Early
Sir Sunrise
"Forever seems so far away."
By: Early
Word count: 1,245
Character count: 6,782
Comment from Early about the story.
The only problem with finding 'the one' when you're so young, is sometimes they leave you early. Life finds a way to separate true happiness, and no one ever deserves such a harrowing loneliness.
Left with only a scrapbook and fleeting memories of their time together an elderly woman sits quietly among the stagnant halls of the assistive living she now resides within. The worst part wasn't the food, or the dreary repetition of the daily routine, but the fact that unless she physically looked between the covers of the book she held she couldn't remember the very memories she cherished most.
They meet in the bustling crowed of a farmers market on a hot California day, he an artisan who sold hand made wooden goods and sculptures, and in the moment she was but a girl enamored by his craft. With his business rather slow, she was able to take the time to ask him all sorts of questions about his work. Even with everything so beautiful in her eyes, there was clear surprise to learn this was only his first attempt at selling any of his pieces. Woodwork was but a hobby, his full time career that of a real estate agent who spends his evenings locked away in his garage with all his tools. Tools that carved his emotions into the grain of every block of wood he could get his hands on.
Their first date was almost their last, but the picture she took was a reminder that everyone was allowed to make mistakes and he very well should be allowed a second chance. An afternoon on the beach, she'd brought sandwiches and fresh fruit and he brought a bottle of wine and two glasses to share it from. They talked for hours, conversing about her career as a journalist and his progress to where he was now. They learned they both were from winter states, and didn't miss the snow at all. How if they wanted it, it was only a few hour drive to the mountains and that was good enough. Eventually he'd share his hobbies beside wood carving, a clear nerdy side that she found adorable, one that explained why he thought a beach picnic and conversation was romantic. Truthfully it got cold rather quickly, and the sun was always hidden behind clouds.
The real issue with that day was the tide. They'd gotten so lost in their conversation that they hadn't noticed the tide crept up to the cover they were in. Waves rolled up to each exit, meaning their way back to the proper beach and away from their privacy was either straight up the cliff side behind them or by wading through the freezing tide that pushed and pulled against the rocky walls they were trapped against. While she was fine climbing, she learned he was deathly afraid of heights and would rather test the waters. This lead for a very awkward walk back to their cars, both soaking wet from the waist down with sand and salt in places they'd rather not have them.
Yet - She still called him back. The photo on her phone of the blanket they sat on for hours a reminder that even if the evening ended poorly she found it so easy to talk to him.
Her hand was a reminder of a simple day, one with all their loved ones coming together at the very beach they had their first official date. Though not trapped in the same alcove, they had a proper ceremony under the sun that rolled into a warm evening of drinking, laughing, and dancing. After four years together he'd presented her with a wooden ring, hand crafted out of a plum branch from a tree that was in the back yard of the home they'd bought together. The ring of course was adorned with a diamond, as well as a reminder that he'd love her and be with her forever.
They'd tried to have children, but after two failed attempts they turned into the one family on the block that had too many dogs. They were just as good as any kids they could have in their eyes, and it kept them outside and active, always bringing their 'kids' to the beach and woodland trails. It's as their family settled into what they were and what they wanted that she encouraged him to start his dream. Supporting him every step of the way, he'd finally opened his first store.
It started online, but eventually a small shop was opened blocks from the residential neighborhood they lived. A little store which displayed hand crafted furniture and tools of the trade to get other young wood workers into the craft. While business was slow at first, and definitely less lucrative than his time selling homes, he was much happier doing what he loved and she'd been happy to see him return day after day with a smile on his face. Eventually, the business grew and grew to the point where he was considering hiring other workers to help produce some of the products people had grown to want more and more of.
This dream of his, and her dream of seeing him succeed and be happy, was abruptly cut short. The business was forced to close so suddenly, and the medical bills were soon overbearing. The cancer was quick to show symptoms, and it left him incapable of spending his day to day doing the normal routine. With his brain so afflicted, he was at least given the option to spend his final hours at home under the plum tree with the woman he still loved. It all came so fast, and in his final moments she'd felt so helpless. He'd left her behind, and there was nothing that could be done about it.
The next lonely thirty or so years that followed weren't filled with the same adventure. There were never any surprises like the life she lived prior and there certainly wasn't any romance. In the past year she'd had to give up the home they'd shared together, the government care and retirement not sufficient to provide her daily needs given the medication and help required in her old age. It was only once she was separated from the home she'd lived a full life within, a home filled with the furniture and craftsmanship of her late husband, that her mind began to deteriorate.
Memories soon we're clouded by a heavy fog, and names were quick to vanish within it. The names of the four pets they'd had, the large dogs that kept her company during the hardest parts of her life. Each helping to fill that emptiness that she was left with, though now they were only a memory that was fuzzier than they themselves were. All her friends, and coworkers that supported her through the years, soon forgotten. All she had now in these final moments was a book of hundreds of photos, each bringing light to the memories of a chapter in her life she'd wished was longer. The scenes playing vividly in her mind, bringing a warmth and comfort that had long since passed.
It's in that moment of peace where it all was coming to an end that she knew a simple truth. Just because she couldn't remember his name didn't mean they wouldn't still be able to fulfill their promise to each other. He wouldn't have to wait much longer, because soon they would spend forever together.
End -------
Thank you for reading, I hope you feel loved this coming Valentines day.
By: Early
Word count: 1,245
Character count: 6,782
Comment from Early about the story.
