Miss Park

The Only Exception

It had been four days since Lisa's first little wheelchair ride out of the ward that she was in and down to the café. Since then, I had taken her down to the little outside area twice daily, every day.

But today, she was in a fantastic mood. Of course, she was still feeling a little tired, but it was the happiest I had seen her in a very long time. So, because I felt like today was probably the best time to do it, I brought her down to the garden and made sure to bring my guitar with me.

I had spent a fair bit of time this morning tuning the strings while Lisa was down at the recovery ward with her physio, so it would be all nice when I brought it down to the garden area. I hadn't played in a while, seeing as I had been so busy here with Lisa. Evie had asked to see me play, she had walked in while I was tuning it and sat down. I played her the song she requested and she smiled the entire damn time.

"Did you choose beef or chicken on my dinner menu sheet for tonight?" Lisa asked as I wheeled her up next to the tree we had been sitting under for the last few days. Yesterday morning she had been with the doctor when her meal chart had arrived so I had chosen her meals for today for her.

"You had beef last night so I put chicken, is that okay?"

I could see her tiny nod by staring at the back of her head, which still had her favourite beanie pulled down over it.

"Yeah, I wanted chicken anyways".

I lock the breaks in on the chair, pull off the bag attached to the back of it and slip my guitar case off of my back. Not wanting to sit on the grass because it made my legs itchy yesterday, I made sure to bring a picnic blanket so that wouldn't happen again.

"Can you pass me my book please?" Lisa sits back in her chair with a little difficulty, wincing at the action.

I shake my head, which makes her frown.

"Why not?"

"Because I want to show you something." I sit down and drag my guitar case around the front of the chair so Lisa could see both it and me. As soon as she realised what it was, she broke into a smile and her eyes lit up. "We made a deal even before we started dating that if you lent me a book, I would teach you how to play the ukulele. Although that might have to be saved for when you're better, I thought I could do the next best thing."

I watched Lisa's smile travel up her face and reach her eyes. That is and always will be something that I love about her, you can always see how genuine her smiles are through her eyes. "You're finally going to play the guitar for me?"

Nodding, I give her a smile before unlocking the case and pulling out my Taylor Acoustic, a guitar that I have had since I was young. I watched the girl's smile grow wider, her body leaning forwards in anticipation.

My fingers found the strings and I strummed each one gently, making sure that the guitar was still in tune and the case had not affected it in any way. Lisa sat, eyes glued to me the entire time.

I adjusted my posture, took a breath, and started to play. The all too familiar, hollow, harmonious sound floated through the air and everything that had been on my mind for the last few months didn't seem like it was so bad. Ever since I was young, this instrument has been my escape, and it was proving to still be something of a comfort to me, even in my adult years.

"Oh, I love this song". Lisa's sweet voice was enough of a driver to continue on. I watched her sway lightly in her chair, eyes closing to enjoy the tune of one of my favourite songs.

"When I was younger I saw my daddy cry
And curse at the wind"

As soon as I sang the first line, Lisa's eyes shot open and focused straight on me. Her brows were furrowed a little with surprise and her mouth dropped open only slightly. It was when she gave me this reaction that I realised, I had never told her that I could sing.

Sure I had hummed and sing along to tunes with her countless times in the car, but she had never heard me like this.

"He broke his own heart and I watched
As he tried to reassemble it
And my momma swore
That she would never let herself forget"

Her surprise only lasted a little while, and within seconds it had morphed into a face of awe. I felt a little shy, having Lisa stare at me like this. But, if me playing the guitar for her and singing was something so evidently loved, then it was going to be something she better get used to.

"And that was the day that I promised
I'd never sing of love if it does not exist"

I remember when this song first came out. Little 11-year-old Chaeyoung listened to it constantly. I never thought that I would truly understand the lyrics. And honestly, I haven't experienced what is portrayed through the song. But in a way this song hits home because through everything I have been through, I can understand only one person being the exception to the rules I had set down for myself. One person that I was willing to break my own promises for.

"But darling, you are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception"

Lisa.

"Maybe I know somewhere deep in my soul
That love never lasts
And we've got to find other ways to make it alone
Or keep a straight face"

I let out a little giggle at her wonderstruck face and stop my singing for a moment, the sound of both our laughter echoing through the garden.

"And I've always lived like this
Keeping a comfortable distance"

My fingers worked the strings effortlessly, my nails freshly cut and in perfect condition to play. I knew these chords like the back of my hand, this song is embedded into my mind.

"And up until now, I had sworn to myself
That I'm content with loneliness
Because none of it was ever worth the risk
But you are the only exception

You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception"

Usually when I play my guitar, I usually feel as though the place I am in is completely empty, and that is one of the things that made me love playing so much. But, it was different with Lisa, I felt like she was the only soul there with me, and that made it even better.

"I've got a tight grip on reality
But I can't let go of what's in front of me here
I know you're leaving in the morning when you wake up
Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream"

An elderly couple sitting on a bench beneath a tree that was close to our spot had stopped their conversation, and instead had turned their heads to face the sweet tune. I only noticed because Lisa broke eye contact with me momentarily to look at them.

"You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception"

I smiled up the beautiful girl looking down at me from her wheelchair, my voice wavering a little with the action but that only made everything sound so much more genuine.

"You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception"

I never understood lovers who claimed that they could sit for an eternity and stare into the eyes of their other half. Not until I had looked into Lisa's eyes and realised that I could see so much more in them than what I could see in others.

"And I'm on my way to believing"

But, here I was. Looking into her eyes which had tears fighting to stay enclosed behind their walls. The exact emotions I was feeling right now were screaming back at me through her eyes, and it all fit so perfectly.

"Oh, and I'm on my way to believing"

With one final stroke I finished the song and Lisa blinked away her tear. She spread her arms as best as her tired body would let her.

"Can you come here so I can kiss you?"