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JOSIE'S JOURNAL

Josie Williams kneeled beside her husband's grave, outlining the letters of his name slowly with her index finger. A single tear seeped from the corner of her eye and traveled unceremoniously down her cheek. She wiped at it absently and smiled.

"No more tears. . .I know. I did promise you that, didn't I, sweetie? But, well, it's only been two months and I. . . keep thinking you're just running late as usual, that you'll walk through the door any minute now."

Josie smiled again, remembering with affection the man who had brought so much happiness into her life. Ellis Williams had been a generation older than she and had always tried to prepare her for his eventual passing. He had never been morbid in his thoughts, only practical. He wanted to ensure his wife and daughter were well taken care of, financially, when he finally did die. Never one to believe he would ever live to see forty, much less sixty-nine, he had prepared his family well for his demise. At fifty-five, Josie knew she would never have to work again unless she simply wanted to, and their daughter, Katherine, would receive a substantial trust fund when she turned thirty, only six years from now. Josie also felt satisfaction knowing that she and Katherine had been primarily responsible for Ellis having had the distinct pleasure of having been truly loved by the two most important women in his life. Having grown up with a childhood filled with orphanages, reluctant and distant relatives-not to mention surviving a first marriage to a woman cold enough to freeze all of Hades-he often remarked that he had been truly blessed the day he met Josie Tolkin.

Giving the flowers she'd brought with her a final adjustment, Josie rose and brushed the grass and dirt off her favorite, well-worn pair of jeans. An unusual blistering blast of cold, January air stung her hazel-green eyes and blew her layered, auburn locks in alternating directions. The winters in their small Alabama town were normally mild to moderately cool; however, Mother Nature rose up every few years to remind the southern citizens that they were not exempt from life's climatic unpleasantness. Thus, the winter of 2009 was more than living up to Mother Nature's wrath and, having been cold-natured all of her adult life, Josie hurriedly made her way to the black and gold Trooper parked a few feet away. She turned for a final look at the grave before escaping into the warmth and security the car offered. She blew a kiss, hoping Ellis

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