Standing in front of the Cathedral, Vincent Gale could feel the cold rain running from the brim of his Fedora down the back of his neck. And even though he knew his calculations were correct, it was hard for him to believe that more than 10 years had gone by since he last attended mass at St. Mark’s.
But things just weren’t the same since his wife Evelyn passed away.
“She was the love of my life for 51 years. I guess I never really truly understood how much I loved her until she got sick.”
“When she was in the hospital, I came here everyday and said prayers and lit candles. I didn’t beg for miracles. The only thing I asked was that she not suffer.”
“But Evie suffered terribly. She was in pain every minute of every day. And the day she died was the worst day of all.”
Reaching into his vest pocket, Vincent Gale tugged at his most treasured possession–a pocket watch given to him by Evelyn on their 50th wedding anniversary. Flipping open the lid, he looked at the time.
Taking a deep breath, Gale slowly closed the cover and carefully returned the watch to its rightful resting place.
At 4:55 pm on Saturday, November 24, 2004, Vincent Gale cinched his raincoat closed, turned up his collar and walked away from St. Mark’s Cathedral of the Holy Trinity.
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