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Lafayette sat on the bench, in what he thought was a green yard filled with florus flowers and such, yet it felt so empty and lonely. He was staring down at his knees, head bowed and shoulders slummed. He been ill for a while now, it might else well cost his life and it was probably costing his memory as well as he doesn't ever remembering sitting down on the bench, let alone when he ever got there. Closing his eyes, he thought of the idea of dying, how might his children be crying for him. How Adrienne, his dearest Adrienne, will live without him. However, Lafayette felt himself opening eyes swallowing hard, yet the thought of her might moving on does haunt him. Not that he doesn't want her to find anymore happiness in a companion... but... he feared her new spouse will be better to her than him. He was selfish in a way of thinking that, just as he cussed out his actions were just as selfish. He wasn't the best husband to his poor wife, having to had many mistresses; four to be exact! Yet, she claimed to still love him, even if he spend more time with his mistresses then her, no matter how many times he publicly announced his love for his wife. So why the mistresses? Why never spend that much time with his wife instead? Lafayette doesn't know himself and he hates himself for it. It now bothers him how his Adrienne didn't say anything about his affairs, how she always smiles and let it slide, always trying to please him. Always trying to make him happy. She was always so faithful to him and now that Lafayette thinks about, he remembers the looks in her eyes whenever he tells her that he was going out to see one of his lovers. She was smiling, a smile so warm and loving, but he now realized the look of pain in her dark eyes that his younger self simply ignored. A look of heartbreak. And he kept breaking her heart. Yet she still stayed by his side and tried to make him happy without a sheet of bitterness. Lafayette was sure that his eyes are dry and he would have started crying out of guilt by now. He remembered how Adrienne came to him inside his cell, when he was locked up in prison in Austria. How much joy he felt just by the warm touch of her hand and seeing the warm smile on her beautiful face, in which he wishes he had paid more attention to. She stayed with him. She loved him. She didn't say anything to him when he had multiple lovers and here he was, worrying that the man she might marry after he dies, who probably doesn't even exit! It was official, Lafayette is in fact, a selfish man who didn't deserved his wife. Sighing sadly, he looked up and in which he gasped, seeing his wife brushed past him with a rather sad look on her face as he was sure she might start crying. Now, he wasn't going to let that happen, he couldn't let that happen. Quickly scrambling up his feet, Lafayette raced after his wife, halting as soon as he saw her stopped walking. "Adrienne... please," he called to her, in desperation as he saw her shoulder shake, knowing she might break down crying right then and there and fall to her kness in grief. He watched as she appear to go weak, he found himself running to her side, gently grabbing her by the arm, feeling the despration growing even more inside him. Adrienne didn't filch at all, instead, she swiftly turned her back to him, trembling ever so slightly. Lafayette felt rejected, he sure felt his heartbreaking at this moment, realizing this must had been how Adrienne been feeling everytime he turned his back to her. Had she finally fell out of love with him? Was the pain he caused her finally too much for her? Lafayette felt his knees falling weak as he hopelessly tried to stand tall, "Adrienne, p-please," he stuttered, weakly trying to touch her but she took a step forward, away from him, hearing a small whimper from her. Now looking pathetic, Lafayette finally blurted out, tears streaming down from his eyes, "Adrienne, please!" He exclaimed the third time with the same phrase before contuining. "Please, just give me a chance to speak! I realized I been horrible to you as a husband, how I much pain I caused you, how much Imade feel like a burden! Yet you are not, I am a burden!" He watched as Adrienne bowed her head, choking down a sob. Lafayette felt his heart dropping, he was hurting her again! "Non! Please, please don't cry!" He begged, crying rivers as he grabbed arm once again, only being replied by another sob from his poor wife, Lafayette choked on his words. "Adrienne, please, mon amor, don't blame everything on yourself, blame me, yell at me, scream at me, slap me if you want to, just please, don't cry because of me, I beg you, it's too much!" As if she was listening, Adrienne tried controling herself while Lafayette took the opportunity to contuine, "I re-realized now, after ev-everything that we gone through, after everything you had to go through because of me, I hu-hurted you, I hurted you and stupidly didn't realized it until now! You didn't say anything to me after I ran off to the America to fight, without even telling and leaving you pregnant and with little Henriette. What you needed to go through the when our Henriette's departed from this world and I wasn't there to comfort you... a-and you forgave me... y-you didn't say anything about my lovers or how little time I spend with you. How I spend my summers with her instead of you. You should have yelled! Screamed! Kicked me out! But... but. Y-you smiled and stayed by my s-side... w-why? Why!?" Lafayette cried out, falling to his knees and hugging the hem of Adrienne's dress, feeling her trembling ever so slightly. "Why did you stay with me!? Why did you love me!? After all I had done to you? Why did you risk your life and came to me and stay with me in prison?! You could have been killed! What did I do that made you so loyal to me!? Made you love me so much!?" The guilt was driving his mad, finding himself crying in her dress. "I might perish soon... leave you... i-if you find someone else, someone you could love, someone who throws his attention to you. Very well then!" He defeatedly announced before curling in a ball, cletching on to her waist, looking up at her with watery eyes. "B-but p-please don't hate me... please don't stop l-loving me... p-please...forgive me..." Silence, he watched as Adrienne streamed a smile face, looking up ahead before softly whispering out with teary eyes "Mon amor. I miss you greatly... my Gilbert." Lafayette's eyes widen, looking over in front of them, he felt a gasp escaping his throat as he was facing a giant tombstone, that read:
Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette
1757-1807
War Hero
Son
Friend
Father
Loving Husband
Lafayette slowly touched his grave, his tears drying up as slowly looked up at his wife with a sense of hope. Adrienne smiles softly, gently sitting down in front of the tomb, not realizing that her husband's spirit was sitting right next to her. Lafayette watched as she brushed her fingers over his name, hearing her soft, gentle speaking to his grave, "Our son and daughters miss you dearly. Louis had been a great help, I pretty sure he misses your presence," Adrienne giggled sadly as Lafayette watched her tenderly, gently touching her shoulder. Adrienne breathed in as she finally gave a real blooming smile, "There is never a day where don't think about you. It feels empty now that you are gone. You are the only man that held my heart to pieces as now I must pull the strings back together again on my own." There was so much love in her eyes. Lafayette felt a single tear going down his cheek as ge slowly went in front of her, gently cupping her face, wishing she could see him. Wishing that she could see the love that mirrors in his eyes for her. "Oh my Adrienne..." he softly spoked as he tried to wipe a tear from her eyes but seeing that it did nothing. Just when he was about close his eyes out of grief, he heard, "My dearest, most darling, Gilbert, please... never forget how much I love you." His Adrienne’s voice was as the final piece of calm for him to go to the other side. He softly stared at her, a tiny smile spreading on his lips as he hear her contuine, "And please, wait for me on the other side with Henriette?" Lafayette chuckled lightly, kissing her forehead, just in time to hear her say goodbye and that she will come back tomorrow. Lafayette's eyes followed her as she started walking away, looking more happier and relieved. He felt himself getting up to his feet, he felt himself running after with her with a big smile on his face before hugging her from the behind, holding her close, "My Adrienne, my love, please take your time, I'll be waiting for you on the other side." His last words before he joined their Henriette and some of his dearest friends on the other side. Adrienne was quiet, feeling certain she felt a prenence just a few seconds ago. She slowly turned to her husband tombstone, a fond smile came on her face as she gently touched her heart. "Gilbert." She whispered his name one last time before she was gone.