The Early Years
When he first met her she was wearing a cute summer dress that, for some reason, made her appear taller and, although he wouldn't be conscious of it for another 10 years, slightly more beautiful.
He dug and he dug and he dug going deeper and deeper almost as if he were trying to escape from prison or trying to excavate enough sand to build a model prison or just biding time until his imaginary friends would allow him to switch activities.
She stood there, practically bouncing, twirling her hair both nervously and with an unforeseen purpose that she planned to unveil the Sunday after next to the shock and awe of those who knew her.
He dug and he dug and he dug going deeper and deeper almost as if he were trying to escape from prison or trying to excavate enough sand to build a model prison or just biding time until his imaginary friends would allow him to switch activities.
She stood there, practically bouncing, twirling her hair both nervously and with an unforeseen purpose that she planned to unveil the Sunday after next to the shock and awe of those who knew her.
He worked with such impressive zeal, which is saying a lot as she grew up in house practically oozing with zeal often bordering on being impressive.
She wanted to talk to him, to know all about him, to ask him a million questions, but it was hard. She was only 5.
As the sun slowly set on this brilliant day, the two walked home side-by-side, equal parts tired, hungry and excited to have made a new friend.
As the summer was reaching it's end, she went to the beach with her mom for the day and saw him collecting the hollowed out shells of dead crabs with just a little too much pleasure.
He immediately took interest in her sand castle building technique as it was clearly an homage to the Hellenic people of Ancient Greece with a little art nouveau tossed in for good measure.
As the sun slowly set on this brilliant day, the two walked home side-by-side, equal parts tired, hungry and excited to have made a new friend.
As the summer was reaching it's end, she went to the beach with her mom for the day and saw him collecting the hollowed out shells of dead crabs with just a little too much pleasure.
He immediately took interest in her sand castle building technique as it was clearly an homage to the Hellenic people of Ancient Greece with a little art nouveau tossed in for good measure.
She watched him standing knee-deep in the shallow water bravely awaiting the incoming waves of cold water as if to say "make me wet, oh mighty wave", although he could have just been yawning.
There was something about the way she ran, kicking up sand, crazy curly hair flying aimlessly in her wake that intrigued him making him subconsciously interested in both kicking sand on his own at some later date and demonstrating this to her when he felt more confident in his abilities.
As she casually observed, he overturned small rocks and scientifically studied the miniature wildlife underneath with a profoundly compelling lack of care for their well being.
Amidst the whirlwind of sounds, smells and colours, his eyes were drawn to her freckles as if they were directly speaking to him in a language that only he could understand. In moments like this he usually had two slices of cheese and took a nap.
The sun set on a spectacular summer day and they walked slowly to their respective cars lagging behind their mothers with a stunning, unforgettable sunset behind them.
The end of October came and with it arrived both fall and Halloween and she was able to not-so-gently convince him to trick-or-treat together for the first time.
While he had never been a big fan of princesses in the past, he found himself uncharacteristically quiet and well-mannered in her regal presence and kept kneeling before her when the opportunity presented itself.
She was enjoying her evening collecting candy, greatly appreciating the seriousness and attention to detail he was pouring into his role as Batman as well as the illusion of safety due to walking next to such a famous crime-fighter.
He was so taken with the twinkle of stars reflected in her eyes, the shimmer of moonlight on her hair and the audacity she so wantonly displayed with how messily she devoured her chocolates.
They ran into a small group of other boys dressed as Batmen and she was so strangely proud of his utter disdain and incredulous disbelief in their wearing the same costume as he, almost as if he was shocked that they felt their could be more than one.
He wanted to somewhat recklessly share sweets with her, to laugh uproariously with her, to protect her from those that wanted to besmirch her and, if things went according to plan, to pet her hair.
The rains came and ended the evening abruptly, and the two young kids joyfully walked quickly, almost skipping, as their tired fathers lazily brought up the rear.
On the morning after the snowstorm, she looked out of her frosted window and saw him constructing a series of snow people who appeared to be singing in a large, snow person choir.
