Broken Hearts

Chapter 11

A week later, I had been keeping myself busy. David hadn't been home since that night. I didn't try to call him. I gave him his space, seeing as how he lost his damn mind. Yes, I'm still furious. His absence has allowed me to boil in my anger.

I had out up with many things, but this wasn't going to be tolerated. After all these years, I deserved more than that.

Our anniversary was coming up and I decided it was nothing to celebrate. Until he wanted to act right, I wasn't going to be miss prim and proper. Instead, I had Justin taking me to the city. There, I spent a great deal of time with him. He most followed me around, but he was sweet enough to show me a few hidden treasures. A cute little candy shop tucked away between two buildings. The little old lady in there was a sweet heart, and her candies were delicious. They were all one of a kind. You could taste the love she poured into them.

Another little shop was opened by a man who hand carved things into stumps. He had a talent that I had never seen before. He took pride in his work. It was unlike anything I had ever seen.

I bought several items from him and bought a variety of candies for Mrs. Murray.

It was getting easier being in the noise of the city.

Justin was ever so watchful. He didn't say it out loud, but he knew something had happened between me and David. Instead, he helped me keep busy. It was nice having him around. It kept my loneliness at bay.

He had many crazy stories that he would tell me. Some were hard to believe, and others were quite sad. He had lived so many lives. It made me feel so inexperienced. I had been a good little wife. Never having gotten to go anywhere or do anything. David's work had consumed both of our lives.

After arriving back at my house, we emptied the car. Mrs. Murray was so excited about her gifts that it warmed my heart. I am thankful for these two. My existence would be unbearable without them.

I was sitting on the front porch late into the evening. The air was warm and welcoming. The sounds of life were quiet. Nocturnal creatures were coming alive and bustling about.

Justin had been helping Mrs. Murray finish a few things before he brought me a warm cup of tea.

"You surely have a beautiful home, Ashlyn."

"Thank you. I love it here."

I kept looking out into the sky. The stars were slowly coming out. The moon was in a Cresent shape. The light from it touched the edges of the land. Illuminating things here and there.

"Mrs. Murray has gone home for the night."

"Thank you for helping her. That's very kind of you."

"I'm not one to sit around when there is work to be done. She was very excited. She was looking forward to finishing reading a book of hers."

" I envy her." I replied.

"Why?" Justin looked at me with peak interest.

"She has lived a long and full life. I swear she has ready more books than I could even fathom. I miss reading. Just sitting down and allowing the story to take me on adventure."

"Why did you stop reading?"

"Life. Getting David's company going took a great deal of effort and time. After that, I just kept busy avoiding the loneliness that comes with him constantly being gone."

In the back of my mind, I wondered if I was being too honest, but then again, Justin hadn't given me a reason not to be.

"You say that with such sadness."

I didn't know how to reply. I am sad. I miss David being the man I love. He has changed so much over the years. We weren't the people we used to be. I had to hold onto the hope that things would get easier soon.

"I think you need cheered up." Justin said with his eyes wide in excitement.

"How so?"

I couldn't help the look of skepticism that was obvious on my face.

"Tomorrow, I am taking you fishing."

I looked over at him and raised my brow. "Why fishing?"

"I have seen how much you love the outdoors and life. Fishing allows you to listen to the world, uninterrupted."

He had a point there. I hadn't been finishing in years. David and I had stopped doing things like that when his company took off.

"What time?"

"We need to be up before the sun to get on the road. There is a lake hidden in the back hills of New Jersey. It will take some time to get there, but it's totally worth it."

I thought about how beautiful the lake sounded. If it was hidden away, not many people would be there. It was a very enticing idea. After thinking it over, I agreed but expressed my concern that I didn't have any fishing gear.

Justin apparently had quite the arsenal. They were his grandfather's, and he had only been able to get them back recently.

Going up to my room, I readied myself for bed. Laying in bed, my mind wandered.

What was David doing at this moment?

Why had he left without a word?

Why hadn't he tried reaching out to me?

These questions were ruining my mood. To change my tune, I thought about what the lake would look like. Where was this hidden treasures?

Picturing everything in my mind, I fell asleep peacefully.

Justin had me up and running just 6 hours later. I was a bit tired, but he assured me I could sleep on the way there.

He had the car packed and ready to go by the time I made it downstairs. Mrs. Murray had made food for us. Justin said it was going to be an all-day thing.

Going down the dirt road, the smoothness of the ride rocked me to sleep.

I was gently woken up by Justin. We were stopped, and around us were beautiful, tall, and healthy trees. Before us sat the lake.

It was breathtaking.