A Good Man
Copyright© 2011 by Marc Nobbs
Prologue: You're Going to Miss Him
JUNE 2048
I extended my hand to the elegant elderly lady in the long black dress and stepped forward to kiss her cheek when she accepted it. Despite being in her seventies, Amy Brown possessed all the poise, grace, and beauty of a woman at least half her age. She drew me in for a hug and held me tightly.
I hugged her tightly until she tapped my shoulder and we parted. I held her hands, looked into her eyes and smiled.
“It was a beautiful service,” I said. “Will would’ve approved.”
She smiled back and nodded, tears welling in her eyes. “He loved you,” she said. “You were the son he never had.”
I didn’t reply immediately. I didn’t need to. Amy knew that Will had been like a father to me since I lost my real father.
But more than that—more than being my mentor, my teacher, and then my business partner—he was also my friend. His death wasn’t unexpected. He’d been ill for over six months. But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.
“I loved him, too,” I said, my voice faltering.
“I know,” she said, still smiling.
I’m a Probate Lawyer. I deal with those left behind by Death every day, but Death has haunted me all my life. Followed me. Taunted me. Death has changed my life and sent it off at a tangent, and made me the man I am today.
“Ready to go, Honey?” my wife asked, putting her hand on my arm and rubbing gently.
I looked into her eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes always seemed as if they were seeing right into my soul, even after all these years together. As I stared, she flashed the stunning smile that had captured my heart in our youth and never let go.
I nodded. “Yeah. Time to go.”
She addressed Amy. “If you need anything, just call. We’re here for you, whatever and whenever.”
Amy smiled in response. “Thank you. See you on Wednesday for coffee as usual?”
My wife nodded. “Of course. It’s a highlight of each week.”
We left Hayloft Barn, and I drove us home to Blackthorpe. We remained silent during the journey. Nothing needed to be said. Upon entering our large house, I closed the door behind us and tossed my keys onto the shelf above the radiator in the hallway.