Though deeply focussed on his work and slightly out of breath, he saw her approach with a mug of what appeared to be steaming hot cocoa, and he smiled, as he was quickly calculating all the ways to utilize her in his scheme while enjoying the warm beverage.
She started off by making a number of miniature snowmen as her way of paying homage to the miniature snowmen that she secretly saw following and protecting her year-round.
He was enjoying her company so much, and so profoundly, that he badly wanted her to stay which made his adoration transparent and his snow pie in her face all the more confusing.
Together, they worked hard all morning and she was so taken with his flushed cheeks, constantly dripping nose and furrowed brow that she decided to take them as perplexing signs of his affection for her.
The snow angels they made reminded him of her as they were both white, angelic and carved out of snow, which was further evidence of his lack of understanding of human reproduction and his immediate need for an eye exam.
Dinner times were announced, and they went their separate ways leaving only their footprints in the snow and the virtual army of snowmen in their wake.
The first flowers of the season marked the beginning of spring and she played catch with him for hours at the park.
He was so enamoured that he would catch anything she threw his way including, but not limited to, balls, gloves and any other however-loosely-connected-to-baseball paraphernalia.
In many ways, playing catch with him, was a euphemism for her deeper, more romantic feelings for him and in many other ways, it was just catch as she had only recently turned six.
When they relaxed on the swings, he talked of his hopes for the future, his dreams of success and his fear of growing too hairy, although he had already come up with a really solid contingency plan just in case.
In moments like this she thought of her favourite movie princesses and how they were so beautiful, happy and in love either as a result, or being completely unaware of, the limits of their two-dimensional and fictional lives.
He willingly shared his cheese and tomato sandwiches with her and wanted to literally feed them to her as one example of his difficulty letting go of bread products and because of his overwhelming desire to touch her face in as uncreepingly a way as possible.
The spring of their relationship was drawing to a close just as the spring of the year was opening up, but they both knew, the best was yet to come.
The Middle Years
The first day of high school was upon them and she wondered if he was feeling as nervous, excited and as tired as she was or if he had learned how to better suppress his emotions as was his goal during the summer vacation.
He was anxious, but having her by his side calmed him enough so that his anxiety didn't lead to too much embarrassment in the first few minutes of the first day - he hoped to evenly spread it out over the entire school year.
The bell rang and they went their separate ways but not before she looked over her shoulder at his rapidly vanishing body and hoped that she would never forget seeing him in this way, mostly due to the vanishing effect.
He couldn't wait for lunch - to share with her all about their first morning of school and to make sure she was still in one piece - it was an irrational fear that he had.
The cafeteria was a busy, loud place and she strained to hear all he had to share and she couldn't be sure if he was actually talking or just mouthing the words as he knew she loved it when he did that.
Lunch was over and he held her hands under the table, partially to hide their connection from prying eyes and also because that is where their hands happened to be located at the time and he was a strong believer in not wasting any energy with excessive hand movement.
At days end, they walked home laughing and joking about school and looking forward to this new chapter in their lives.
They were standing in the blaring gymnasium - the site of their first school dance and she was hoping that he would dance with her and then, at some point, stop dancing and then resume dancing at some point later on.
He stood against the wall with the other boys from his classes but couldn't take his eyes off of her in general and her tapping feet specifically - there was always something about her feet that intrigued him.
She grabbed his hand when her favourite song started and was amazed by his moves until they became less predictable, overtly suggesting the masses rise up and revolt and more dangerous for all around.
A slow song came on, and he held her tightly and she seemed to melt in his arms which made him quite nervous and sweaty - which was his usual, Pavlovian response to all things that melted in his vicinity.
At the punch bowl, she noticed him making the rounds talking to other boys and girls and though she had flights of jealousy, she knew deep down inside that he only longed to rest his head on her shoulders and occasionally her knees as he annoying informed her every morning.
They snuck outside and shared their first kiss, and he felt like he was in the presence of an angel, both because of the glow from the moon and also because she had been quite forceful and directive in her orders.
