Ramona

Handsome James Schwartz had suffered a near seizure, and he was unable to speak now. His eyes, when I went to meet him, were blank and unfocused, and it made me want to weep. The doctors were perplexed; he had been responding excellently. Now he had slipped into a grey zone, not responding to the medications.

Once, when Lucien went to see his friend, I saw how my powerful husband’s shoulders seemed to slump. He thrust his large hands into the pockets of his trousers and rocked on his heels. I could feel his pain and made to step to him, and wrap my arms around my lover. But Ria who had accompanied Lucien, moved closer and placed her small hand in his, clutching his arm tightly. There were tears in my beautiful blonde daughter’s eyes as she stood, by her father, giving him strength, her lips pressed to his jacketed arm, and he wrapped a brawny arm about her shoulders, holding her to his powerful, stocky body.

They stood like that for a long while, the father and daughter, and I was tha