Why I Fell
There’s just something so special
about lying in bed with the one you love. Something about holding them in your
arms, watching them smile at you.
And, as she lies right next to me, her hair spills out over her pillow. She’s
messing with the ring on her finger. Yes, it does look like something out of the
quarter machines at the supermarket, but she loves it. It’s nothing to big or
fancy, just like her. Simple, plain, but enough to catch your eye.
She twists a little under the sheets, a smile still in her
face. A hand raises up to finger the matching ring on a gold chain that I have
chosen to wear. She just keeps smiling at me, as she keeps looking at the small
ring.
And, the most amazing part? Well, besides the fact she liked
the rings? The fact that it fits her finger. She’s getting older, it’s not like
we’re in our childhood, and these rings fit. Well, mine really doesn’t which is
probably why it’s on a chain instead of on my finger.
The story behind the rings? We agreed to baby-sit little
cousins and young family members. On a trip to some place to shop, we were
trying so hard to keep the attention spans of a handful of children from seeing
who would be the first one to hurt themselves if they jumped from the second
level of the mall to the fountain.
Well, and after going into kid store after kid store, her
being drug off by the girls to look at Barbies and me being drug off to look at
Tonka trucks, I wonder why it took me this long to think that small little fake
gemstone rings would be perfect. As the boys pulled truck after truck off the
shelves, just wanting my appreciation, I’m thinking of the beautiful brunette
looking at dress-up clothes and whatever job Barbie has picked up now. And, I
pray that she’s thinking of me too.
And, we meet at the register, diving up some of the money the
parents shoved in our hands, to take the kids out. We have to disappoint some
boys saying that the bats are staying in the packaging until we get home, as so
that the girls will not be attacked the car ride home.
Next, we end up in some clothing store, Buckle or American
Eagle. The kids like it, for some reason. She loves it, because she loves to
shop for clothes. She wouldn’t have agreed to this trip if she didn’t get the
chance to shop for clothes. She can somehow, miraculously, put up with all the
little kids, as long as she gets to do some shopping too. Sure, it may mean
Victoria’s Secret is out of the question, but, she still has fun as the kids
drag us into Old Navy.
There, she makes sure she doesn’t leave my side. Holding my
hand, as if losing grip with me would spell certain doom for her. She drags me
through the girl’s clothing, as she just looks. She claims she has enough Old
Navy clothing at home, making me smile in this day that seems to never end.
But, one of the girls wants to go look at baby clothes,
seeing as how she’s about to become an older sister. Of course, my co-pilot for
the day agrees, she loves looking at the baby clothes.
And that was when she really made me smile. She found so many
cute outfits, saying we’d use the clothes soon. I just smiled, the thought of
having kids with her, adds excitement to the day. The thought that she’s willing
to have my kids, blows me away. The thought that she cares that much for me….
That when she starts showing me the little shoes, tennis
shoes, dress shoes, jellies. I start falling in love with this girl all over
again.
After Old Navy, it was time for lunch. We had only a few
kids, but it felt like we had our own personal zoo. And, somehow, in between
Lucy complaining because Isaiah bit her and Owen saying he has to go pee but is
scared to go by himself, we managed to get hamburgers for everyone.
Then, they all wanted a sip of our drinks, or wanted the hamburger that Tanner
got, or kept asking Owen where the bathroom was, and trying to find other people
to go with them.
She just kept holding my hand, squeezing it every now and
then, as if to say ‘It’ll be ok, everything will be ok’.
After lunch, we return to shopping. The kids have plans to go
every which way, but somehow, one store getting mentioned ends all debate. It
became official, we were going to the pet store.
Not like any of them could buy one of them. But, there’s just
something apparently about looking at small, fluffy pets, and even sometimes
getting to hold some. So, we managed to keep the kids occupied by that, as she
stayed amazed at how much she still wants a pet.
Next on the list, is a candy store. Contrary to popular
belief, it wasn’t the kids who were out of control in here. It was actually the
adults with them. As we looked through the candy for something with peanut
butter, the kids kept trying to find a way to sneak a peek without us seeing. I
was ten times better at sneaking candy at their age.
That’s when her cell phone rings. That means it’s time to
bring the kids home, so we can all eat dinner. By this time, I’m ready to take
the cell phone from her and thank my mother-in-law profusely. This day felt like
it would never end. Jut now, all those parents just owe me and her big time!
The ride home is actually quite peaceful. We must have worn
them out. Either that, or the Disney/VeggieTales mix that she made just for this
trip has put the kids to sleep. I know one thing, it’s quite peaceful, letting
me just be with her, without ten thousand kids screaming for our attention.
When we get back to the house, she takes great pride in
showing her cousins and aunts and uncles and parents the baby clothes she bought
at Old Navy and The Gap. They all rib us, asking when we’re due and anything
else they can think of.
That night, before we retired to her bedroom from her teenage
days, we sat outside on the back porch. She’s always loved the stars, so this is
the perfect time to just be with her and fall even deeper into love with her.
We’re curled up underneath her favorite blanket, one nice
fluffy comforter that she always loved, but never used, due to the fact it never
fit the theme of her room. She’s staring up at the sky, watching the twinkling
dots on the sky, just shining at her.
That’s when I tell her I have something for her. She smiles,
she never expects me to buy stuff for her, so she’s always caught off guard when
I tell her I have something for her.
I pull the two rings out of my pocket, as she smiles. She
remembers us stopping at the quarter machines to appease the children, to make
them stay a little bit more silent the way home.
She slips one on her finger, and questions me on how I
managed to get two exact rings out of one quarter machine. I smile, tell her
"I’m just lucky". she gives me that look that clearly tells me that she doesn’t
believe me. So, I admit that Lucy and I spent a bit trying to get two rings that
matched. And, Lucy got the better end off the deal, because she got to keep all
the rings that I didn’t use.
And so now, I’m lying here, watching her take in the sight of
this small ring. This simple ring that some other girls would have laughed in my
face about. Maybe that’s why I love her. She’s not like any other girl I knew,
she was totally different. She amazed me, she had morals, she was the
first girl who would come and sit through training just to see me.
That’s why I married her. That’s why I proposed. That’s why I
fell in love. And now, we’re talking about kids. Little versions of me and
little versions of her running around.
*An Aaron Peirsol blurb, though since no one is fully named, it could be about anyone*