The Farewell

THE FAREWELL

   

    Elizabeth’s blue and pink flowered dress fell gently from her softly rounded shoulders to her narrow waist and continued to the ground in an ever widening bell shape as she stood in the shade of the green arbor waiting on the next boat from town. She turned at the sound of steadily measured footsteps crunching the grass that lead up from the bay. Slowly she raised her chin, face solemn as finely carved cameo, to gaze at John’s handsome face and muscular form clad in a steel gray wool coat, a black felt planters hat gently clasped in his hands. She softly sighed; her eyes filling with tears as she felt the warmth of his gloved hands gently grasp both of hers.

    “Elizabeth, I am here to say farewell and to beg a favor. Now that Florida has seceded and joined the Confederacy, I am doing my patriotic duty and joining the army. Please say you will marry me before I leave in a few days. I can have the preacher here tomorrow or the next day if you say yes. I know you wanted to wait until I could properly ask your brother for your hand, but he is at Fort Pickens and God knows when he will return. I beg of you, become my wife before I go off to war.” His voice was rich with affection and a southern drawl.

    “ Oh John, I love you, you know that, but I cannot marry you, not now, maybe not ever.  I knew this day would come. I have dreaded it in fact.  I have decided to leave Florida to return to my sister up north in Pennsylvania, to wait for my brother to one day bring me back here when Florida has returned to her senses and comes back into the Union. I cannot marry a man who would turn his back on his country and go off in rebellion to wage war against it. I would rather grow old alone, than be wed to a traitor. That’s what you are John, a traitor.”  Her voice was calm, her face impassive, as she removed a seed pearl bracelet from her velvet reticule. “ You gave this to me as a promise of your love and that we would one day be wed. I return it to you now. May it remind you of my tears and the tears of a nation that you are helping to tear apart. Don’t say another word John, just go. I can’t stand to hear you beg or plead.  We shall never meet again on this earth!”

    She bit her lip firmly, her chin resting on her chest, to keep from bursting into tears as she placed the bracelet in his strong hands. She saw his mouth open, ready to plead with her , to offer an explanation of his actions. She raised her hand to stop him and closed her eyes for a long moment. As she opened them she watched him turn, place his hat on his bowed head , and slowly walk toward the waiting boat. She saw him look back as he boarded , his hat raised in salute and farewell. She slowly lifted her bonneted head, white gloved hands folded beneath her waist as the boat pulled away from the dock drifting into the bright golden sunlight. Slowly she exhaled, tears flowing down her cheeks. It was over, the painful farewell had been said, now it was time for her to return up north to the land of her birth and await her destiny.