we were all singing and playing guitars and drinking. We also made plans for the New Year to actually start recording the songs that we had been threatening to record, since we first met.

This time, I was certain that we would actually get it done.

It really was a great Christmas.

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New Years Eve was, as always, celebrated in a big way by the village. There was to be a special presentation to me at the celebration, but I informed them that I would only be there until 11 pm.

I wanted to spend the incoming New Year at my gazebo.

It was a special time that I felt strongly, I had to spend alone.

They made the presentation at 10 pm. They gave me a golden key to the village and I was made honorary Mayor.

I was speechless. Literally, I was. I stood at the microphone and tears filled my eyes. I could only choke out, "Thank you."

I left, promising to be back after the fireworks celebration.

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At 11 pm I was sitting at the gazebo, staring out at the North Atlantic.

It was an absolutely beautiful night. The temperature was in the 20's and there was no wind. The sky was absolutely clear.

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Looking back at the house I could see Ghost and Spirit in the living room window staring out at me. I smiled and raised my scotch to them.

They both raised on their back paws, batting at the window, as if trying to wave to me.

It immediately reminded me of the little dance they would do whenever Whisper was around.

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I looked back at the ocean. I took a deep breath.

"Whisper. Jenny. I know you probably can't hear me and in all honesty, I still have moments that I wonder if you were real at all or if it was all just some sort of amazing dream.

In any case, I miss you. I know there was no way that you could always be a part of my life. I mean, you were a spirit, a ghost or whatever you want to call it and I knew that at some point whatever the reason was that you were here, would be solved.

Whatever it was that you needed to see, to discover, to accept, to do, whatever....

It would come to pass and you would be gone."

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I left the gazebo and walked to the edge of the cliff, looking below.

Tears filled my eyes. I remembered that night, just a short year ago, when I watched my little girl fall into the waters of the cold Atlantic Ocean.

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"I love you, Whisper. I don't think I have ever loved in my life."

Tears started to fill my eyes.

"I know I haven't, because this is so hard.

It's so hard to say good bye."

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I walked back to the gazebo and picked up my cigar. I had to smile. Whisper hated the smell of the cigars. I sat on the bench inside the gazebo and continued to look out over the ocean.

"I will never forget you. Even if this was a dream, it was the most beautiful dream I have ever had.

I love you Whisper. I always will.

But I know that you are where you have to be, where you need to be. I just hope you are happy and sometimes, maybe, in your own way, you will remember me."

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The first firework exploded over the ocean. It was 12 am.

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"Happy New Years Whisper. I miss you and I will never forget you."

As the ocean lit up with fireworks, I turned off the switch for the beacon light.

"I hope you are happy. I love you."

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I sat in the darkness and watched the fireworks.