Growing up I never believed in love at first sight, marriage, or soulmates. The idea of
spending the rest of your life with one person, waking up to the same face every day, never
getting the new relationship feeling in your stomach. All of that sounded like it came straight out of a romance novel. The possibility of finding that one person you want to spend the rest of your life with is low. Or so I thought, but then my entire life changed when I met the love of my life.
It was a cold winter morning on December 8th
, 1979. My snow boots leave behind a trail
of footprints, the silent sound of snow falling quiets my mind. It’s a treacherous walk to the local grocery store, which is a 3 mile walk from my home. One long hour later I arrive at the town square, which consists of one grocery store, a coffee shop, a few boutiques, salon, and the town hall.
“Hey Joel! It’s cold out here today, isn’t it? Make sure you bundle up before you get frostbite!” Jason the town barber yells across the town.
“Oh, it sure is! Have a good day, Jason.” I say as I spot my breath in the freezing winter
air. I walk up to Frank’s grocery store, the bell rings as I push the door open to reveal warm air
conditioning.
“Hey, Frank, good morning.” I mumble as I take my gloves off.
“Howdy Joel! You here for the usual?” Frank asks.
“I’m thinking of trying something new. Can I get 4oz of your spicy scallops, as well as 10oz of chicken. Oh, and a chocolate cannoli, for the walk home.”
“Coming right up!” Frank turns around and slowly waddles over to the cannoli’s, using
his cane for assistance.
“A chocolate cannoli for the walk home huh, you don’t look like the kind of guy who enjoys a cannoli at 9am on a Monday?” The most gorgeous brunette woman appears next to me
with chocolate cannoli in her hand. I look at her with my eyebrows raised, wondering who this
woman is and why I’ve never laid my eyes on her until this moment.
“You don’t look like the kind of woman who eats a cannoli at 9am on a Monday.” I responded with a smirk on my face.
“I’m Meredith. Meredith June. I just moved here a 2 weeks ago, and since then I can’t go
a morning without Frank’s delicious cannoli’s.” Meredith June reaches her gloved hand out.
“I’m Joel. Joel Smith.” I reached down to shake her hand while taking the chance to admire her hazel eyes. I secretly wish that she didn’t have a glove on her hand, I want to feel how well her hand fits in mine. “Well Joel, I hope to see you around. Thank you, Frank!” Meredith says as she lets go of my hand and walks out the door. I watch her through the store window as she walks away. I have a strange gut feeling that Meredith June will be the most important person in my life.
It’s December 8th, 1989, exactly 10 years since I met the love of my life. Today is the day
I propose to Meredith with a gorgeous green, emerald ring. Meredith has wanted to get married for decades, I’ve always told her that I could never get married, that it just wasn’t in the cards for me since I was already married once before. But when you truly love someone, your way of thinking changes, love invades the brain for better and for worse. So, I decided that it was time to give Meredith what she really wanted, a ring. Meredith is one of a kind, she is everything a man could ask for. She is the kind of book that you can’t put down. Ever since we met 10 years ago, I can’t imagine my life without her in it. I can’t tell if I’m shaking from the cold or from the nerves invading my body. All I could think about during my 3 mile walk home was how she would react, if she was happy, excited, or mad because I didn’t propose sooner. I carefully walk up the snow-covered steps to our front door. I open the door to our house with Meredith’s favorite chocolate cannoli in one hand and the ring in my left jacket pocket.
“I’m home!” I yell from the foyer. I wait for a response, but nothing comes. Now the
nerves are everywhere in my body, I walk up the stairs to our bedroom where she will most
likely be.
“Meredith where are you? I have a surprise.” I say, expecting her to respond. I turn the doorknob with my free hand. Meredith isn’t in our bedroom, but I hear the sink running in the
distance.
“Mer?” No response. I turn the corner to see Meredith lying on the bathroom floor, pale,
with her hand clutching her chest. Her beautiful brown hair lying on the cold floor, the sparkle
she normally has in her hazel eyes are gone. The cannoli’s drop to the floor as soon as I see her. I run towards her motionless body.
“Meredith! Wake up, come on!” Tears flowing down my face, I shook her hoping she
might wake up. I put my right ear to her chest hoping to hear any sort of heartbeat. Nothing, just silence. And just like that, the love of my life died. And so did my love for cannoli’s.