Golden Years: A Narrative Fiction

Now Edward was convinced that nothing could stand between them and their future together. He was ready and willing to leave his aging and sickly wife and finally spend the “golden years” with Irene, leaving forty years old Brian to fend for himself. “Not yet, said Irene over and over, I need to give Brian a chance, let’s keep everything as is”.
What Ed never understood about Irene is that with all her softness she was as strong as the weeping willow- always bending, never breaking. Nevertheless, who possibly can understand or judge a mother? Nothing is stronger than mother’ feeling of protectiveness for a child, even a forty years old child.
Although meeting with Ed became much more frequent, they were as secretive as ever, because Irene would not want to hurt Brian. To avoid questions and explanations, she came up with imaginary women’s’ club in which she spent weekends after stressful workweek. Sometimes Ed would get upset over Brian still leaving at home and still dependent on his mother financially, but Irene categorically refused abandoning her son. Without real work, wife, girlfriend or even any male friend, Irene
was everything Brian had. They had their evening meals together, watched rented movies or TV, and she could not even bring up the topic of his independent future fearing that this conversation would trigger his headaches and bouts of depression. Even if Brian understood what his mother’ regular short vacations were all about he never let his mother feel it by his attitude toward her. Just like his father, he decided not to know as long as his life went uninterrupted.
With all Edward’s bravado, he was not ready to leave his wife at this late time in their life.
Was Irene’s resistance disappointed him or did it make it easier for him to be brave and decisive? Every story has many unanswered questions; do we want to know the real reasons for everything; is it easier to go with the life’s flow with all the good and bad in it?
The sun is almost down; Ed is holding Irene closer to keep her warm against the chilly evening, they are together and their love endured. Tomorrow, Irene will go to work, do a grocery shopping in the evening, and come home, where Brian would be waiting for her with the supper. For Ed, it will be a long drive back to town where his helpless ailing wife is waiting for him to take her to a doctor, and for a short walk around the block, then he will go to the nearby park for his daily
run.