Heartless

Having a heart transplant was traumatic enough. What happened next was even more so.

I was home recuperating and being careful to take all the medicines I needed to get over the recent ordeal when I suddenly felt my new heart talking to me. I use the word felt because there was no audible voice. Despite this, I knew what my heart was saying as if were shouting.

"Adam," it was saying, "Helen Bishop and I were extremely close. I loved her. We had gone through a lot together. She was a remarkable woman. Her death was sudden and you now possess her heart. You now possess me. We need to know each other for we may be together for a long time."

I felt a strong communion at once with the entity that had spoken. I responded in the only way that I felt possible and that was with my mind.

"Splendid, heart," I said, "I will cherish you to the best of my ability." You, and the woman who treasured you have given me additional life. I feel I cannot fully understand how you must feel and I will attempt to be worthy of the great gift the two of you have given me."

My heart became my constant companion. She and I communicated unceasingly regardless of whatever other actions I was taking. I found that her guidance during difficult times were invaluable. She seemed to have the wisdom of an elderly person, yet Helen Bishop had been only 53 when she had died.

One day, my heart told me that she needed to visit Helen in the spirit world. She wanted to reunite, even if only for a few moments, with the person she had loved so long. I asked how this could be possible since the existence of a heart in a human being is an essential to life. How could I continue to live? She told me that she had conversed with my brain and had received its assurance that he would take over the function of pumping blood for the duration of her absence. I believed my heart's statement without reservations. The visit was to begin on the next day and I awaited the experience with a great deal of interest.

The next day, after a brief, yet solemn, farewell, my heart left my body. I felt nothing different but knew that my heart was gone. I felt a profound loneliness. I greatly missed the companionship. Knowing full well there would be no beating heart, I tried to take a pulse reading with my portable blood pressure machine. The pressure was as expected but there was only an error message for the pulse. I had expected this and was glad I did not have a doctor's appointment at this time because he could not possibly have understood what was happening.

My heart was gone for several days. Upon her return, her mood was spirited She told me the visit had gone wonderfully well and that she expected to be taking a trip like this numerous more times. I had no objections, of course, since the experience for me had been uncanny but, otherwise, uneventful. I felt I needed to record what you are reading. I feel this story may give the word heartless a brand new and more honorable meaning.