Vision Quest

28. I Will Always Love You

POV: Roger

    Sunday, Toby left for home. He had already stayed one day longer than he had planned. We had had a good time, but I can't say I was sorry to see him go. He and Aastha had really cut into Ritu's and my alone time. We were going to make up for that tonight. Donny and Marie had gone out for the evening, so we had the apartment to ourselves.

I fixed my specialty, steak and mushrooms. Tenderloin in bite sized strips with mushrooms sautéed in butter finished with beef broth, wine, and Worcestershire and thickened with flour serve over basmati rice. I opened a ten-year-old bottle of Pride Mountain reserved cabernet made two small side salads, and set out two candles on the counter along with a makeshift tablecloth, our plates, silverware, and cloth napkins. We had to sit on the stools at the counter. Still, we put one on each side, so we sat opposite each other. It was almost like fine dining. The radio station was playing the top romantic ballads of all time, Unchained Melody, I Will Always Love You, Let It Be Me, etc.

Ritu lifted her wine glass and toasted, "To an uninterrupted evening of romance." We clinked glasses and drank. She lowered her glass from her lips and looking over the top of the glass at me said, "I did enjoy having them here. They really do make a cute couple."

"They do. I'm glad it worked out. And the fact that they had already met online, how weird is that? It has to make you think maybe some things really are destined to be."

"You are not going to bring up the dream again, are you?"

"How can you not see how all these things are connected? Don't you believe you are destined to find a cure for Aastha and Toby?"

She put her glass down. "I don't know what I believe anymore. A predestined future where I find a cure for muscular dystrophy just doesn't seem likely. I mean, why me? It just doesn't make sense."

"It makes perfect sense," I asserted. "Finding a cure requires someone who is smart, hardworking, dedicated, and most of all motivated to stay the course. I honestly believe the purpose of our vision quest was to show you that you would succeed so that you would never give up hope so we would both be willing to make the required sacrifices to make sure you succeed."

"You believe all that?"

"I do. I know you believe in what science tells you. Well, science tells us to keep an open mind. Even science allows for uncertainty. That tells me there is room for the spiritual, for both fate and freewill, that there are more things in heaven and on earth than are dreamed of even in my philosophy. I was going to wait until Christmas to tell you, but I'll make it an early present and tell you now. I've made my sacrifice to make sure you fulfill your destiny. I've enlisted in the Army."

"You did what?!" To say the least, Ritu was stunned.

"I've enlisted in the Army. I report to boot camp in January. Next semester you can focus on your studies."

"What about your studies?"

"They weren't going anywhere anyway. The army might teach me some skills I can really use. I signed up to become a supply specialist. The guy who makes sure people get the things they need. Sort of a Jack-of-all-trades. I have a feeling those skills will come in handy for me. Also, with any luck after boot camp and quartermaster school, I can get stationed at the Hawthorne Army Depot. It is only a couple of hours away. Close enough for me to visit occasionally, but not so close that I'd visit so often that I'd interfere with your studies.

"What about your probation? Is this how you got the judge to end it?"

"Yep, the Army was the judge's idea. He was not impressed with how my college was going."

"Roger, I can't let you go, not for my sake."

Witney Houston was on the radio so I just reapeated her words. "If I should stay, I would only be in your way. So I'll go, but I know I'll think of you every step of the way and I will always love you. I will always love you."

"Oh Roger, I am going to miss you so much."

"Then we better make the most of the time we have together." And that is what we did.