Contemporary story
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My Beloved Edith

Arthur stood at the gates and waited for the man to come. He was early today, keen to get started. He rubbed his hands together to stimulate the circulation and peered through the railings. Finally, the man arrived and unlocked the gate. He pulled at the heavy iron frame and it slowly opened.

'Mornin' Albert, how are you feelin' today?'

'Lucky.'

'This could be the one, do you think?' the man enthused.

'Aye. Ah think ye could be right.' Albert smiled and the man returned to the gatehouse. Albert walked slowly up the driveway and then he stopped. He couldn't remember where he had finished yesterday. His memory wasn't what it used to be. He reached into his overcoat pocket and pulled out his map. He checked the last entry. John Macleod, 23rd September. That was three days ago. He'd either forgotten to update his list or he hadn't been at all.

'You're a bloody fool, Arthur.' He shrugged his shoulders. 'Oh well, I'll just have to start from Mr Macleod.' Using the map for guidance, he made his way to the desired plot and set to work.

 

After he'd finished a row, his hip started playing up. He sat down on a nearby bench and rubbed his leg.

'Time for a wee dram.' He thought. He unbuttoned his coat and removed a half bottle from the breast pocket of his suit. He took a couple of sips and replaced the cap.

'I better no drink too much of this,' he said, 'otherwise I'll get lost again.' Then he unwrapped his lunch. It was his favourite, a mutton piece with onion and mustard. As he chewed on his sandwich, he started thinking about the old days. Sometimes he could remember her quite clearly, her face right at the front of his mind, her eyes and mouth smiling at him. But then there were days when he could barely picture her at all. He had to write things down, but it was hard to do that all the time. Suddenly, he started to panic. He'd forgotten her name. This was his greatest fear.

'What was it Agnes ...? Edna ...? No, that's not right ... Alice ...?' Names were flying in and out of his head but none of them seemed quite right.

'Awe for Christ sake ... just think ...' he rubbed his forehead. 'Elise ... Amanda ...'

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It was no use. The only thing he could do was to carry on and hope that the name would pop back into his mind. He finished his lunch, pushed himself to his feet and returned to where he had stopped.

 

He looked down at the stone in front of him. William Rennie 1867 - 1922.

'Well that's not her,' he thought. He continued along the line. Margaret Forsyth, 1899-1948. He stared at the headstone.

'Could she be a Margaret? No ... I don't think so.' He moved on to another, and then another until he was at the end of the row. He got out his map and wrote down the name. Frank Gilroy 1903-1953, Row 7, 26th September. And so he continued. Row after row he searched, hoping that he'd come across something that would awaken his memory. But he still couldn't remember her name. This was the longest he'd forgotten it. He didn't know what to do. He sat down again and rested his hip. He took another few swigs of whisky and examined his map.

'That's eight rows done ... I'll do another two and that'll be me for the day.' He was breathing heavy. The walking and the strain of trying to remember were tiring him out. He started on another row, Robert Hughes 1907-1979.

 

It was beginning to get dark. He was about to give up when he stopped at a small grave. It read,

 

To my Beloved Edith 1900-1947 Rest in Heaven

 

He couldn't breath. He staggered back and then steadied himself.

'Edith ... That's her name. That is it.' he thought. And then he realised.

'Oh my God, Edith ... I've found you.' He bent down and touched the stone with the back of his hand, the way he used to touch her face.

'My beloved ... Edith ... I've been looking for you for a long, long time. How did you no help me find you?' He rested his cheek on the cold marble and started to weep. It was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. All those years without her had come to an end. He could finally grieve again for the woman he had lost so long ago. He looked at the plot again. It was covered in weeds, and moss had started growing inside the inscription.

'What have you done to yourself?' he said 'You need a good spruce up.' Ignoring the pain in his joints, he got down on one knee and started pulling at the weeds.

←3

'You've got yourself in a right old mess. You need me to look after you don't you?' He put the weeds in his pocket and tried to rub the mould off the decorative stones that had been placed around the border. He picked at the moss with his nails and muttered under his breath. Suddenly, he stopped. He remembered about the man. Using the gravestone for support, he slowly pushed himself up again.

'I've got to go, my love. But I'll be back tomorrow. I'll bring you flowers. I'll see if I can get you some fuchsias. I know how much you like them.' He ran his fingers across her name.

'See you tomorrow, my Edith.' He blew her a silent kiss and made his way back through the rows of crosses and carved angels to the entrance. When he reached the gate, he steadied himself against the railings.

'What was the date again?' He thought '1947.' Little threads of doubt started fluttering around his head.

'I'm not sure that's right ... When was it ... just after the war ... and we'd moved to Denistoun. Tom would have been four. Was it 47? Or 48?' He tried to work it out with his fingers. Just then the man reappeared.

'Awe right Arthur. Any luck today?'

'I thought so ... but now I'm no sure ... I'll need to check something when I get home.'

'Oh well there's always tomorrow if she's no the right one.'

'Aye.'

Arthur stepped out of the cemetery. The man closed the gate behind him, wrapped the chain around the metal frame and snapped the padlock shut.

'I'll see you tomorrow Arthur.' but Arthur didn't reply. He was deep in thought.

'His time will come' the man muttered to himself and he went back into the gatehouse.

