It's his 88th birthday today.
I prepared everything needed for a picnic, just like we did when we were seventeen.
That was when we first met, right after high school. I'm headed for this grassy field, where a tree with "Amelia and Louis" engraved on it still lives, containing our names. Yes, he was that typical romantic, cheesy guy from the 40's.
I still love him like I did 70 years ago. I guess it would really never change, a love like ours.
~
It was the summer of 1945, and I spent almost every day in the Lemon Amusement Park with my friends, just like I do every year. Teenagers during our time weren't as impulsive as the ones today, but I got my fair share of impulsiveness too.
You know how your parents always told you to never accept anything from strangers? Yeah, I did just NOT that.
Well, people in The Lemon weren't really complete strangers to me. I see the same faces every summer. But then, it seemed like an unusual year. I was headed to uni that year, anyway. Maybe I was really bound to have a memorable year that I could always look back to 50, 60, or in my case, 70 years from that time.
One of those memorable summer days started with my friend Olga forgetting our tickets in her car, which annoyed me very much. Well not anymore, with what it has caused me.
Oh, and aside from her forgetting our tickets, it rained on our way inside The Lemon. Rain on a summer day? How great is this day going to be? What's next?
And what's next happened to be him.
And by him, I meant him bumping right into me with all his popcorn and orange juice spilling all over my favorite dress. You know how I was already soaking wet from the rain, and now there's popcorn and orange liquid all over me? I HATED IT. I HATED HIM. If Olga hasn't forgotten our tickets, we could have reached The Lemon before the rain started and purchased umbrellas near the ticket booth.
I was already about to get up and go home straight, when I heard him laugh like I was a comedy show.
"Excuse me? Laughing when a lady is in an unfortunate situation? You owe me an apology and yet you're laughing at me."
I turned my back on him, and started to walk away. ANNOYING, ANNOYING, ANNOYING.
Then he started to speak, "Wait-I think I owe you popcorn and orange juice?" Then he started laughing again. Oh, if only he weren't so charming with his properly combed hair and blue eyes, I would've stepped on his toes.
"No, I don't need a replacement of the food you just dumped into me. I'm leaving anyway."
"So, you don't want the popcorn and orange juice?"
"No."
And I left without turning back.
It was 3 days after that horrible day when I went to The Lemon again. Olga was celebrating her 18th birthday, so I was obviously expected to come. And right when I was about to enter the amusement park, I had second thoughts. First, the skies are dark, meaning it might rain again. And second, he was there: the guy who dumped his food all over me.
But I had no option; I can't let my friend down. I finally went inside, avoiding eye contact with him. He looks distracted, like he was looking for something. And how funny is it that he's carrying popcorn and orange juice with him again? Maybe he's looking for someone to dump his food into again.
"Goodness gracious!" I said; startled by someone suddenly pulling me back. I didn't need to look to see who it was.
"Hey, name's Louis," the popcorn and orange juice guy said
