April

by April Richards
(Georgetown MN USA)

I lost my wonderful husband of 40 years on April 3rd in a terrible tractor accident. He had been driving tractors since he was young. He had worked his whole life, milking cows, cleaning chicken eggs, since he was about 6. He had just turned 66 the week before he died and was so looking forward to his first social security check the next month. And he was going to semi-retire from farming. He had worked for 60 years and was finally going to take some time for himself and me.

He had just bought a Harley trike and we were planning all these things for summer, going around the states on the trike, hooking up the 5th wheeler to go visit places we had never been, just spending time together. He was my childhood sweetheart that I started dating when I was 15 and we married when I was 18.

The last few years, we had gotten so comfortable with each other, we didn't need anyone else. We even renewed our vows in Jamaica last year on Valentine's Day, his idea. We spent every moment together that we weren't working. If we wanted a few drinks, we would have them together, alone, at home, just the two of us. If we went to the casino, out to eat, on vacation, we didn't need anyone else to go with us, it was always just the two of us because we only needed each other.

Now I am alone and so lonely. He was my rock, my strength and my life. I am so lost without him, I don't know what I will do.