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Comments

Submitted by admin on Tue, 08/02/2005 - 21:53

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The story is beautifully written and it can express the persons character through his actions. A good piece of skill although the story lack sparks and is not able to captivate its readers. Alvin

Submitted by admin on Tue, 08/02/2005 - 22:11

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This story touched the soul and indeed worth the time reading. A heartfelt and definitely interesting and truly original piece of literature. Tom Gillespie certainly suceeded himself in illustrating the story in his works. Rahman

Submitted by admin on Wed, 11/02/2005 - 11:22

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I read this to my public speaking group (Toastmasters)as an exercise in interpretive reading and it worked really well. One of my worries was that it finishes on a sad and unresolved note, but somehow this just the story more poignant.

Submitted by admin on Mon, 12/12/2005 - 14:24

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This story was very good, it made you think about how youll start acting when you get old. Hoping you dont forget things like that but hoping when you get to that age you snd your love die together.-Symone*

Submitted by admin on Tue, 01/31/2006 - 16:27

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It really is quite disparaging, that one day, i will lose my mind like this. i think that this story is too short To fully acknowledge the tradegy that age is. perhaps you should invest this into a small novella

James

Submitted by admin on Sun, 03/12/2006 - 19:15

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I have to ask: What is it at the beginning of the story with the change between Arthur and Albert? At first I thought it was foreshadowing, suggesting that the main character cant remember even his own name. But the narrator even uses 2 different names for the same character (as far as I can tell).

Anyone still out there?

Submitted by admin on Tue, 02/13/2007 - 14:43

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Overall it was very interesting. I was very distracted at the beginning by the confusing dialogue. Did Arthurs name change to Albert? There were also a few small typos, that were hard to overlook. twice you spelled not n-o. I thought the description to be detailed and accurate and the overall writing style very intruiging, however I felt like it was too short to really show any emotion.

Submitted by admin on Fri, 02/23/2007 - 15:05

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Evidently some of the readers failed to recognize Scots or North English dialect and thought they were looking at "typos" in this charmingly poignant story in which time and old age obscure everything. Everything except the old mans faithful devotion to his lost wife, Edith.
Other readers found the story too short, as if the author had failed to make his point, and thought an extended piece might have revealed what was clearly laid out in 4 pages.
True, the names of the two characters might have been more dissimilar: Albert and Arthur do lead to a bit of confusion. But this is a minor thing. More important is the sudden shift in point of view from old Arthur to the gatekeeper, Albert. I do think that could have been handled more skillfully. Still, its a fine story, well told, and certainly a powerful comment on the human condition.
Richard

Submitted by admin on Sat, 07/28/2007 - 23:21

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A very touching story-told with feeling and as I see it a
refelction of so many in the heros position.Well done
and the gatekeepers comment-so real.Thanks Tom
for as nicely crafted piece of writing.

Submitted by admin on Thu, 08/21/2008 - 19:43

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August 21, 2008
I enjoyed reading the comments. It adds to my interpertation. I dont mind learning and I love this website.
My views are simple. I liked the story. It made one think. I liked the writing. We call identify.The story helped me think about tangental ideas and alternatives. What more do you want from a story?

Submitted by admin on Fri, 08/29/2008 - 14:13

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It seemed to me that the story just stopped.You never know whether or not that really is his lost love or not. I also dont understand the comment that his time will come, made by the gatekeeper. Another point I would like clarification on is how he lost his love in the first place, not exactly how she died, but how he misplaced her grave site.

Submitted by admin on Tue, 01/20/2009 - 11:11

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Just my own ending to the story.

I thought that it might have made a larger impact if albert (or arthur) was convinced Edith to be his love and felt reunited with his love and what not, with no doubt in his mind. After leaving, the next scene could depict someone else visiting the grave and wondering who it was that helped tidy his grandmas grave as he was her only left relative.
The human mind, with all its wonders and flaws.

Good day.
Cas.

Submitted by admin on Sun, 11/15/2009 - 16:08

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I think this story is wonderful. I dont think that everyone has been able to appreciate the mans inner conflict of combatting against his own memory. Plus, there is another element of conflict when the gatekeeper says that his time will come, it shocases an external conflict as opposed to an internal one: man versus nature (or aging). I think that the ending is quite suiting because we dont really know if Arthur remembers his wife or if it was but only a breif moment of lucidity.Fabulous!

Submitted by admin on Thu, 10/14/2010 - 23:44

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I thought this story is beautifully writtened.. poignant and very much interesting!
Did anyone realise that the protagonist has two names?
And the fact that he cannot even remember the name of his wife-somebody he loves so much- suggests that his wife might have possibly had multiple names!! and so he cant remember what her real name(that shes going to use for her tomb)is!
And i thought there is a sense of mystery in this short story.. the gatekepper was addresses as "the man", and the way he says "his time will come" is like..so eerie!

Submitted by admin on Fri, 08/10/2012 - 12:25

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Awe! I really felt sorry for the old man. To have loved someone so much and now unable to remember her name or her grave site. He must really be lonely and by the gravekeepers comment at the end, he may be dying soon which is sad, but on another account good. He will then be reunited with his beloved "Edith."

Submitted by admin on Sun, 08/11/2013 - 04:23

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I had already read the original story on
the website of the author and maybe he
forgotten to put this line on the story
here in this website "The man had always
called him by that name and Arthur had
long since given up correcting him."
Thats why some readers were confused
between the names "Arthur" and "Albert."
Check it here -> http://tom-
gillespie.com/mybeloved/

THANKS! :) This is a great story, I
appreciated it.

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