Like Letters Written in the Sand, Part Nineteen

Michelle Renee Kidwell
5 min readAug 15, 2022
Thanks to Artem Beliaikin @belart84 for making this photo available freely on Unsplash 🎁

Sitting still was not Anna-leis style and after a few days she’d have to find something to feel her time, something more than just sitting at a desk and writing. She hated being sidelined, until she healed but thats where she was a now. She wouldn’t be able to use her prosthetics until the sores healed, so Clarence tried to find little ways to keep her busy, when he wasn’t at work, and for now he was trying to work from home as much as he could, because he wanted to keep Anna-leis spirit up. Sometimes that would involve a trip to the beach to watch the sunset, where he would carry her to a comfortable spot, and lay a blanket down for her. It had taken her awhile to get comfortable with needing any help, and honestly she still wasn’t comfortable with it. It was different with Clarence though, he didn’t just assume she needed help, he asked.

The trips to the beach, or to a movie helped, but Anna-leis knew the longer it took for her to heal, the more ground she’d loose. She had hoped she would be able to walk with her prosthetics by now, for more than a few steps, but she had been completely sidelined, and she had no one to blame for it but herself.

“I knew something wasn’t right, why did I keep pushing?” Anna-leis asked Clarence, seeking answers he could not give her.

“I don’t know sweetheart, but you realize it now, we all have our limations sweetheart.”

“I know, but I never expected this.” Anna-leis sighed. “Nothing about this is easy.”

“I know Anna-leis, and if I could carry this burden for you, I would.”

“I wouldn’t want anyone I love to go through this.” Anna-leis sighed, lying in Clarence’s arms. Everything felt right about being in his arms, knowing he was there, knowing she could turn to Clarence when she needed him, eased a lot of her pain.

Thanks to Kenny Eliason @neonbrand for making this photo available freely on Unsplash 🎁

Clarence hated to see Ana-leis in pain. an emotional pain he could not fix. It broke his heart to see her hurting, but if anyone could get through this, it was her. He just wished she had parents who supported her, not hurt her. But he could not give her that, what he could give…

Michelle Renee Kidwell

Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge in the light: Helen Keller http://www.facebook.com/fansofMichellerkidwell