I walked into the grocery
store not particularly interested in buying groceries. I wasn't hungry.
The pain of losing my husband, of 37 years, was still too raw, and this
grocery store held so many sweet memories.
Rudy often came with me,
and almost every time, he'd pretend to go off and look for something special.
I knew what he was up to. I'd always spot him walking down the aisle with
the three yellow roses in his hands.
Rudy knew I loved yellow
roses. With a heart filled with grief, I only wanted to buy my few items
and leave, but even grocery shopping, was different since Rudy had passed
on.
Shopping for one, took
time, a little more thought than it had for two. Standing by the meat,
I searched for the perfect small steak, and remembered how Rudy had loved
his steak. Suddenly, a woman came up beside me.
She was blond, slim, and
lovely, in a soft green pantsuit. I watched as she picked up a large pack
of T-bones, dropped them in her basket, hesitated, and then put them back.
She turned to go and once again reached for the pack of steaks. She saw
me watching her and she smiled.
"My husband loves T-bones,
but honestly, at these prices, I don't know." I swallowed the emotion
down my throat, and met her pale blue eyes. "My husband passed away eight
days ago," I told her. Glancing at the package in her hands, I fought
to control the tremble in my voice. "Buy him the steaks, and cherish every
moment you have together." As she shook her head, I saw the emotion in her eyes, as
she placed the package in her basket and wheeled away.
I turned and pushed my
cart across the length of the store to the dairy products. There, I stood,
trying to decide which size milk I should buy. A quart, I finally decided,
and moved on to the ice cream section, near the front of the store. If
nothing else, I could always fix myself an ice cream cone.
I placed the ice cream
in my cart, and looked down the aisle toward the front. I saw first the
green suit, then recognized the pretty lady coming towards me. In her arms
she carried a package. On her face, was the brightest smile I had ever
seen. I would swear, a soft halo encircled her blond hair, as she kept walking toward me, her
eyes holding mine. As she came closer, I saw what she held, and tears began
misting in my eyes. "These are for you," she said, and placed three beautiful
long stemmed yellow roses in my arms. "When you go through the line, they
will know these are paid for." She leaned over, and placed a gentle kiss
on my cheek, then smiled again.
I wanted to tell her what
she'd done, what the roses meant, but still unable to speak, I watched
as she walked away, as tears clouded my vision. I looked down at the beautiful
roses, nestled in the green tissue wrapping, and found it almost unreal.
How did she know? Suddenly the answer seemed so clear. I wasn't alone.
"Oh, Rudy, you haven't forgotten me, have you?" I whispered, with tears
in my eyes. He was still with me, and she was his 'Angel'. 
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