On November 28, 2012, I met the nanowrimo goal of writing the first 50,000 words of a novel. Actually, my first official count was 50,238. Tonight I wrote some more of the last chapter and just before midnight I verified 52,855 words. The novel is not done, not by a long shot. It probably won't ever be done or if it is, I wouldn't anticipate it being finished before next summer. Either way, finished or unfinished, I met the goal and I'm happy about that.
I suppose I will have to finish "Moving Mountains" at some point since I promised an autographed copy to my nephew for the purpose of him selling it on ebay and earning enough money to purchase a new car or maybe his first home or possibly the Bugatti we are supposed to be "sharing". This consists of me getting it during the week and my nephew getting it on the weekend because, "You're old. You don't need to drive it on the weekend". Probably true, but I still think it's a long shot for him to make that much money on ebay. On the other hand, people buy a lot of weird stuff there so I suppose anything could happen.
My niece also accepted the challenge and achieved the goal as well. Her novel isn't finished either, but she has set the goal for completion by the end of the year. Maybe I should accept her challenge and do the same.
Here's an excerpt from the last chapter. Keep in mind it has not been proofed or edited in any way. That comes later, after all the words of the story have been written.
Enjoy.
"Moving Mountains"
Excerpt from the last chapter.
Micah, Jeremiah, Hannah and Naomi were all gathered back in the living room around Nate’s bed. It seemed as if time was running out and one by one all of them gave up hope of him ever opening his eyes again, though they did not discuss this amongst themselves. Long moments passed where no one said a word. The only sound in the room was a the steady mark of time from the mahogany and cherry Sligh grandfather clock that stood sentry by the entrance, the occasional sniffle and Nate’s increasingly labored breathing.
“How much longer can this go on?” Naomi wondered out loud to no one in particular. She felt guilty for telling Nate it was ok for him to go when she had spoken to him while everyone else was out of the room. She was unaware that Jeremiah had done the same thing.
“Hard to tell little sis. It’s hard to watch though.” Micah said. He put his arm around Naomi and she laid her head against his chest and let the tears come.
“You guys think we should get Mom yet?” Jeremiah asked.
“I was thinking the same thing Jer.” Micah answered. “Maybe we better. I know she will want to be here at the end and there’s no way of really knowing when that will be. From the sound of things and by what the hospice nurse said, it doesn’t seem like it could be that far off though.”
They all nodded in agreement. Hannah went to wake up Elizabeth so she could be there when Nate left this world.
Hannah quietly stepped into her parents bedroom. She observed the cherry wood highboy and chest of drawers with their ornate detail on the feet, the polished brass drawer pulls. The finials on the four poster bed had seen better days but the cherry was still beautiful and brought back memories of all six of them romping on the bed on Christmas morning trying to rouse their parents into opening up the presents at 6:00am. It never worked, 7:30 was the rule at their house. Other memories of long talks with her Mom or Dad or both while sitting on the very bed that Elizabeth was resting in made her eyes sting with tears. If she couldn’t imagine what life was going to be like without her Dad, she wondered how her Mom was even going to begin to cope.
Hannah knew her Dad was going to Heaven sometime today and that brought a measure of hope to her. However, it didn’t stop the ache in her heart and he wasn’t even gone yet. She knew there was going to be a void in her life where her Dad used to be for a long time. I’m going to have a Dad shaped hole in my life she thought. The idea brought fresh tears to her eyes.
Hannah looked down at the sleeping form of her Mother and knew she needed to wake her. She looked so peaceful lying there and Hannah knew she was going to need every ounce of strength and rest she could get to survive these next few days. However, she also knew Elizabeth needed to be at Nate’s side when he went on to Heaven. So, she breathed a quick prayer to God for comfort and peace and then gently reached down and touched her Mother’s shoulder.
Elizabeth stirred beneath the white down comforter. The contrast between it and the cherry headboard was always crisp. Today it was comforting and worn with memories; memories that would see the family through the hard days ahead.
“Oh. Hannah! I fell asleep! Is your Dad…?” the question died on her lips and her eyes clouded over.
“No! Mom! He’s still here. But we thought it might not be too much longer so we all thought we should wake you now.”
“Oh. Thank you Jesus for sparing him just a little while longer.” Elizabeth threw off the covers and put her shoes back on. She sat on the edge of the bed a little while longer and pulled Hannah down to sit with her.
