Love Never Ending
Harold had been waiting for today for what seemed like
forever, Date Night was finally here. He was a nervous wreck when he had asked
out, dry mouth, sweaty hands, upset stomach. He nearly fainted when she said
yes, after all she had been the Home Coming Queen and he was just a little
nobody in the back of her class. A smile broadened his face at the thought of it.
He had spent the last three nights picking out his wardrobe; he had gotten
himself a haircut that afternoon. He had to look his best for his lady. He had
been in love with Dorothy from the first time he had ever laid eyes on her,
third grade to be exact. It didn’t matter to him that she became one of the
popular people and he was a social outcast, and when asked why it had took him
nine years to ask her out, well he was just pacing himself or just waiting for
the right moment. He had the evening planned out, a nice picnic under the stars
on the lawn and a movie. He had bought one of those portable DVD players and a
couple of her favorite movies. Harold finished getting ready, checked himself
for cat hairs and lint, sprayed on a liberal amount of cologne and went to pack
the car. Dorothy lived across town and the drive would take some time in the
afternoon traffic. Harold didn’t mind the drive; it just meant that he had to
wait a little extra to see his love. You know what they say, “Absence makes the
heart grow fonder”. Harold pulled his car in and drove past the gate house and
up the drive. The closer he got he could see his Dottie sitting out on the lawn
waiting for him. She was wearing her yellow flowered sun dress; it was a warm
evening so she would be fine. If she did get a chill, Harold had packed a small
blanket to wrap up in, you know just in case. He sat and looked at her for a
few minutes before shutting off the car and getting out. He walked over to
where she Dorothy sat; she was at a small circular table. Harold started
unpacking his basket; he draped a small white table cloth over it. He had
brought three small tea light candles for light and mood. He had two of
everything, plates, glasses, silverware. He placed the movie player on ground
next to the basket for easy access after the meal. Lastly he brought out an old
photo album, it printed across the front in gold filigree, “The Story of Us”.
He flipped through the book for a moment; the first picture in the book was a
little picture of him and Dot from the photo booth at the fair. As he turned
the pages he saw her wearing the most beautiful white dress. Then the picture
of them on the front porch with holding the “For Sale” sign, his face had the
biggest smile across it. Hers was even bigger, probably because she was holding
her belly too. Then came the children’s pictures, four sets in total. There
were three little boys and ended with a tiny little girl that was a miniature image
of Dorothy. Finally the children seem to grow bigger towards the end with even
more smaller children appearing. Harold closed the album and set it on the
table. A small tear appeared in the corner of his eye as he looked to the lady
in white standing just to the left of Dottie. “I’ll bring her back to her room
after the movie Karen”, Harold told the woman. “Just let me know if you need
any help Harry”, the lady said back to him before walking away towards the big
house behind them. Harold reached over and took one of Dottie’s hands and with
his other he brushed away the silvery hair from her face. “I love you Dottie, I
always have and I always will”, Harold stared into Dorothy’s eyes and she
stared through him.
