The meeting with mine and Veronica's lawyers was pretty boring to say the least. I would rather have been out, sketching the landscape in my pad while Hannah frolicked through the tall grass, but of course I had to be here, listening to my soon-to-be ex wife, complain about how she wasn't getting enough money from the divorce. 'Why the hell did I marry you again?' I thought to myself as our meeting was dismissed. Then there was running into Peyton; her hair had gotten so long since I last saw her. Her parents had said that she was living in England the last time that I ran into them. That was only three weeks ago at least.
I placed over my heart as I laid in my bed, thinking about how great it was to hear her laugh again, and I could just feel my heart begin to race. The door to my bedroom creaked open and I turned my head to look at Hannah as she came in, her nightgown brushing against the floor as she walked in. I sat up and asked, "What's wrong, pumpkin?" She clung onto her teddy bear.
"I had a bad dream," she uttered frightened. I gave her a smile and threw off the blankets. I walked over to her and scooped her into my arms, heading back to my bed. I laid down and covered us both up. She snuggled up to my chest, already falling back asleep as I kissed the top of her head. I fell asleep, Hannah in my arms, as I thought about Peyton, and how I couldn't wait to see her again.
A week later, I dropped Hannah off at the sitter's and headed to work. I sat down at my desk while the kids began to file in and I wrote my name on the whiteboard. I clapped my hands together and waited for the bell to ring. "Alright, guys I'm your substitute teacher, Mr. Ovid. Please take your seats and continue with the assignment that Mr. Brakes gave you last Friday," I announced clearly. The kids started almost immediately.
After work, I went to the store. Veronica was picking Hannah up from the sitters' house and I would pick her up tomorrow after work. I grabbed a shopping cart as I walked through the front doors. I whistled and walked passed the flower section, when someone caught my eye. I backpedaled and gaped down the aisle. Peyton was standing there, looking at the different arrangements that there was. I felt my heart begin to race and I turned the cart down the aisle, heading straight for her. "Peyton?" I said as I tapped her shoulder. She jumped and spun around. Her face turned a pale pink, and her lips turned up in a smile.
"Hi, Taylor!" she said as she walked over to me, her arms wide open, and I took her in my arms. She stepped back with a little notepad and pen in her hands. "What are you doing here?" I shrugged my shoulders.
"Getting some groceries. How about you?" She shrugged her shoulders.
"Just looking at some flowers." I nodded my head.
"Oh what are they for?" She stared down at the ground and tapped her fingers against the notepad.
"My funeral." I stood there, shocked for a few minutes. "I have cancer and when I left England, I had about two weeks left to live...now I have about...five days left. I didn't want to make my parents come with me...it's taking a pretty decent toll on them right now as is." I nodded my head and I don't know why, but I felt compelled to kiss her and show her comfort.
"I'm...really sorry, Peyton. I didn't know." She shrugged her shoulders and looked away from me.
"It's okay, I guess. We all have to die sometime...I guess my time is just sooner than I expected." I dropped my shoulders and I reached out, resting my hand on her forearm.
"It's not fair though," I said softly. She shrugged her shoulders again, not meeting my eyes.
"Life isn't fair sometimes." I sighed heavily and scratched the back of my neck.
"I know it isn't, Peyton...I just wish that there was something that I could do." She brought her eyes up to gaze into mine, and I started to get lost in their caramel softness. She grasped my hand tightly.