The dance was over and everyone went home, but they took pause and looked at each other and smiled and just kept on dancing.
Her family had invited him over for a holiday meal and she was attempting to play footsie with him but he either didn't understand the game or was playing a tad bit too aggressively.
He asked her to pass the yams and he hoped that she would not only pass the yams, but that she would intuitively understand what he was saying on a deeper level, and also pass the gravy.
She was mesmerized by his rhythmic chewing which was perfectly on pace with the constant ticking of the minute hand on the grandfather clock and she appreciated this on many levels especially as it helped her fix her metronome.
Dessert was served and he insisted on giving her the first piece of pumpkin pie which he did with such gusto and verve that she stood and finally gave him the standing ovation he had so wanted for the past week.
After the last dish was cleared, she enjoyed his version of some holiday classics which were belted out in his usual somewhat-crazed-completely-over-the-top-verging-on-spastic-everyone-in-the-room-pressing-the-9-and-the-1-and-then-waiting spirit.
He was anxious, but having her by his side calmed him enough so that his anxiety didn't lead to too much embarrassment in the first few minutes of the first day - he hoped to evenly spread it out over the entire school year.
The bell rang and they went their separate ways but not before she looked over her shoulder at his rapidly vanishing body and hoped that she would never forget seeing him in this way, mostly due to the vanishing effect.
He couldn't wait for lunch - to share with her all about their first morning of school and to make sure she was still in one piece - it was an irrational fear that he had.
The cafeteria was a busy, loud place and she strained to hear all he had to share and she couldn't be sure if he was actually talking or just mouthing the words as he knew she loved it when he did that.
Lunch was over and he held her hands under the table, partially to hide their connection from prying eyes and also because that is where their hands happened to be located at the time and he was a strong believer in not wasting any energy with excessive hand movement.
At days end, they walked home laughing and joking about school and looking forward to this new chapter in their lives.
They were standing in the blaring gymnasium - the site of their first school dance and she was hoping that he would dance with her and then, at some point, stop dancing and then resume dancing at some point later on.
He stood against the wall with the other boys from his classes but couldn't take his eyes off of her in general and her tapping feet specifically - there was always something about her feet that intrigued him.
She grabbed his hand when her favourite song started and was amazed by his moves until they became less predictable, overtly suggesting the masses rise up and revolt and more dangerous for all around.
A slow song came on, and he held her tightly and she seemed to melt in his arms which made him quite nervous and sweaty - which was his usual, Pavlovian response to all things that melted in his vicinity.
At the punch bowl, she noticed him making the rounds talking to other boys and girls and though she had flights of jealousy, she knew deep down inside that he only longed to rest his head on her shoulders and occasionally her knees as he annoying informed her every morning.
They snuck outside and shared their first kiss, and he felt like he was in the presence of an angel, both because of the glow from the moon and also because she had been quite forceful and directive in her orders.
The dance was over and everyone went home, but they took pause and looked at each other and smiled and just kept on dancing.
Her family had invited him over for a holiday meal and she was attempting to play footsie with him but he either didn't understand the game or was playing a tad bit too aggressively.
He asked her to pass the yams and he hoped that she would not only pass the yams, but that she would intuitively understand what he was saying on a deeper level, and also pass the gravy.
She was mesmerized by his rhythmic chewing which was perfectly on pace with the constant ticking of the minute hand on the grandfather clock and she appreciated this on many levels especially as it helped her fix her metronome.
Dessert was served and he insisted on giving her the first piece of pumpkin pie which he did with such gusto and verve that she stood and finally gave him the standing ovation he had so wanted for the past week.
After the last dish was cleared, she enjoyed his version of some holiday classics which were belted out in his usual somewhat-crazed-completely-over-the-top-verging-on-spastic-everyone-in-the-room-pressing-the-9-and-the-1-and-then-waiting spirit.
He sat next to her on the couch and admired her posture, her lack of posturing, her attention to detail with moisturizing and her cute abhorrence of foods that are moist.
