Thank You Oliver || Gay Short Story

Memory Seven

I decided I didn’t want to end Oliver’s memoir on a bad note. He was a man of positivity, opportunity, optimism and joy. Maybe they all mean the same thing, but I think if I want to remember Oliver, then I should remember him how he is. This memory might not be important to Oliver, but it’s one of the happiest moments of my lives. I know he’d be happy that I put this in here.

I started planning my own wedding in my English class in sixth grade, like all of the other girls did. I spent hours on Instagram and Pinterest, a few on Tumblr too, finding out what kind of wedding cake I wanted to have, and then I looked at a few venues. I even made a schedule, believe it or not.

About four or five years after Oliver and I started dating, we took a cruise from Florida to Barbados. There, his parents rented out a vacation house on the beachfront, maybe only fifty or a hundred feet away from the water. Every night I took him out to dinner at a different restaurant, from fancy city five-stars to beachfront shacks, and every morning after the first he bought me breakfast in bed.

We spent two good weeks in Barbados. Each day consisted of horsing around on the beach, running around in the city, being the clich tourists we were, and at night, laying down on beach towels stargazing and talking about things. When the water began licking our feet, we knew it was time to pack up and head to bed, but twice we fell asleep on the sand and woke up to the  tide on our chests.

Eight nights after we arrived, Oliver and I set up a fire pit and lit a few candles around our beachfront like the usual. We did the regular; he got out the towels and I tended to the fire so it could keep us warm. We hired some local kid to put out the fire when we went to bed so we didn't have to worry about it.

We watched the stars and talked about the future. Soon the waves reached my ankles, and after a bunch of laughing, we went to bed.

After changing into our pajamas, we both got into bed and stared at the ceiling. "Goodnight, love," I said. I closed my eyes and he laughed. For some reason I felt happy when he chuckled, gleeful maybe.

"Hold on, Jake. Open your eyes." Groggily I obeyed him, even though I was tired as hell. Regardless, my eyes pulled open weakly. The lights immediately switched off and the ceiling glowed above me.

It's blue at first. Slowly the words fell into sharpness;

Will You Marry Me?

My heart stopped. Literally. I passed out that night at that exact moment and I woke up the next evening after in Oliver's arms. We were in a hospital, of course, and I was on one of the beds.

Later that day, while we were getting lunch in the hospital's cafeteria, I realized that Oliver still hadn't yet proposed to me again or even referenced last night, so while we were eating lunch, I grabbed my napkin and folded it to form a ring... I wasn't carrying one on me at the time.

And you know what I did? I jumped out of my seat whilst flipping the table over and dropped to one knee. Before my throat got caught in my throat, I blurted out, "Marry me!"

Oliver sat there astounded. I couldn't be happier with the shock on his face.

Three months later we were planning our wedding. It was going to be in a park along a river, because that was Oliver's dream wedding. In fact we went ring shopping for the wedding to get awesome ones before other couples got the goodies. I swear I would've fought anyone for a ring Oliver and I wanted.

And then... Well, Oliver passed away.

While we were dating, Oliver taught me that engagement is a promise. It's a promise saying that we'll love each other to the end of time and we'll be the man of our dreams, no one else. We would be there for each other in times of health and illness. I still loved Oliver, and I do today too, so why would I break that promise? I followed through.

The day finally arrived, September first, two years after he left.

The worst part was that the wedding was secret. Only my mother, father, sister, and three of my friends came. We came as quietly as possible, staying out of the radar of Oliver’s parents.

The music started playing and I walked down the little aisle. I gravely strode down to where Oliver's gravestone was.

It stood tall, neat, and tidy. It was organizedly surrounded by blue and white flowers and some candles, but in the center was a photograph of him.

I choked up when I saw his face, I remember that I stopped dead in the aisle to wipe away a tear. But I remembered this was for Oliver, I pushed through.

The priest was there and did his little introduction, blessing both of us. Then I presented my vows to Oliver:

"Uhmm... Hi, Oliver. It's me, Jake. Here goes nothing," I told him. I thought he would be watching down from his oasis in heaven. I remember getting chills even thinking about it. I continued to speak out in the silence, "As your dutiful husband, I will work my best to ensure your happiness. I will be the best husband I can to help and respect you in all ways possible. I will forever adore you for eternity, in sickness-" I choked up. The words knotted in my neck and my heart clogs my throat. In sickness... He's dead. He'll always be sick. But he's in a better place.

"-and in health. In our wildest imagination, I won't leave your side because we'll be hand in hand living the dream together. I promise... I promise to never forget you, Oliver. I'll never forget. You'll forever be my soul mate, and I know you're here with me right now, so I want to leave you off with this.

"I love you, Oliver. I never will forget... Never will forget you. I love you."

Once I finished, the priest finished up. On Oliver's behalf, his sister says 'I do,' and I follow with my 'I do.' Without the priest's permission, I knelt down and kissed Oliver's gravestone. I placed my ring on top of it, and slid my own ring on.

No, I don't think I was crazy. I loved Oliver a lot back then, and even more now if I mention it, so why on Earth would I abandon him? That'd be cheating, in my opinion, and it'd be disrespectful to him.

I stayed at the gravestone for a few more hours. All of my family and friends left the sunny cemetery. I spent those few moments with Oliver reliving and experiencing the memories we made and shared.

One day I decided to visit Oliver again. In the summer I bring him sunflowers, and in the fall I bring him a few delilah's. Every day after the first snow day I put some roses on his grave. In the spring, he gets whatever is available, mostly bleeding hearts though… it represents how my heart aches without him. On Christmas Eve I get him a wreath with white roses. On his birthday, I bring multiple candles. But on the first day of every September, I get a mix of all of them and get multiple roses. In fact I spend a good hour decorating his grave, and then I spend a good three hours with him. After that, I spend the time going to places where we made memories before I return to Oliver and tell him good night.

The ring we gave each other at the hospital was not just to tell other's we're engaged. It was, no, it is a promise to never leave one another and to love each other to the end of time. Our promise still lives on today.