Dear Diary,
“It’s early and I should still be sleeping but my mind can’t rest…” she wrote.
Grace has been writing in a diary since she was a child. She was never the kind of person to divulge all of her business to friends and/or strangers, so she wrote instead. Coping with her new terms of life has been a struggle but with much prayer and family support and writing, she found a way to make it work.
Grace is a single mom now. Bills are piling up, Dana is growing up and much work with little pay has become exhausting for her.
She arose from her sofa bed, slipped on her house shoes and robe and walked to the kitchen to prepare herself a latte.
“Henry is gone.” she said softly.
Her therapist often reminded her during her sessions, that in order to deal with her grief effectively, she would need to acknowledge the pain and accept the reality. She referred to it as, “breathing through the moments that hurt with truth.”
Grief was so hard for Grace because it wasn’t long after the wedding ceremony that Henry was gone. Glimpses of the bridal party, wedding reception and guests all flooded her mind at once. Flash! A photo of him feeding her the first slice of cake, captured perfectly by their wedding photographer.
“Jen, that’s going to cost you.” said Henry. “We didn’t let the paparazzi in because my sweetie Grace has a Forbes worthy smile.”
“That she does and so do you, I’m just doing my job Hen and that includes getting the best shots.” Jen responded laughingly.
“Your catalog just went up 1,000 percent. Capture this.” shouted Henry as he lifted Grace off of the ground, spinning her around into a landing with a lovely embrace.
Flash! Flash! Flash!
“Got it. ” Jen responded excitedly as she reviewed her shots on the camera.
“And to think you’re this full of life without any recreational substance.” Grace said as she caressed Henry’s face and stared into his eyes.
He had beautiful skin and eyes. He wore his hair short cut with waves. He stood towering over Grace at 6’2, with an athletic build, including washboard abs, he often bragged about having.
“I don’t need it baby. I’m high off life.” Henry responded with a kiss and then a spin on to the dance floor.
Careless Whisper by George Michael played on the loud speaker. It was one of Henry’s favorite songs. He requested it be played in rotation following every 5th song.
“May I have this dance?” he asked
“Yes you may.” she responded.
They danced the night away in the center, with a reception hall full of everyone you could imagine, ranging from city officials to news reporters, CEOs, recording artists and family and friends from both sides of the family. Grace’s parents were highly involved in political works so this wedding was an opportunity for all of their colleagues and friends to show up and support.
They both came from families where they were the only child, this is why they planned to have many children. Their life appeared to be set. Grace was in school and Henry was working as a truck driver. Their parents pitched in to make the down payment on their first home.
Financially they were prepared but most importantly they were in love. Soon after moving in, they discovered Grace was pregnant. Life was amazing. Everything was perfect. There was nothing that could stop them… Until… The crash…
(Beep. Beep. Beep.)
Grace’s alarm went off as a reminder to get Dana up and ready for school. A tear fell from her face into her cup. She gently wiped her face.
“I’m up Mom.” said Dana. “Look Mommy I even got myself ready for school.”
Grace turned her head to wipe her face so that her tears were unseen.
“That’s good baby. Go wash your face and brush your teeth.” Grace responded.
“I did Mommy. Look at me.” said Dana. “You promised that we could go to the Pool Place if I started getting up on-time and doing my chores. I’m doing it Mommy.”
“That’s right honey. I’m so proud of you.” said Grace. “I have to get ready now. Give me a few minutes and we will be on our way. Your breakfast is on the kitchen table.”
To Be Continued…
Shaniqua S. Robinson, Copyright July 2, 2026.
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