The two of us watched the view that night with the moon being as bright as it could be. A sweet silence with only silence of crickets laid between us with the stars at our side. I still hadn't told Sara what I personally experienced at the river that day. And it was likely that I wasn't going to. That strange flash-forward was for me and only me. As it should be.
"How was the hike?" I finally asked. "Did the walking stick help?"
"Yeah, I think it worked. I feel fine. I was a little worried going on this hike knowing that my heart could've potentially failed on me." At that moment, she took a deep breath with a heavy sigh. "It sucks sometimes. I sometimes wonder if I'll have a future. Seriously, I had to use a walking stick for this hike What other crutches and I going to have to use in my life. I don't want to be on bed rest during my pregnancy. Sometimes I wonder if I could die giving birth."
I wasn't sure what to say in that moment. All of this was a possibility. What if there were other crutches? What if? I hated asking all the what-if questions. It sucked asking them.
"Where do you see life going?" she asked.
Hopeful thoughts soon began gathering in my head. "I see a large house and lots of happy children that don't have to worry about anything. Maybe we'll live next door to my parents. Or better yet, you're dad will live with us. There will be no worries. And your writing career will have taken off. You'll be the most successful writer of all time. All of your romance novels will be the envy of Nicolas Sparks."
My answer brought out a chuckle in her. "That would be so amazing."
"How's the story coming along?"
"I'm having a little writer's block." She scratched her nose.
"What's the problem exactly?" I hated hearing that she was having writer's block.
"An ending. I can't think of an ending. I don't know how this story is going to end. I keep asking myself how a story about romance would end and what my story is leading up to, but I can't think of anything."
I stood up and helped her up. "It's sometimes hard to predict how a story ends. I know this is going to sound dark, but after looking at these stars, one thing comes to mind." She waited eagerly for a response. "Every story is different, but they all have to come to an end."
She nodded in agreement and smiled. Her eyes quickly caught notice of the one ring on my finger. "What happened to your other rings?"
"I threw them away." Her eyes lit up in shock. "I was sitting in my bedroom last night looking at the two plastic rings and something in me felt like I didn't need them anymore. It was a weird feeling, but somehow I felt freedom." This had to be the more craziest segue ever. At this moment, I knew exactly what had to happen. "What happens if you never finish your story? Would that be enough for you?"
She quickly bit her lip and thought about my question. "I guess it wouldn't that bad if I never figured out the ending as long as I had you. As long as I had you by my side, everything would be fine."
It was at that moment I began laughing and reaching into my pocket trying everything I could do to make this the perfect moment. Once the ring made it onto the palm of my hand, a fist was formed and I took it out of the pocket. This was it. This was the moment. In that moment, I felt like my heart was about to pop out. You could almost say I almost felt like Sara did. Could I really go through with this? But I had to do something as I was just standing there silently with a fist as if I were about to punch someone.
"You OK Jimmy?" she asked. "You planning on fighting me?" Why did she have to be funny?
At that point, I couldn't take it anymore. This had to be done. And within seconds, my knees were kneeled before Sara like she was a queen. It became pretty apparent that Sara knew what was about to happen. A loud and excited scream left her mouth causing her to jump up and down. Something about her doing that helped me feel somewhat better. I could definitely do this.
"Sara, the future is here. Yeah, I know we haven't been together more than a year, but it doesn't make sense to wait any longer with all that we've gone through together. And sure, I'm still messed up, but I don't care." She was doing everything she could to calm and listen to what I had to say. What were the possibilities of her shutting me up and telling me to get on with it. It was time to get to the point. "Sara Parker, will you take the honor of marrying me and becoming Sara Rider?"
"Yes!" She shouted without one ounce of hesitation. "Oh my gosh! Yes!"
She broke out with tears of happiness and was moments away from hyperventilating. Had she ever been this happy before? It took a moment for this crazy girl to calm down and get herself together. Once she calmed herself down, she wanted to see the ring. Without thought, the ring went straight to her marriage finger and she gave me one of the most passionate kisses I could remember. The kissing stopped once she asked a question.
"When are we going to get married?" There was a lot of hope in those eyes.
"How about next year?"
She began laughing like a crazy madwoman. "Next year is too long. Why not this summer?" That seemed too soon and she could sense what I was feeling. "You just said you couldn't wait any longer."
Couldn't argue with that. And with that, I agreed to get married that summer.
WOW! Jimmy and Sara are getting married? That's crazy! Thanks for reading. Remember to comment, vote, and share!
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