story

Jennifer’s eyes fill with puddles as she stares at the two stones with the utmost regret. She can’t even begin to process her thoughts. The weather was settling late into fall, and she could feel the temperature dropping each day. The wind begins to blow and she can hear the sway of the trees in the background. Her body shivers against the wind and she feels the warmth of a body hovering over her. She quickly uses her sleeve to wipe away her tears and turns around. There she saw her fiancé, Max, expressionless and emotionless. He cradles her body in his arms as if she were a child. She embraces his touch and melts into him. He gently kisses the top of her forehead and cups her neck with his hands. Her red puffed eyes stare into his, almost as if they were asking, “Why us?” Just then he quietly whispered,
“I thought I’d find you here…”
She didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to say anything. She had been here everyday since the funeral. Her body shivered again in the cold wind. Her mind had been fighting every urge to reminisce the day of the accident. But once again her mind lost the battle, and the memory flooded her thoughts.
It was a warm day, she remembered, very warm for September. She saw her older brother Andrew that morning, in a rush to see his longtime girlfriend, Kylie. They had been dating for little over a year and a half and they were inseparable. Jennifer had not seen her brother this happy since before their mom died and she was overjoyed by the fact that he had finally found happiness. As he was rushing around the house that morning, Jennifer was quietly reading in the living room. Right before he left, he approached her and asked her to close her eyes. She did so and he placed into her hand a box. She opened her eyes and gave him a quizzical look before opening the box. Inside was a necklace encrusted with diamonds in the shape of a heart. Jennifer gasped as she marveled over the diamonds. Andrew explained that the diamonds were from their mothers’ wedding ring and he had them placed especially for her. He told her that it was an early birthday present and he couldn’t wait another day to give it to her. Jennifer was in awe. Before he left, he brought her something else to look at because he needed a female’s opinion. He brought her a ring. Immediately she started to scream and exclaimed, “Is this for Kylie?!” He told her that he was going to take her to the beach and propose to her there. Overjoyed, Jennifer gave him a hug and wished him luck. She hurriedly rushed him out of the house and on his way. A few hours later she received a phone call from Kylie. When she answered the phone she was screaming I am engaged! I am engaged! In the background, she could hear Andrew yelling she said yes! She never would have guessed that was the last time she would ever hear their voices again.
She clenches the heart around her neck, feeling her own heart beating outside of her chest. She could feel Max’s heart beating just as fast as hers through the fabric of their shirts. Since the accident a little over a month ago, she had become engaged to the man she loved, she got her dream job, and she even learned that her older sister was pregnant. She had every reason to be happy, but she wasn’t. She hadn’t been since the day she got the call.
Max whispered in her ear, “Come home with me babe”
Jennifer knew that Max was right, that she really did need to go home. But something was holding her back. She couldn’t find the strength to leave. Max wrapped his hands around her waist and picked her up. He carried her to his car. On the way home she looked at him,
“Thanks…I needed that”
He glanced at her as she pressed her head against the glass of the door.
“I worry about you”
“I know, “she explained “but you really have no need to”
“Why would I not?”
“I don’t know”
When they got to Max’s apartment, Jennifer tried to regain herself before going inside. She told him that she would be in a minute or two and not to worry. She knew that he didn’t deserve to see her like this. He had seen her cry one too many times. She looked in the car mirror and saw mascara running down her face. She cursed herself under her breath as she tried desperately to fix her makeup. Satisfied, she got out of the car made her way up to his apartment on the fifth floor.
As she opened the door George, his three year old golden retriever, greeted her with a wagged tail. She smiled and knelt down to pet him. Just then, Max turned the corner from the kitchen.
“Hey you, I was wondering when you were going to come inside”
His lips met hers briefly before she added,
“It doesn’t take me that long to get ready”
He grinned as she followed him into the kitchen.
“What are you making? It smells so good in here!” She exclaimed