As the evening came to an end, they comfortably sat next to each other and tried to fight off the sleep that beckoned.
With the excitement of Valentine's Day in the air, she spied on him frantically colouring away with a look she would later recall as equal parts fear and delirium.
He intuitively felt her presence and imagined her as a lioness proudly and regally striding through the jungle commanding respect mostly because this was how they spent the last set of weekends.
Upon receiving the handmade card, she contemplated shivering just to once again see the care and attention he gives to all things that shiver.
He accepted her card with a look of "I better just smile to mask my confusion" as the card was stunning in its audacity, flair and originality as it was not only a card and more of an experience.
She wanted to leap through the halls, tossing and playing with ribbons of all the colours of the rainbow while glitter fell from the ceiling, but she didn't as it wasn't a Thursday.
He stood there smiling at her reaction as it reminded him of something that he could not quite put his finger on and for a moment, he was lost in the mist, and when it cleared it was time to go home.
They sat on the bench outside the gym sharing a box of chocolates without a care for the mess they were making on their lips.
It was the last day of school and she was enjoying his new hair style as it was verging on exploring new dimensions and befriending the aliens who live there.
They had made plans to go camping with his family and he looked forward to scaring her with ghost stories and then comforting her with marshmallows and, after an appropriate break, to resume the scaring.
She cleaned out her locker only to find a note he wrote her in completely illegible printing decorated by drawings that would have been means for excommunication or beheadment in a different era.
After their last class, he went to give her a high five mostly for her sake as she believed that everything must end with the touching of palms and, if at all possible, the sliding backwards of feet.
As the hallways emptied and they lingered, she offered to buy him ice cream mostly to see his puppy dog reaction, followed by his kitty cat rubbing against her leg and finally with his moving slowly around like a walrus - how she looked forward to that walrus.
They paused while she said goodbye to the principal and he was envious of her ability to speak coherently to adults especially when it was not for marks as well as her aptitude for not appearing overly cliched even when she tried.
School was over and they had an entire summer of freedom before them and they couldn't have been any happier at this moment.
The Present Day
Upon receiving the handmade card, she contemplated shivering just to once again see the care and attention he gives to all things that shiver.
He accepted her card with a look of "I better just smile to mask my confusion" as the card was stunning in its audacity, flair and originality as it was not only a card and more of an experience.
She wanted to leap through the halls, tossing and playing with ribbons of all the colours of the rainbow while glitter fell from the ceiling, but she didn't as it wasn't a Thursday.
He stood there smiling at her reaction as it reminded him of something that he could not quite put his finger on and for a moment, he was lost in the mist, and when it cleared it was time to go home.
They sat on the bench outside the gym sharing a box of chocolates without a care for the mess they were making on their lips.
It was the last day of school and she was enjoying his new hair style as it was verging on exploring new dimensions and befriending the aliens who live there.
They had made plans to go camping with his family and he looked forward to scaring her with ghost stories and then comforting her with marshmallows and, after an appropriate break, to resume the scaring.
She cleaned out her locker only to find a note he wrote her in completely illegible printing decorated by drawings that would have been means for excommunication or beheadment in a different era.
After their last class, he went to give her a high five mostly for her sake as she believed that everything must end with the touching of palms and, if at all possible, the sliding backwards of feet.
As the hallways emptied and they lingered, she offered to buy him ice cream mostly to see his puppy dog reaction, followed by his kitty cat rubbing against her leg and finally with his moving slowly around like a walrus - how she looked forward to that walrus.
They paused while she said goodbye to the principal and he was envious of her ability to speak coherently to adults especially when it was not for marks as well as her aptitude for not appearing overly cliched even when she tried.
School was over and they had an entire summer of freedom before them and they couldn't have been any happier at this moment.
The Present Day
She excitedly waited among the teeming crowds at the arrival gate to see his familiar nothing-is-wrong-please-stare-somewhere-else-or-maybe-don't-stare-at-all-as-I-was-taught-that-it-is-quite-rude-I'm-just-saying look on his face.