So I realize this theme is flirty, and my interpretation of that is the process of falling in love. Flirting is what is common among the first stages of a romance, but it rarely ends there. I think the worst part of any relationship is when the flirting comes to an end, for whatever reason that may be.
The only problem with finding 'the one' when you're so young, is sometimes they leave you early. Life finds a way to separate true happiness, and no one ever deserves such a harrowing loneliness.
Left with only a scrapbook and fleeting memories of their time together an elderly woman sits quietly among the stagnant halls of the assistive living she now resides within. The worst part wasn't the food, or the dreary repetition of the daily routine, but the fact that unless she physically looked between the covers of the book she held she couldn't remember the very memories she cherished most.
They meet in the bustling crowed of a farmers market on a hot California day, he an artisan who sold hand made wooden goods and sculptures, and in the moment she was but a girl enamored by his craft. With his business rather slow, she was able to take the time to ask him all sorts of questions about his work. Even with everything so beautiful in her eyes, there was clear surprise to learn this was only his first attempt at selling any of his pieces. Woodwork was but a hobby, his full time career that of a real estate agent who spends his evenings locked away in his garage with all his tools. Tools that carved his emotions into the grain of every block of wood he could get his hands on.
Their first date was almost their last, but the picture she took was a reminder that everyone was allowed to make mistakes and he very well should be allowed a second chance. An afternoon on the beach, she'd brought sandwiches and fresh fruit and he brought a bottle of wine and two glasses to share it from. They talked for hours, conversing about her career as a journalist and his progress to where he was now. They learned they both were from winter states, and didn't miss the snow at all. How if they wanted it, it was only a few hour drive to the mountains and that was good enough. Eventually he'd share his hobbies beside wood carving, a clear nerdy side that she found adorable, one that explained why he thought a beach picnic and conversation was romantic. Truthfully it got cold rather quickly, and the sun was always hidden behind clouds.
The real issue with that day was the tide. They'd gotten so lost in their conversation that they hadn't noticed the tide crept up to the cover they were in. Waves rolled up to each exit, meaning their way back to the proper beach and away from their privacy was either straight up the cliff side behind them or by wading through the freezing tide that pushed and pulled against the rocky walls they were trapped against. While she was fine climbing, she learned he was deathly afraid of heights and would rather test the waters. This lead for a very awkward walk back to their cars, both soaking wet from the waist down with sand and salt in places they'd rather not have them.
Yet - She still called him back. The photo on her phone of the blanket they sat on for hours a reminder that even if the evening ended poorly she found it so easy to talk to him.
Her hand was a reminder of a simple day, one with all their loved ones coming together at the very beach they had their first official date. Though not trapped in the same alcove, they had a proper ceremony under the sun that rolled into a warm evening of drinking, laughing, and dancing. After four years together he'd presented her with a wooden ring, hand crafted out of a plum branch from a tree that was in the back yard of the home they'd bought together. The ring of course was adorned with a diamond, as well as a reminder that he'd love her and be with her forever.
They'd tried to have children, but after two failed attempts they turned into the one family on the block that had too many dogs. They were just as good as any kids they could have in their eyes, and it kept them outside and active, always bringing their 'kids' to the beach and woodland trails. It's as their family settled into what they were and what they wanted that she encouraged him to start his dream. Supporting him every step of the way, he'd finally opened his first store.
It started online, but eventually a small shop was opened blocks from the residential neighborhood they lived. A little store which displayed hand crafted furniture and tools of the trade to get other young wood workers into the craft. While business was slow at first, and definitely less lucrative than his time selling homes, he was much happier doing what he loved and she'd been happy to see him return day after day with a smile on his face. Eventually, the business grew and grew to the point where he was considering hiring other workers to help produce some of the products people had grown to want more and more of.
This dream of his, and her dream of seeing him succeed and be happy, was abruptly cut short. The business was forced to close so suddenly, and the medical bills were soon overbearing. The cancer was quick to show symptoms, and it left him incapable of spending his day to day doing the normal routine. With his brain so afflicted, he was at least given the option to spend his final hours at home under the plum tree with the woman he still loved. It all came so fast, and in his final moments she'd felt so helpless. He'd left her behind, and there was nothing that could be done about it.
The next lonely thirty or so years that followed weren't filled with the same adventure. There were never any surprises like the life she lived prior and there certainly wasn't any romance. In the past year she'd had to give up the home they'd shared together, the government care and retirement not sufficient to provide her daily needs given the medication and help required in her old age. It was only once she was separated from the home she'd lived a full life within, a home filled with the furniture and craftsmanship of her late husband, that her mind began to deteriorate.
Memories soon we're clouded by a heavy fog, and names were quick to vanish within it. The names of the four pets they'd had, the large dogs that kept her company during the hardest parts of her life. Each helping to fill that emptiness that she was left with, though now they were only a memory that was fuzzier than they themselves were. All her friends, and coworkers that supported her through the years, soon forgotten. All she had now in these final moments was a book of hundreds of photos, each bringing light to the memories of a chapter in her life she'd wished was longer. The scenes playing vividly in her mind, bringing a warmth and comfort that had long since passed.
It's in that moment of peace where it all was coming to an end that she knew a simple truth. Just because she couldn't remember his name didn't mean they wouldn't still be able to fulfill their promise to each other. He wouldn't have to wait much longer, because soon they would spend forever together.
End -------
Thank you for reading, I hope you feel loved this coming Valentines day.