3D: Without Her

Skyla’s head rose and fell with each slow breath Jonathan took. He cradled her in his arms like a soft pillow relishing the quiet moment. Whatever played on the television didn’t interest him; He needed no external entertainment with his favorite person near.

Little feet padded down the stairs, and their cuddle time dissipated with the long sigh escaping his nostrils. Oliver wiped his wet face on his sleeves, and Skyla jumped off the sofa as if someone shocked her with a cattle prod and ran to the little boy. Her parenting style changed with him, and Jonathan found it interesting to watch. In her youth, she was relaxed even while disciplining the girls. When they cried, she consoled them calmly. Within minutes, they were back to normal. But with Oliver, she rushed toward him as if every tear came from a crisis. The alarm in her eyes and tone of voice made him even more distraught. The drama between those two was laughable at times. Was it her age or because he was a boy?

“What’s the matter, handsome? Are you hurt?”

The boy bellowed from whatever pained him. Oliver wasn’t an emotional child. Skyla tried to get the story from him, but the words would not form.

Finally, he yelled, “I miss Aubrey!”

Like striking a match, those words ignited Jonathan’s own emotions on the matter. Melancholy feelings smoldered inside, and he needed Skyla to deal with the boy quickly or she’d have two sniffling babies to fix.

“Oh, baby. I know. We miss her too. It’s ok,” she said, embracing the sad boy.

Oh, Aubrey. She left a gaping hole in their lives. Who would have thought she held them together and not Skyla? The shrinking family didn’t do so well without her.

“I want to go to Aubrey’s house!”

Skyla sighed. “She’s probably working tonight.”

His tears ramped up again, but Skyla worked quickly.

“But, we can call her. Would you like that? We’ll schedule a visit. How does that sound?”

Oliver was so spoiled. He got everything he wanted, and Jonathan hoped he behaved well at school. But, in this situation, yielding to him was smart. They all could use a little Aubrey in their lives. She got married, moved away, and hadn’t looked back, not that they expected her to. Her restaurant empire shaped up nicely with plans for the second one underway. The business crammed her schedule, and family time slid to the bottom of the list. That’s how life went, but knowing it didn’t make living any easier.

“Come on, honey. Let’s go call her. Then I’ll read to you, ok?”

“Ok, Mommy.”

With one daughter down, Jonathan hoped the next wedding would be awhile off; he couldn’t take another heartbreak. Maya wasn’t always around, anyway. Between her partying days of old and current relationship, they were used to her being gone. Whatever happened, however, they would take it one day at a time. Preparing to see his children go into the world and begin their own lives seemed impossible though necessary. All he could do was watch from the sidelines, smile, and remember to keep breathing.