The room looks so dark and lonely. No warm glow of candles waiting for me to come home too. There is no clattering of dishes coming from the kitchen. No longer a petite lady with black hair rushing out of the kitchen. No pink lips capturing mine.

It is very blank here now. Just me. A lowly miner all alone. Bonnie is gone along with the sun. It rained at her funeral, drenching my black hair. She was 30 years old. I am 31. Tuberculosis over took her and gave me a broken heart.

Everyday I stayed by her bedside with a bowl and handkerchief ready for another cough. The sparkle of Bonnie's eyes had long faded along with the promise of any more kids. The doctor told me she would not live but as a stubborn mule, I failed to believe in reality.

I walked slowly into the living room and sat in my chair, not bothering to turn on a lantern. Her giggle played like a skipping record in my head, over and over. In my minds eye I saw the room light up and I saw her as happy as ever dancing with her friends at our annual gathering. Bonnie's blue dress swiftly shuffling among the  guests. But slowly sadness dawns on me again and the room goes back to gray emptiness.

I look around and something catches my eye. It is my favorite book, "Gulliver's Travels" . I pulled it out, running my fingers over the etched title. I remember that I would read it at any spare moment that I had, I had finished it over five times. But I stopped reading it as soon as Bonnie fell ill, and since the day she died I have yet to open its yellow pages. Lazily I opened it up again. It fell open to my favorite page.

There was a flower pressed in between the binding, a pansy. That was Bonnie's favorite flower.

There was a note inside behind the purple and black edged plant in purple stationary.
I took both out and smelled the piece of paper.

It smelled just like my love, I miss her so much. I read it. It said;

"Dear Jamie,

I have known for sometime that I was sick. I didn't want to worry you when I came home from the doctor's. It would have devastated you and I did not want to see you suffer on my account. Please forgive me. I guess I was selfish to not tell you and I believed I could take the sickness on my own.

You were right for me, I have been in love with you since I saw you at a party. You have always been in my heart and you will always stay.

With so much love,

Bonnie"

I read the last line and I covered my face with my hands, and sobbed.

She had put HER flower in MY book. Only Bonnie would think of that, and now she was gone.