He’s gone. Dead. Hasn’t it been a while now? Yeah, sure.

It was a while he stood by her side, escorting her in the world and sleeping with her almost every night for all the days of three decades.

After chapter upon chapter of him holding her hand through dating, marriage, child raising, and cancer fighting, the loneliness lingers a while.

After listening to her daily sagas, sharing meals and making a million memories that didn’t die with him, the emptiness taunts. Even still.

Even though it’s been a while. How could it not?