The Worth of Tears

Chapter 1 cont. (excerpt)

of why or if or what her life consisted of, I put my hands gently on her face and kissed her like I hadn't seen her in a million lifetimes. She didn't resist she put her hands on my hips and held them there as we kissed. We stopped and looked at one another and tears fell from both our eyes and we both started laughing. "What the heck is happening?" I said. She could barely breath she was laughing so hard. She looked up at me, and as her laughter subsided, she then got a more serious look in her face and eyes, leaned close to my left ear and whispered, " I think it's that you still love me, and I still love you." My eyes were about to have a deluge. I grabbed her hand and quickly walked out of the lobby. I wanted this moment alone with her. I wrapped my arms around her and cried my eyes out, and she didn't hold back either. We must have stood there crying and holding one another for about a good two minutes. These tears weren't like the last ones. These were tears filled with pure happiness and joy.

One year later we were married, and that was by design. We decided that it would only be proper to marry on the anniversary of our reunion. At first, Maura wanted the big, fancy and expensive wedding but within days of that decision she came to me and said she wanted a simple one. I didn't mind either way, but I was curious and asked her why. She said she didn't want all the planning and details to take away from the most important thing, us. She wanted just our immediate families and closest relatives along with our best friends. It was about a total of 30 of us. We married in the same church she grew up going to and the same priest that baptized her married us. We won't talk about the water works I had while we said our vows, I think I cried more than she did. We celebrated with our family and friends the whole night, and I will never forget that day. It was my happiest memory until the day we gave birth to a baby boy.

Benjamin Jacob Grove. The doctor handed him to me and can you guess what I did? Yeah tears, a lot of them. "Look at you. How can something be so perfect?" I said softly as I looked into his tiny eyes. I embraced him and didn't want to let go. "Look what we created," I said to Maura as she lay in the hospital bed smiling at us. "What a miracle it was that we met that day while you were in the hospital and we just happened to be nice to each other," I said trying not to laugh out loud and bother the baby. She rolled her eyes and shook her head as she tried not to break a smile. That first night in the hospital I didn't sleep at all. It wasn't just because Benjamin was crying every five minutes but I was just so happy. I hada beautiful baby boy, the best wife in the world and everything was amazingly good.

Years passed, and things were better than I could have ever hoped. I was working at the best hospital in the city and was the chief trauma surgeon. Maura had found her place in real estate, and she was excellent at it, having most of her clients of high monetary status. After coming home from the gym one day, I pulled into the driveway and just sat in my car looking at my house not believing that house was mine. As a child, I grew up in a small three bedroom house and never thought I'd be living in a house like this. My car alone was worth more than the house I grew up in. I was proud of what I had accomplished.

"I guess this is the American dream," I said out loud to myself. I walked into the kitchen, and it smelled great. Aromas of vegetables and spices filled the entire kitchen, and I could see Maura and Benjamin were hard at work."Benjamin?" I said in surprise. I had never seen him cook a day in his life. "Yeah, dad. Mom's trying to show me how to cook."Benjamin was 17 years old now and started dating this girl that was in his history class. "Well, I gotta learn to cook for girls to get some brownie points, right!" Maura and I laughed out loud. "Yeah, Ben, it's definitely a plus when you can show a girl you have skills in the kitchen." Even though Maura did most of it, the dinner turned out well. They had made some pan roasted chicken with vegetables that were more on the gourmet side. Maura had a natural knack for cooking so she could usually whip anything up and make it taste better than what the recipe directed.

Every weekend we would have our family rituals. Saturdays were movie day, and day or night didn't matter just as long as we got to see a new movie out in theaters. Sundays were reserved for relaxing, watching football or playing board games. Many weekends I was on call and had to leave abruptly, but it was something we all got used to relatively quickly, and it became like second nature. It was just part of our life. My relationship with Benjamin was a good one. He always approached me with anything and everything that was on his mind. We earned each others trust, loyalty but most of all friendship. Besides my wife, my son was truly my best friend, and I was so thankful for that. That night we went out to a movie and Ben had asked if he could bring his girlfriend. They had only been dating for about a month, and he still had yet to bring her around so when he asked if she could join us for movie night I was thrilled. Of course! I said. When she pulled up to the house, Ben walked outside to greet her at the car. It reminded me of when Maura and I were teenagers and all the excitement that came with seeing one another. Not to say we weren't still excited to see each other but now we lived together and let's be honest, sometimes you need a little break from your significant other.

I was looking out the window being nosy, and they started making their way for the front door. I quickly turned around and walked into the kitchen, so they didn't catch me snooping. Well hello there! I said as they walked in. Sarah had a shy smile on her face as they both walked into the kitchen. She had long, light brown hair and was tall for her age. About 5'11 I'd say. Mr. Grove, nice to meet you, she said as she extended her hand to me. I reached out and shook her hand. You can tell a lot about a young adult when they refer to you by Mr. or Mrs.."

"Dad," Benjamin said sounding embarrassed. What! I laughed. It's true. Kids nowadays don't have respectful manners like they use to. If I had referred to my friend's mom or dads by their first names, they would've slapped me in the face, and your grandma would've told me I deserved it! You're right Mr. Grove. My mom always told me to refer to your elders by Mr. or Mrs. unless they told you the first name was okay. Well, your mom is a good mom, I said. Ben rolled his eyes. Sarah and I just laughed. Maura shouted from upstairs, You guys ready to go? Yes, mam, I shouted. She jogged down the stairs and saw we had company. Good evening! She said with a big smile on her face. She was dressed fancy as she almost always was and somehow was still able to give me butterflies even after all these years. She and Sarah introduced themselves, and we were off to the movie theater.

The two of them walked ahead of Maura and I. I put my hands up in the air as if in confusion and asked Maura, How does time pass so fast? Ben was born, then just grew up and now he's almost going to be in college. Has a girlfriend and all! She looked up at me and said softly, It sure is precious, isn't it? I squeezed her hand. Yes my love, it sure is, I said. After the movie, we got home, and Ben and Sarah talked outside for a bit while Maura and I did the dishes. I loved my life, and I truly had it all. It's a thought that ran through my mind often, and I didn't take it for granted. I was a lucky man.