"And I'll be damned if I let you get near my daughter again!"
It took one, swift push and Father knocked him into the ocean's grasp. I ran over to the side of the boat about to jump in with him. My father grabbed me and held me back. I remember yelling out to him, "Gideon! Gideon!" but none of my screaming did any good. Gideon went down into the ocean's deep world. I cried and screamed but my father continued to hold onto me. The boat sped away and headed back to land.
I love Gideon. I miss Gideon. He did all that he did in the name of love. Our love. Gideon risked everything for me; just to be with me. He decided to choose me over every opportunity that would move him away from me. Gideon came from a lower class family while I came from an upper class family. My folks wanted the wealth to stay constant for many generations to come. We would only marry those who fit the criteria of my father's standards. I loved Gideon because he met my standards. People like Gideon are hard to find nowadays. He would climb up a tree next to my window just to sneak in to see me. Sadly, one night, my father caught him climbing up the tree. He threw a brick at him and knocked him down. My father went over, grabbed Gideon by the collar of his shirt and forbade him from ever seeing me again. The very next day, my father had the tree removed from its placement. Of course, Gideon does not listen to such a tone. I pretended to be sick one day and stayed home from church. While the rest of my family went to church service, I left home to be with Gideon. We decided to go to a nearby courthouse and get married. It was best day of my life. Gideon made a gold ring that shimmered in the sunlight. He had inscribed into the ring, "Eternal". Our love would be eternal and against the world.
Moving ahead - life became rather strange after the boating incident. A few weeks later, I found out that I was pregnant with Gideon's child. I was so terrified of my father's reaction that I had to live a lie. I quickly re-married to someone who met my father's standards. He agreed to say that the child was his. In the blissful month of April, I gave birth to you. The spitting image of Gideon Ridley. I have cried everyday for the last 28 years because you are so much like him. The way you dance, laugh, and even....swim. You swim. Now, you see why I could not bear to come to your swim meets. All I can see was Gideon diving down into the water's hold. You are selfless yet stubborn like him. You would even risk your life for the love of others - just like him.