His eyes caught hers and he felt his heart skip a beat and he sighed contentedly and cursed himself as he kept putting off having that checked out by a doctor.
It had only been a few weeks, but she felt that it had been a lifetime ago that she last gazed into his brown eyes, held his hand or obsessively combed his hair for hours on end.
He told her funny stories and enjoyed watching her large and varied range of facial expressions that she clearly had been practicing and expanding while he was away.
She watched him gather his luggage and was struck by a series of new and pronounced muscles in his legs and arms that firmly cemented him as non-animated and made her frustrated as all of the woollen clothes she had spent hour knitting by candlelight would now be too tight.
He put his arm around her in the backseat of the cab as she nestled her head into his soft sweater just as he had carefully and painstakingly directed her to in his long series of often cryptic and poignant post cards.
Now that this trip back to his homeland was done, they vowed to never leave each other's side again.
They started working on their wedding invitations and she watched with awe as he decorated the cards with drawings that were equal parts touching, random and graphic.
He was thinking about the evening when he proposed and how the light lit up her face, nearly burning her and completely throwing him off, making him start again from the beginning after the doctor ruled out anything serious.
Her mind drifted to all of the hyperventilating, rapid eye-twitching and jumpy knees of his that occurred on a regular basis that she dedicated a few minutes to each day convincing herself that they were cute.
While he addressed the letters, she put the finishing touches on the cards with a care that he felt would be better suited for nursing an ailing bird back to health, which coincidentally was a theme they had only recently rejected for their wedding.
She remembered the evening of the proposal, once the ring was on her finger, and how he just couldn't stop weeping at the restaurant and how her mood went from joy to concern very quickly.
He helped her mail the letters which he was prepared to do even if she objected as she often did whenever she wanted to use postal services.
The invitations were off and the wedding was a few months away and the planning had just begun.
It was the evening before the wedding and she wondered if he was nervous and passing the time, as he often did when nervous, by attempting, and failing, to literally bounce off the walls.
As his single life was drawing to a close, he imagined her in her wedding dress riding in on a beautiful black stallion, as if she was a messenger from some far-off kingdom bringing with her a deep dish pizza to share.
The clock struck midnight and she turned in to bed, but not before remembering and contemplating his favourite, yet overly cryptic, quote "the mighty sea washes away the sand castle as only the sea can."
He flipped channels, thinking of her flipping channels, then he ate some cashews, thinking of her eating cashews and he came to the conclusion that she was much more fun in person and that she should stop copying him already.
She lay there smiling at the thought of how happy he makes her and how happy he makes himself as a direct result of making her happy and how both of them were happy about all of that.
He wanted to hold her hand, to caress her shoulders, to have some idea where her kidneys are located - just in case and he knew that she was always the one for him because she didn't run away after he wrote a 5000 word story about these and other longings he had.
Their final night apart was a sleepless one and as night turned to morning, the big day was finally upon them.
The guests were gathering in the courtyard and she imagined him brushing his hair, trying to find just the right balance between volume, control and socialist ideals.
He stood with his best man and caught sight of her and she looked amazingly beautiful and he started tearing up and only then did he unselfishly wish it wasn't allergy season so the tears could all be for her.
Then she was next to him and they held hands and she heard him repeat the vows that he insisted be mostly unintelligible so that only she would know what he meant.
He gazed upon her as it was her turn to state her commitment, which she did as if possessed by an Elizabethan poet as they had reluctantly agreed upon considering their disdain for the works of that period.
"I do" and "I do" were spoken and she laughed as he pumped his fist and then raised his arms before completing a stunning backward somersault which was even more impressive considering the tux was one size too small.
He leaned over to kiss her and she decided to not only return the kiss, but also to jump into his arms and start singing Disney classics using his right thumb as a microphone.
The crowd rose and cheered as the newlyweds turned to face them, all the while beaming.
She would always recognize him by his syntax and refusal to use commas.
They started working on their wedding invitations and she watched with awe as he decorated the cards with drawings that were equal parts touching, random and graphic.
