[CW/Feedback] Angelica

[Felicity]

He sat in his favourite chair. It was nice and comfortable after years of use, the supple black leather molded to his back. He had a cold drink in his hand that he sipped lightly as he let his aches and pains fade away. An hour long walk used to be nothing to him but now, in the blistering heat, it put him out a little. Did he feel longing for his young body? Yes, to an extent. He wouldn’t simply sit and sulk though. What was the fun in that?

Nice is nice, sad is sad, hurt hurts. If he could choose, he knew which he’d pick in a heartbeat

He stared at the wall beyond. It bore glimpses of people and places throughout his life. A shot of the antarctic wastes, the memory still cold enough to chill his breath. The time he met with one of the many Indian princes from a culture that astounded him. His trip to New York, standing atop the Statue of Liberty waving a small red, white and blue flag with a good natured smile and a hand held in his wife's.

It had been a whole year since she had passed. He had expected the world to change dramatically, for the colour to fade or for there to be never-ending rain. The universe didn’t humour him, time is too busy to stay still and the world follows in its wake. There were still children and grandchildren to see, finances to manage, old friends to catch up with, hobbies to continue pursuit of. If he wanted melancholy it had been made clear he would have to look for it in his spare time. For about a fortnight, that was what he sought and his family obliged him.

He considered himself profoundly fortunate for so many reasons but the most recent reason presented to him was how little time he spent mourning. Well, maybe a part of him was still in grief, people were rarely so at peace at any age. What he knew though was that when he woke up and felt the bed empty next to him, the twinge of sadness that wanted to cripple him failed. He found reason after reason to get out of bed, whether it was to take care of the little ones, take care of the bigger ones or simply to expand his fleet of bottled ships.

On the table in front of him were the materials for one more ship.

Angelica