Six Years

Writing Prompts 479, #1 Write about the start or end of a relationship (familial, romantic, platonic, professional, etc.).

This actually has both the start and the end.

Six Years

Their story had many firsts, such as a first meeting….

Bill was browsing the mystery section for a new release when he heard a raised voice from the front. He chose two books and walked up to the counter. A man was loudly berating the young woman at the register because his book hadn’t arrived yet. The woman was being very polite and professional, but Bill could tell that she was getting upset.

“Is there any real reason for you to be acing like such an jerk to her?”, he asked.

The guy swung around. “Back off. What business is it of yours?”

Bill said, “Just trying to save you from a massive embarrassment, bro.”

“What embarrassment?”

“You’ve annoyed the lady so much that she’s about to come across that counter and kick your butt out the door and around the block. And I’ll video it and put It up on Facebook. So why don’t you calm down and come back in a week like she said?”

The guy visibly deflated and walked out the door. Bill stepped up to the counter and said, “Well, that’s something you don’t see every day.” And grinned.

The woman smiled back and said, “Thank you for stepping in like that. Can I go ahead and ring you up?”

“Sure.” He handed her the books and his credit card. She rang him up and put the books in a sack. “Thank you once again”, she said.

He looked at her name tag and said, “Diana, it was my pleasure. Would you like to go for a cup of coffee next door on your next break?”

She looked at him and smiled. “For my knight in shining armor, I’m game.” She turned and yelled, “Kathy, can you cover the front for a few minutes?” A voice replied from the back of the store and Diana walked out from behind the counter.

“I’ve never been a knight in shining armor before. Rusty armor maybe.” She giggled at that.

A first date…..

After a few post-shift coffees, Bill worked up enough nerve to ask her out. They set plans for a Friday evening dinner. Bill dropped by the bookstore Thursday evening, both to get a new book and to see her.

He flirted with her for a moment, then asked, “You’re a pretty smart cookie. You think you can guess where we’re going tomorrow?”

She pondered for a moment, then asked, ”Is it Valentino’s?”

Bill looked aghast. “Okay, now you’re starting to scare me, woman. You read my mind.” She laughed and said, “I’m glad. I really like Italian food and they’re the best.”

Bill nodded, then said, “I’m glad I made a good choice. See you at 6:00 tomorrow?” She nodded, then turned to a customer walking up. Bill walked out to his car and immediately made a reservation for Valentino’s the following night.

During their dinner, she said, “I got to wondering something. How did you know I liked Valentino’s?”

“You told me so”, Bill said.

“When did I ever tell……you played me!! You got me to tell you last night.”

“Guilty as charged, ma’am. And I’m glad I did!”

A first kiss…..

That night, he walked her up to her door. She mock-fussed at him again about playing her and he smiled.

“Yep. I’m a scallywag, all right. But I’m hoping that you can find it in your heart to forgive me, because I’d like to kiss you good night and I’m hoping you’ll let me”.

She pretended reluctance. “Well, I don’t know if I should be kissing a scallywag or not…..”.Then she smiled and stepped up close to him. They kissed and he put his arms around her and held her for a moment. Then he pulled back and looked at er. “You kiss beautifully, Diana. Would you think that I am a horrible, greedy person if I asked for another?”

“Wow, a scallywag and a horrible, greedy person to boot. Looks like the truth’s coming out here.” They kissed again, a little deeper and longer this time. When they broke the kiss, he hugged her tightly for a moment, then said, “Sweet dreams tonight, babe. I know mine will be.”

The first time they said the L word…..

They were snuggled up on his couch, watching a mushy love movie. He leaned over kissed her on top of her head and whispered, “He doesn’t love her anywhere near as much as I have come to love you.” She snuggled deeper into his embrace, took his hand and kissed it before placing it on her cheek, and said, “I love you, too. Held me tight.” He did.

The first lovemaking…..

They had been kissing on the couch for a while and both of their heartbeats were racing. Bill looked at her lying in his arms and said, “Diana, would you like to spend the night with me tonight?”

She looked at him and whispered, “I’d love to. “

“Then my dearest woman, may I have the privilege and the pleasure of escorting you back to my bedroom?”

The first climax came shortly afterwards…..

Then came the night he asked the big question….

They came in from a movie and he said, “Hey, babe. Sit here for a second. I’ve got something to show you.” He went in the back and came out holding a small wooden box. Kneeling on the floor beside her, he kissed her knee, then said, “You remember I told you that my grandmother died when I was thirteen?” Diana nodded.

“She gave me this right before she died and told me that one day, I would meet a woman that fills my life completely. When I did, I was to give these to her, this one first.” He took out a gold band with a diamond on it, lifted her left hand and slid it onto her ring finger. “She was right. I have met the woman that fills my life completely. Diana Hawthorne, would you do me the extreme honor of becoming my wife and letting me love you forever?” She burst into tears and gasped, “Yes, yes, yes!” as she leaned forward and kissed him.

The first job change…..

Diana graduated from college, left the bookstore and landed a dream job with an online game designer. They started her off in quality control and she came home from her first day at work just bubbling with excitement.

“You won’t believe this. They are paying me this huge salary to do nothing but play a game all day long. Of course, I’m looking for errors and issues while I am, but it’s fascinating. I ran my character up to level 6 in one day!”

“What’s your character?”

She smiled. “I’m a human magic user. Cool spells and a neat wardrobe.”

“Hmmm. That sounds interesting. Wanna work some magic on me later on?”

“Oh, that might be arranged. I think I can dream up a new spell.”

They both laughed out loud at that.

The big day, the first for both of them….

“Do you, Diana Lee Hawthorne, take this man, William Ray Harris, to be your wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?”