“You’ll see”
She peered into the pot on the stove and saw marinara sauce.
“Mmmm, spaghetti? I’m so hungry”
He shook his head, “Good, we’re going to eat soon, its almost ready”
She poured a two glasses of red wine and handed one to him.
“Red wine? Good choice…goes great with spaghetti”
They sat down at the small table in his makeshift dining room.
“How was your day?” she asked
“Alright. Played some guitar, walked George, got some work done. Then went on a man hunt to find someone…”
As he trailed off he glanced up from his plate and gave her a sly grin. She smiled,
“Sorry. I forgot my phone at home.”
“Well luckily I only looked in one place and you were there”
Jennifer shrugged her shoulders, not liking where the conversation was going. Max looked her over his glass of wine.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just not really in the mood to talk about them”
“I know. I miss them too”
She gathered up her plate and took it into the kitchen. He placed his plate on the counter and told her that he was going to retrieve something. When he came back into the kitchen he was holding his guitar and jumped on the counter.
“I wrote something for you today”
She looked at him in surprise.
“Oh? You did?”
“Mhmm you wanna hear?”
“Yes, of course”
She continued to wash the dishes as he started to play. The farther he got into the song, the more she recognized it. When he started to sing the familiar lyrics, she turned to him with a big smile.
“This is my favorite song”
Smiling, Max continued to sing the rest of the song. When he finished she walked over to kiss him. She couldn’t stop smiling.
“I don’t know what to say….thank you”
“It only took me a year and a half to learn it. But it was worth it.”
She took the pick out of his hand and dashed out of the kitchen. George started to bark as the two were chasing each other around the apartment. Max finally trapped her into a corner and when she tried to run he grabbed her. They wrestled to the ground until he claimed victory by pinning her.
“Well, this isn’t fair”
“What?...that I’m stronger than you? Because I think it’s quite fair”
He kissed her gently on the lips and released his grip. After they finished cleaning up from dinner, they sat on the couch and watched a movie. Like any girl, Jennifer was a sucker for chick-flicks. They battled it out in rock, paper, scissors and Max lost which in result led them to watching The Notebook.
He carefully had his arm around her as her head rested peacefully on his chest. A blanket laid across their bodies kept them warm. When she fell asleep, he carefully picked her up and carried her to his room. He gently placed her in bed and quickly changed to join her. As he lay in bed watching her sleep, he couldn’t imagine himself with any other girl. She was perfect in his eyes, no matter what her faults may be, or no matter what her past was. He loved her regardless. With this in mind, he fell asleep with her in his arms.
The next morning Jennifer woke up in the same clothes she fell asleep in. She rolled over and looked at her fiancé sleeping soundly. Quietly, she got up, slipped off her jeans and shirt. She unclipped her bra and threw a shirt of his on. Rifling threw the scattered clothes throughout his room; she found a pair of her shorts. She went into the bathroom and glanced at herself in the mirror. Between crying and sleeping, her makeup was once again a mess. She washed it all off before crawling back into bed again.
Thank god he was a heavy sleeper, or else she probably would have woken him. She lay down next to him and stroked his hair. Then tenderly kissed him on the lips, and watched what happened. A smile came to his face almost immediately. She observed as he opened his eyes and focused on her.
“Well good morning beautiful”
She smiled and kissed him again. “Good Morning”
He carefully worked his hands up her shirt and placed them at her hips.
“Can we stay in bed all day?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”
“Good, I wouldn’t want to be any other place”

Where I Am From

I am from the log house on the hill
with the long driveway
lined with railroad ties and matching lights

I am from the four of a kind
that makes the house a home
from the pictures on the wall
to our the patio out back

I am from creating traditions
and breaking them
to making long lasting memories
and forgetting the embarrassing ones

I am from learning the basics
and standing my ground
to taking risks
and never regretting

I am from making people smile
and laughing just a little louder
to comforting a friend
and helping those in need

I am from hope
that someday I can strive
to be a better person
and to think about others before myself

I am from forgiving and forgetting
And loving and laughing