He had known it when he started recording those stories in his car, preparing for the worst while striving to give us the best of himself. “I’ll fight for as long as I can,” he told me one night in bed. “But I’m getting… tired.”
“I know, my love,” I said, clutching his hands beneath the covers.
“Whatever you do, listen to your body. Rest when it tells you to.”
Eric passed away quietly one winter morning. The house felt empty and still without him.
Our young children were unaware of the enormity of the loss. Yet they sat through the funeral, looking lost and dazed. Just like me.
Days after the funeral, while surrounded by family members and visitors, I felt ready to listen to his recordings. I went to his car and retrieved the recorder from the bag he had left it in. Scrolling through the files, I saw the familiar titles of our children’s favorite stories.
But one title stood out to me:
Our Story. Taking a deep breath, I pressed play. His voice was warm and steady, filling the space around me immediately.
“Once upon a time,” he began. “There was a princess. She was kind, intelligent, and braver than any knight in the land.
But above all, she had the largest heart anyone had ever encountered.”
I smiled through tears. “One day, she met an unremarkable man, just a guy from a village with no title, no wealth. But the moment he laid eyes on her, he knew his life would change forever.”
Tears brimmed in my eyes as I listened, his voice enveloping me like a comforting embrace.
“The princess and the man spent many joyful years together,” he continued. “Raising a prince and a princess. Though the man grew old and weary, he understood that his princess would endure.
She would continue to rule their home… with love and strength.”
Eric’s voice faltered on his final words, and I imagined the sorrow on his face. “So, my love,” he spoke softly, “if you are listening to this, know that you were my fairytale. You transformed my ordinary life into something extraordinary.
And even though I can’t be with you anymore, your fairytale must continue.”
It was exactly what I needed. Now, whenever the days grow heavy, I listen to Eric’s words again. And somehow, I find the strength to smile.
What would you have done? If you’re interested in another story, here’s a new one for you:
With Amelia’s 30th birthday approaching, her husband Jared keeps teasing her about a major surprise, igniting her imagination. On the day of her party, she learns that the surprise is someone she never wanted to see again…