“You know, there were times when I didn’t know if your Dad and I were going to be able to stick with our marriage or not. It was long before you kids were born. We had a lot going against us after that accident. We almost lost our way. But we fought against the power that threatened to tear us apart and look where we are today. Over fifty years of marriage, four kids married with God honoring spouses of their own and raising all of the grandkids to walk with the Lord. I can hardly remember those days when we couldn’t see our way past the hurt and pain we had caused each other. God restored what we had almost lost and he restored it in such a way that brings honor to Him through each successive generation. I am not sure how to live without your father, but I know my Heavenly Father won’t desert me now. How do you live when half of you is missing?” Her voice cracked and her shoulders shook with grief that wasn’t even fully realized yet.
Hannah helped her Mother up from the bed, arms around each other, they walked out into the living room. At the sight of her children standing at the bedside of their dying Father, Elizabeth’s eyes filled with tears again and made it difficult to walk. She felt like she needed to be strong for her kids, but she realized that was too much pressure and that each of them would have to navigate these waters on their own. They would be there for each other as they had always been, but grief was a solitary road. Each person had a unique relationship with Nate and so each one would have to grieve in their own way for the loss that they personally experienced. Elizabeth held on to the hope that they had created enough good memories to see them through the pain.
“Hey Mom, come sit in the chair.” Micah said. He went over to where Elizabeth stood seemingly rooted to the spot, staring at Nate.
“No, honey. I need to give him a hug first.” She stepped over to the bed and leaned over to hug her husband. She lingered whispering something in his ear. It was low enough that the kids were not able to hear what she said but the fact that her tears were falling made them all look away from the ache that act of tenderness brought to each of their chests.
“Nate, my husband, my friend, no woman has ever been loved as well as I have. You have given me four beautiful children and a lifetime of love. You loved me with an everlasting love just as Christ loves His church. I know who He is because of your willingness to love me as He does. Honey, I know that your body is wearing out and you won’t be coming back. If it’s time to go, I want you to know that I will be ok. You have shown the boys what it means to be a God honoring man and our daughters what unconditional love looks like, they will be here to help me and Jesus will never leave me. Don’t linger for us. Go and see what Heaven is all about. Go and meet Jesus. I’m sort of jealous that you are going to beat me there you know. I love you Nathan Isaac Bradbury. Always. Forever.”
Elizabeth kissed him tenderly on the cheek and did not bother to hide the tears that dripped onto his face and traced a path down towards his ears. She tenderly wiped them away with her hand and then left it there cradled against the side of his face. She sat there on his hospital bed, her hand gently rubbing the side of his face, hoping he would open his eyes just one more time though she had just told him it was ok to go. She hoped against hope to hear him say, “I love you Lizzy B. Always. Forever.” just one more time. She hoped. But she didn’t think it would happen.
Micah could not watch this display of affection between his parents and quietly walked out to the kitchen. It was too much for him. He loved them both for the sacrifices they had made for him and his siblings while they were growing up, for fighting so hard for what they believed in and for instilling in him the love of the Lord. His heart was breaking over the end of his Dad’s physical life. It was juxtaposed with the knowledge that his spiritual body would live on in a realm he could not see, though he believed with all of his heart in it’s existence. If he didn’t believe, he knew he could not endure staying until the bitter end.
Once out in the kitchen Micah sat down hard at the kitchen table, his face in his hands, shoulders shaking with emotion and tears leaking between his fingers. He tried to pray, but words were hard to articulate. He knew that God heard his prayers though and so he just stumbled through as best he could. He asked for peace for the family, for a painless end for his Dad and for him to know the right thing to say and do for his mother, his siblings, their spouses and the grandkids over the adjustment to living life without the patriarch of the family.
He sat there in silence for the space of fifteen minutes or so before Jeremiah joined him at the table in almost the same posture. He sat there quietly for a beat, then got up and got them each a glass of water. Jeremiah set the glass down in front of Micah and said, “I couldn’t handle that in there anymore. I feel like I ditched Dad, but man that’s intense in there. Call me a coward if you want to.”
“Yeah, I know. I had to get out for a minute too. I need to breathe. You are no coward. It’s just intense, stressful, that’s all. We all need a break from it every now and then. The seesters and the Mom are doing the female thing. It’s fine, but it’s giving me a pain in my heart because I know I can’t fix this for them.”
“I know man. I hear you loud and clear.”
They lapsed into silence that would have been comfortable between them if not for the on-going death watch. Each were reminiscing about their father in their own minds.
Out in the living room, the Bradbury women were having what Hannah had dubbed a “snot fest”. They were all crying and talking about Nate and laughing and crying some more. Hannah said if anyone observed them through the windows that they would call the stress center and have them committed, their emotions were so seemingly inconsistent. Naomi occupied her time by watching Hannah and whenever she looked at her she would smile her biggest smile and then let her face collapse into the most pitiful look she had ever seen. It made Hannah and Elizabeth laugh and seemed a fitting pantomime of the rollercoaster of emotions they were all experiencing.