He was thinking about the evening when he proposed and how the light lit up her face, nearly burning her and completely throwing him off, making him start again from the beginning after the doctor ruled out anything serious.
Her mind drifted to all of the hyperventilating, rapid eye-twitching and jumpy knees of his that occurred on a regular basis that she dedicated a few minutes to each day convincing herself that they were cute.
While he addressed the letters, she put the finishing touches on the cards with a care that he felt would be better suited for nursing an ailing bird back to health, which coincidentally was a theme they had only recently rejected for their wedding.
She remembered the evening of the proposal, once the ring was on her finger, and how he just couldn't stop weeping at the restaurant and how her mood went from joy to concern very quickly.
He helped her mail the letters which he was prepared to do even if she objected as she often did whenever she wanted to use postal services.
The invitations were off and the wedding was a few months away and the planning had just begun.
It was the evening before the wedding and she wondered if he was nervous and passing the time, as he often did when nervous, by attempting, and failing, to literally bounce off the walls.
As his single life was drawing to a close, he imagined her in her wedding dress riding in on a beautiful black stallion, as if she was a messenger from some far-off kingdom bringing with her a deep dish pizza to share.
The clock struck midnight and she turned in to bed, but not before remembering and contemplating his favourite, yet overly cryptic, quote "the mighty sea washes away the sand castle as only the sea can."
He flipped channels, thinking of her flipping channels, then he ate some cashews, thinking of her eating cashews and he came to the conclusion that she was much more fun in person and that she should stop copying him already.
She lay there smiling at the thought of how happy he makes her and how happy he makes himself as a direct result of making her happy and how both of them were happy about all of that.
He wanted to hold her hand, to caress her shoulders, to have some idea where her kidneys are located - just in case and he knew that she was always the one for him because she didn't run away after he wrote a 5000 word story about these and other longings he had.
Their final night apart was a sleepless one and as night turned to morning, the big day was finally upon them.
The guests were gathering in the courtyard and she imagined him brushing his hair, trying to find just the right balance between volume, control and socialist ideals.
He stood with his best man and caught sight of her and she looked amazingly beautiful and he started tearing up and only then did he unselfishly wish it wasn't allergy season so the tears could all be for her.
Then she was next to him and they held hands and she heard him repeat the vows that he insisted be mostly unintelligible so that only she would know what he meant.
He gazed upon her as it was her turn to state her commitment, which she did as if possessed by an Elizabethan poet as they had reluctantly agreed upon considering their disdain for the works of that period.
"I do" and "I do" were spoken and she laughed as he pumped his fist and then raised his arms before completing a stunning backward somersault which was even more impressive considering the tux was one size too small.
He leaned over to kiss her and she decided to not only return the kiss, but also to jump into his arms and start singing Disney classics using his right thumb as a microphone.
The crowd rose and cheered as the newlyweds turned to face them, all the while beaming.
She would always recognize him by his syntax and refusal to use commas.
He would always appreciate her love for vases of flowers and for just flowers as in some situations vases were superfluous.
She loved that he was everything she wanted aside from some things that would require too much plastic surgery and brainwashing.
He considered himself so lucky that she cared for him so deeply outside of the time when her favourite shows were on as that was her time.
She wanted to make him happy which was harder than it looked as he was constantly writing and rewriting his "What Makes Me Happy" list.
He took pride in being there for her even when he sensed that she could use a break already or at least just slightly more personal space.
The past was full of amazing memories and the future was bright for the two as they had nothing but blue skies ahead.
She loved that he was everything she wanted aside from some things that would require too much plastic surgery and brainwashing.
He considered himself so lucky that she cared for him so deeply outside of the time when her favourite shows were on as that was her time.
She wanted to make him happy which was harder than it looked as he was constantly writing and rewriting his "What Makes Me Happy" list.
He took pride in being there for her even when he sensed that she could use a break already or at least just slightly more personal space.
The past was full of amazing memories and the future was bright for the two as they had nothing but blue skies ahead.
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