FREDDIE MONROE

Prologue

He asks for a slate, complete suit, and a necktie.  Not a bowtie.  He hates bowties, and although this is a special occasion, and a bowtie would be perfect, he opts for the necktie.  It's better to be different.  Hell, he's been different for a very long time.
The wardrobe arrives a few hours later.  He puts on the white dress shirt and takes his time buttoning it.  Next come the slacks and a black belt.  He stuffs his shirt in his pants, making sure that it's not too wrinkled at the waistline. He slips his shoes into a pair of black slip-on dress shoes.  He hates laces.  He would always double-knot laces, and the extra work would annoy him greatly.  He makes a full Windsor knot with the necktie, taking care that the inverted triangle is crisp and pointy.  He slides one arm carefully into the suit's jacket, and then the other, and then he straightens out the lapels.  He thought about a handkerchief for the jacket's breast pocket, but ended up ignoring it.  Looking at himself in the mirror - not really a mirror but rather a stainless steel tray screwed to the wall - he approves of his image.  He buttons the top button - only the top button - of his jacket, and then reaches for an envelope that lays on the top of the sink.  He opens the envelope and withdraws the picture.
"Together 'til the end," he whispers.
He puts the picture back in the envelope and slides the envelope in his jacket's inside pocket.  He gives it a pat. 
He walks towards the door, and then he knocks on it.

1

Tina - short for Valentina - Harding stopped at the local supermarket on her way to her parents.  The night would render a modest, but lively, celebration of her parents' love.  Twenty-five years of marriage seemed like a milestone in this day and age where divorces were handed out like over-the-counter drugs, where extra-marital affairs were as frequent as the common cold, where couples would emotionally detach because of busy work schedules.  Tina liked to think that her parents were the exception, that they were a good example of what true love, trust, and good communication could accomplish.  They were not perfect whatsoever, but throughout the years Tina had been witness to many fights that had been diffused by apologies, hugs and kisses.  And so Tina had no apprehensions in spending money on good wine and quality food.  And it wasn't like she had a lot of money on hand.  Sure, her parents were comfortable living in sacramento's suburb, Elk Grove (they owned cattle that would bring them a good amount of money, and owned two other houses in the newer part of the city), but Tina had chosen to kindly decline her parents' monetary assistance. 
  She had moved to Richmond, California right after high school with money she had saved since she had been a child.  She had gotten a job at a local Starbucks, and was now in community college. But her lack of wealth didn't deter her from giving her parents the best anniversary dinner she could muster.
  Inside the supermarket nostalgic thoughts saturated her memory.  Years before, she would run the aisles of the store in search of sweet cereals and ice cream.  She would mount the shopping cart as her father pushed it.  She would always ask to get some candy once by the register.  And she could never forget Jeffrey Eschinger - a kind old man who would stock the shelves and would always bring down a box of Debbie Reynolds cookies everytime he would see her.  Tina didn't think she would be overwhelmed, but paying attention to those memories, and to the kind memories of Jeffrey (now deceased), brought tears to her eyes.  She took a deep breath, wiped her eyes, and pushed her cart down the ice cream aisle.

2

Freddie Monroe had five minutes left until lunchtime.  Like every other day he had made sure that this day was no different.  He had made it to work at precisely six-fifty in the morning, had spent the ten minutes before the start of his shift seated in the breakroom with his eyes closed, meditating on mental images full of sunshine and daisies and a comfortable breeze.  It was a routine that calmed him and focused his mind on the upcoming workload. 
At eleven-fifty-five he was placing the last stock of milk gallons in the store's refrigerator.  The gallons with the most recent time stamp would go in the back, the ones with the older time stamps in the front - a process he had come up with.
He pushed the door to the breakroom open at exactly twelve o'clock noon.  He walked to the microwave that was at the opposite wall from the door.  Next to the appliance was his Tupperware filled with oatmeal and blueberries.  He was adamant about eating oatmeal at least once a day.  He had read somewhere that oatmeal reduced bad cholesterol in the human body and could help reduce the risk of heart disease.
He warned up the oatmeal for only thirty seconds.  He was okay with the oats being warm, but he didn't want to overheat the blueberries.  He sat at a table situated in a corner of the room.  He ate his oatmeal slowly, making sure he chewed it thoroughly.  He wouldn't drink anything while eating.  He had also read somewhere that it was healthy to allow the stomach to use its natural acids to break down food.  A cup of water would follow his oatmeal.
Freddy put his empty Tupperware in his lunch bag at twelve-twenty-nine.  He walked over to the microwave and set his bag next to it.  This process took almost a full minute.  At exactly twelve-thirty he pulled the door of the breakroom open and walked out.
It was twelve-forty when he walked down aisle six - the 'hygiene' aisle - to make sure each shelf was filled with products.
It was only seconds after turning down aisle six when he laid eyes on the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.