They weren’t really paying a lot of attention to Nathan at that moment although Elizabeth was holding his hand, Hannah was at his side holding his other hand and Naomi had her hand resting on his leg. They told stories about Nate, laughed, cried and then fell silent for awhile before they started the process all over again. Interspersed with their reminiscing, they fussed with Nate’s blankets although by now, no one really thought it made much of a difference to him. They knew they were doing it for their own peace of mind.
Suddenly, there was a stirring and Nate opened his eyes! Though they seemed unfocused at first, Elizabeth quickly stood up and said, “Nate! Honey, can you hear me?”
The sound of their mother’s voice brought Micah and Jeremiah hurrying back to their father’s bedside. They witnessed something they had each secretly hoped for but did not really believe would ever happen again. Their Dad seemed to be awake!
Nate tried to form a word, but no sound came out. He frowned and tried again appearing frustrated at his inability to communicate. When he somehow found his voice he said, “Lizzy B can you see?” and he weakly pointed to something in the corner that was for his eyes only. “Can you see Him? He’s here. Right over there.”
“Who is it dear? Tell me?” she asked him anxiously.
“It’s our Savior Lizzy! Kids can you see Him? Jesus is here!”
At any other time, Jeremiah, the more laid back of the Bradbury sons would probably have said, “Folks! Jesus is in the house!” But it seemed rather inappropriate at this time even though everyone of them was convinced that Nathan was in fact seeing Jesus on a spiritual realm that they knew existed but were not privy to observe through their still constrained physical eyes.
Though each person in the Bradbury’s living room knew they could not see what Nathan could, they turned anyway and looked into the corner of the room where Nathan had pointed. Indeed, there was nothing that their human eyes could see, but the eyes of their hearts, their spiritual eyes were convinced their father knew Jesus was in their home.
He rested a minute looking at each of the faces of his beloved wife and children. His eyes seemed to be in and out of focus, but he appeared to realize they were all there. His brow furrowed and then relaxed and he seemed to want to say something. They were all gathered around his bed.
Naomi got close to his face and said, “Daddy, I love you.” He managed a faint smile at her declaration.
“Me too Dad. I love you too. You were the best father a kid like me could have asked for.” Micah said.
“Yes, Dad. You showed us the important things in life and you were always there for me.” Jeremiah added.
“You never let me down Dad. You always did what you said you were going to do, you supported me and you weren’t afraid to discipline us when we needed it. I love you Dad.” Hannah chimed in with the rest of her siblings. Tears were streaking their faces as the somehow knew the end was near.
Elizabeth leaned back down and hugged her husband and she whispered, “I love you Nathan Isaac Bradbury. Always. Forever. I’ll be joining you soon enough. Go meet the Father when it’s time. You have loved us well my husband, my friend.” she said with a trembling voice and tears streaking her face as well as Nathan’s. He reached a shaky hand to his wife’s face and looked her in the eyes. She noted the blue she had always loved and that she knew now she would soon never see again. In those minutes that they looked at each other and said nothing, their eyes communicated thousands of conversations, a lifetime of memories mingling hurt and pain with triumph and love, forgiveness and understanding. Fifty two years they had been married and it all came down to these minutes left in this room at this hour on this day. Their children witnessed a miraculous thing that day; their parents telling each other they would do it all over again for these few precious minutes they had left in each other’s embrace, in each other’s site, basking in each other’s love. Though both of their hearts were breaking they were breaking for different reasons: one because of the imminent loss of a spouse and the other heart breaking so it could soon soar free unencumbered by the constraints of its physical body.
“I love you Lizzy B. Always. Forever.”
With that Nathan Bradbury breathed his last breath and closed his eyes to this world while his spirit, finally released by the physical restraint of its corrupted earthly body, soared on to the next.
Elizabeth’s head and shoulders sagged and her tears started to…
“Nathan Isaac Bradbury, welcome my good and faithful servant. Come and see your reward.”
“My Lord and my God! Worthy is Your Name both in Heaven and in Earth!” Nathan had shed his physical body and was acutely aware of the ease of use of this new, glorified body he had been given. He knew all was well.
…fall on the face of her husband. “He’s already with Jesus. He’s gone from us, but he’s already with Jesus. Thank you Jesus for saving us.”
Micah and Jeremiah started humming “I’ll Be Somewhere Listenin” and soon their sisters joined in as well. Everyone taking comfort in the knowledge that their father had been listening to the sound of the Heavenly Father’s voice for the past fifty-seven years. Today he had heard the ultimate call.