“I do.”

“Do you, William Ray Harris, take this woman, Diana Lee Hawthorne, to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?”

“Yes, I do!”

Then the first house……

“Don’t drop me!”

“Then stop squirming or you’ll bump your head when I carry you over the threshold!”

And the first pet…..

“Oh, Bill, she’s beautiful!” Diana picked the kitten up and cuddled her and from then on, the kitten accepted her as being suitable for duty as a cat slave. She named the cat Gimlet, just because.

Then there was the first anniversary…..

Bill had made arrangements like crazy. Of course, they went to Valentino’s and the staff fawned over them all evening. Candles, special menu, chocolates, flowers, absolutely no holds barred.

Then Diana’s first promotion……

She called him right after the meeting. “Hey, guess what? I just had a meeting with Steve and Janelle and I’m being promoted into development. I not only get to play the game, I get to help write it as well!”

“Sweetheart, that’s great! We’re gonna celebrate you tonight!”

When she got home, he had cooked an intimate dinner for them. Gimlet sat at the other end of the table from them and got snacks from both, as befitted her position as Feline Overlord Of The House.

Their first million….

Bill had been refining a stock market analysis program since his first days in college. It got more and more accurate over time and his cautious investing was giving nice returns. Combining that with his consulting fees, they had a nice income. They had made the decision to put the majority of Diana’s salary into the investments and keep the rest for incidentals.

When Diana got home that evening, he met her at the door with a huge smile. “C’mere babe, I got something to show you!” They went back into the bedroom that he had taken over as his office, which she referred to as either Command Central or The Lair. He sat her down in front of the computer and said, “Click on that button that says Rollup and wait a few seconds.”

She did, and a few seconds later, a report opened up. “Look at the bottom, kiddo,” he said. She read the numbers and looked up at him. “Does this mean what I think it does?”

“Yep. We are officially worth more than a million dollars, Diana. We’re millionaires!” She squealed and jumped out of the chair to hug him.

“Bill, that’s awesome. Your program is incredible! You’ve worked on it so long and now it’s paying off”

Their first cruise…..

They decided to spend some of that first million dollars on a cruise.The ship went to spots in Mexico and they did a tour of some of the Mayan ruins. Of course, he took a picture of her draped across the altar on one of the pyramids as if she were going to be sacrificed.

There were many other firsts over the years. Then came the most incredible first of all….

They waited anxiously for the recommended three minutes. Slowly, a blue line appeared that created a plus sign on the tester.

Bill looked at Diana with tears of happiness. He hugged her close and whispered, “Oh, my love, we’re gonna be parents.” She kissed him deeply. “Yes, we are, and we’re gonna be the best parents ever!”

And then, the phone call…..

All Bill remembered of the call was something about a car wreck and Southside Memorial Hospital. He drove there, running stop signs and red lights. When he arrived, he ran into the emergency room and up to the desk.

“Please, my wife, Diana Harris. They said she was in a car wreck and the ambulance was bringing her here. Where is she?” The nurse tapped on her computer for a moment, then said, “The doctor is with her right now. Have a seat over there and I’ll have him come talk to you when he’s done.”

“Thank you.” Bill found a seat and waited, growing more anxious as time passed. Finally, he heard, “Mr. Harris?”

He stood up and said, “Yes. How is she?” The doctor led him to a small office and closed the door. “Mr. Harris, there’s no easy way to say this. Your wife has passed away from her injuries.”

“NOOOOO!!” Bill dropped into a chair, stunned. The doctor sat down across from him and said, “I don’t know if this helps, but from the injuries she sustained, she died instantly. No pain or suffering. She wouldn’t even have been aware of what happened.”

“What did happen?”

“The police can give you more information, but as far as I know, a drunk driver lost control of his car and flipped off the overpass at Westheimer and The Loop. His car landed directly on top of hers as she was driving on Westheimer.”

Bill sat for a moment, his thought racing. Finally, he asked, “Can I see her?”

The doctor said, “Mr. Harris, I don’t think that is a good idea. She was severely injured and you don’t want your last memory of your wife to be what you would see.”

The doctor stood up. “I’m going to have a social worker come in and help you with paperwork and stuff. Sir, I am very sorry for your loss.”

Bill started to cry. “Last month was our sixth anniversary and we found out she was pregnant. We were going to have a baby…..” His voice trailed off and he was barely aware of the doctor touching his shoulder before he left the room.

The next week was a blur, arranging for her cremation and funeral. The management of her job closed the doors on that Friday so that everyone could attend. When the service was finished and the urn committed, the owners came up to him. Janelle gave him a hug and Steve said, “I don’t know what to say, Bill. She was an incredible woman.”

Janelle asked, “Will you be okay? Is there anything we can do?”

Bill shook his head. “I don’ think I’m going to be okay for some time. I’m just going to go home. But then Monday, I’ll get up and get on with my life because that is what Diana would want me to do.”

He shook Steve’s hand and hugged Janelle again. “I want you guys to know that she thought the world of you, that you were her two best friends.” He started to walk off, then stopped. “There is one thing you can do, if you would. Sometime soon, hold a wake for he at the office,r but make it be a party in her remembrance. No sad faces.”

“We absolutely will. I’ll call you with the details.”

The drive home was a blur. He walked into the house and made his way to the couch and collapsed. He sat there quietly, totally numb to the world. After a few moments, he heard the cat start to meow in the back of the house, the plaintive little cy that kittens make when calling for their mother. She came down the hall, still calling. When she got to him, she jumped up on his lap and stretched up onto his shoulder, still mewing softly. He began to stroke her as he started to cry and his tears fell on her fur.

They sat that way and he whispered, “Oh, Gimlet – what are we gonna do?”