Road Trip Pt. 06

Also teary, Anna spoke where Lauren left off; "We all loved Karen, ... and we hope you don't mind us being here when you spread the last of her ashes. I picked up your last envelope off the dresser this afternoon." Her voice had a plaintive tone.

I found myself choked up. I whispered and gasped, "No. No, I'm glad you're all here with me. Sometimes when I spread the ashes along my trip, I had someone else with me. Crystal was there often."

Crystal nodded and spoke, "I felt your involving me was such a privilege, and such a gesture of love to me ... and to Karen." Now, she choked up too, "I hope, as long as I live, I can be loved by you as much as you loved Karen." She squeezed my hand tightly in hers and tried to smile at me.

Ellen snuffled and nodded in agreement. Kim stood with tears in her eyes.

Anna sniffled and said, "Me too." She squeezed my other hand.

Lauren echoed, "Me too."

Crystal threw her arms around me, and I felt her tears on my chest. Anna, Kim, Ellen, and Lauren came into our hug as well. The six of us cried for a minute. Our tears blended together in the love we felt for Karen, and the love we felt for one another.

As we started to pull apart, I looked at Lauren; she looked so much like her sister had - beautiful and angelic. In that instant, I felt something different, a special presence that touched my soul. A gust of warm, loving air, where there had been none a second earlier, briefly swept over us. I looked around as though to see who was there, but what caught my eye were rays of the setting sun radiating warmth in all directions.

Lauren handed me the small envelope of ashes. A warm, light off-shore breeze, barely detectable, welcomed the last act of our grief. I took a step further into the Ocean, faced my naked body to the setting sun, and opened the envelope.

I held the last envelope high and let the breeze carry the last of Karen's ashes into the sea.

* * * * *

The six of us watched as the ashes disappeared into the ocean's waves. We stood there in silence until the sun had set on Black Beach, and the temperature began dropping rapidly. The six of us then hurried back to the cabana and scrambled to get dressed, fold up our beach gear, and hike back to the car. We had said our goodbyes to Karen and it was now time to let her rest in peace. It was now time that we got on with our lives, taking comfort in the fact we had an angel looking over our shoulders.

We found a nice restaurant on the coast highway right by another large marina. We had an animated conversation about each of our futures, paying attention to how and when we could all be together more often. For Crystal, Ellen, and me that was no problem because our lives would be entwined in Crystal and my music careers, and maybe some movies.

After dinner, we stood outside the restaurant waiting for the valet to bring our car to the entrance. I noticed Crystal had a mischievous smile on her face.

"What are you thinking, Honey?" I asked.

Crystal said with a smirk, "Why, Jim, it's been a month since you saved Liz from her car wreck, and you haven't saved anybody since, nor had some disaster befall you like that tornado."

I laughed, "So, you're thinking it's time for some new damsel in distress to need rescuing? Maybe now that the road trip has ended, all that kind of stuff has ended too. I sure hope it has."

Crystal laughed, "I doubt your fate has changed. Something will happen, just you watch. I can feel it - maybe just the way Tama can."

"Like what?"

"I haven't the foggiest idea, but something will happen soon - very soon; I'm sure of it." Crystal showed me her goose bumps on her arm - proof of her premonition. She rubbed her arm and gave me a look that portended exciting events in my future. I could even feel the vibrations.

The End of Road Trip

A follow-on novel entitled Crystal Clear has also been written and published on this website. It is published under the author's other pseudonym, Romantic1 - along with a number of other stories. Enjoy.