Our immortality [On Hold]

Prologue

Time. Flies. By.

It just seems like a few days ago when I had first seen him. He stood tall and handsome, wearing a cowboy hat and brown strands of hair were merely visible. But there was something about his eyes-they seemed to penetrate though me and look right at my soul. There was a strange familiarity about them. Of course, it was only later that I realized I had seen those deep ocean like eyes in my dreams.

"Good morning, Darling!" His voice brought me back to the reality. We have been married for 60 years. His face is now full of wrinkles but he still possesses that same charm.

"What were you thinking about?" He asked.

"You ." I answered."Us. Our first encounter."

"Oh" he sighed. "You were so shy."

"Really?" I teased. "It was you who couldn't even look at me."

"Ah! That.Oh darling you looked beautiful-so radiant. It was like trying to stare at the sun."

I laughed. Somethings never change. He smiled knowingly.

"If you remember, I asked you out first."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, you said,"Jane, will you help me with algebra?""

He grunted. "But you still fell in love with me."

"Except your a-bit-too-long nose." I teased. This had been our little joke over the years. "But I love your cooking."

"That's because you burn everything while cooking. Jane, you love everyone's cooking."

That is true. We have lead a life of deep contentment. We dated from high school to college and married soon after. Our wedding was nothing out of ordinary yet it was very special. We exchanged vows in the town staple with a few friends and family. When the priest finally asked me "Jane, do you take Luke to be your wedded husband?" I knew there was nothing I wanted to say except 'I do'.

Life was magical. Each moment was special with Luke. Even now 60 years later we are still deeply in love with each other. We gave birth to a girl-Margaret, we call her Meggie. She married Austin and they have a little boy named Brandon. A little boy? Oh, Bran is 17 years old. They often spend their weekends with us. We play cards and narrate stories of Meggie's and Bran's childhood.

"You have been so distant today, sugar." Luke handed me a cup of coffee.

I sighed. "I am just counting my blessings."

"Don't you ever get tired of thanking God for sending me in your life. It is like a miracle." He teased.

"Never." I teased back but I meant it. We sat in silence for a while, drinking our coffees.

He leaned back in his rocking chair and said,"You were clever enough to figure out that I didn't need any help with algebra but you never brought it up."

"Yes", I said placing the empty cup of coffee on the bedside table. "You were always like an open book-so predictable. I knew you were excellent at algebra but I loved spending more time with you and of course it gave me immense joy to see you pretending to struggle with the sums."

He laughed. "Now that I think about it, you were the one good with words."

"And you with actions. Remember the time you proposed? The beach was so calm that day. A red rose and a simple ring. I had loved it."

The ring was placed on the table as it no longer fit my wrinkled finger. Oh, time is cruel. For it transforms moments into memories.

"I loved the way the breeze kept blowing your hair and it was all over your face. Oh, how you struggled to keep it in place."

"I know. But I had burst out laughing after you had proposed. Could a man get more funnier?"Jane, I know you don't cook well and I promise to feed you till my last breath."" I laughed at the memory.

"I had a romantic speech prepared but the moment I sat down on my knees I forgot everything about it."

But of course I loved him because he was always himself. The ring had filled my eyes with tears and I had taken him by the hand and nodded for I was too short of words at the beauty of the moment. As the years passed by, I loved him even more. Whenever I woke up next to him with sunlight streaming down on his face I watched his chest rise and fall and thanked God for the miracle.

I was lost in the myriad memories-in the beauty of the past when I felt somebody clutch my hand. I looked up to see my grandchild Bran."Grandma, are you alright? I have been calling you for five minutes."

I wiped my tears and nodded.

He handed me a bouquet of carnations. "Let's go and visit grandpa. He must be waiting. You haven't forgotten,have you, Granny?"

He looked at the two cups of coffee-one empty,one full.

"No", I said and he held my hand as we made our way towards the town cemetery to pay our visit to Luke on his fifth death anniversary.