Declan
“Are you still interested in the medical field?” I ask Bella as we walk through the woods.
The swelling in her ankles is completely gone and there is barely any bruising left. Ah to be nineteen all over again. The speed at which the body can repair itself is truly amazing…especially when you’re young.
I offered to carry her, but she politely declined. It’s no problem for me, she’s light as a feather and it would make me feel like her hero, but then again getting some blood flowing through her feet, ankles, and lower legs is a good idea. I want her healed quickly so we can do more things together. I’ve got so many ideas already and my mind won’t shut off.
She smiles. “Yeah, I’m still on that path. I decided to take my first two years at community college to save money and try to make some money at the same time.”
“That’s why you’re working at the mall?”
“Yeah, how did you know?”
“I remember your dad mentioning it awhile back.”
“Don’t lie. You came by and stalked me.”
I smile. “No, but now I wish I had.”
This time we laugh together.
“I figured I’m in it for the long haul so best to lay out a good foundation. Two years at community college then transfer and complete my bachelor’s in the fourth year. Then four years of medical school and three to seven years in residency before I get licensed.”
“Sounds like you’ve done your homework.”
“I have but I have a feeling I’m going to fall behind now that we’re…”
She lets it hang in the air and I don’t like it. I don’t like that she’s not one hundred percent sure.
“Now that you’re mine. That we’re together. And that you’ll be moving into my place soon.”
I take her tiny hand in mine and it fits perfectly. The size difference is enormous, but that’s the best part. It lets her know she fits completely into my world and that I’ll always be there to protect and support her.
“Don’t you think it’s too soon?”
“I don’t think it’s too soon. I know every second you’re not there is a second too long. One more second I have to agonize over wondering when you’ll be with me all the time. I’m a man who knows what he wants and I want you by my side as many minutes out of the day as possible.”
She smiles and I feel her grip on my hand tighten. “What about my dad?”
“I’ll speak with him. As a man it’s my responsibility and I’m happy to accept it.”
“Don’t you think we should do it together?”
“I appreciate your gesture, and there definitely is value in approaching him together as it would garner more respect, but I’ve known him longer than you’ve been alive and I think the biggest challenge he’ll have in accepting us will come from my side.” I pause. “Wow.”
“What?”
“The gravity of what I just said.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know how to do math of course and I know there’s a big age difference between us, but to hear it said out loud, and maybe because it came from my own lips, makes it sound bigger than it really is.”
“You think it’s a big deal?”
“I have to be honest. If I was your dad I probably would. If I found out my future daughter was dating a guy my own age I’d probably want to beat him up. Scratch that. I’d definitely want to beat him up.”
We both laugh.
“But I think once the dust settled and that initial shock, that first punch in the gut so to speak, kind of went away and I had time to think about it the real question would be do they love each other and do they belong together.”
“I know you love me because you told me you did.”
“That’s right. Always,” I say as I stop and lean in to kiss her. Damn, her lips taste so sweet. Every. Single. Time. “You know I could kiss you all day and all night and still not get enough.”
“Me too,” she says and she blushes a bit. She’s so cute when she does that. Beautiful ninety-nine percent of the time and cute the other one percent. Talk about a winning combination. “And you think we’re a good fit?”
“Of course! Don’t you.” I say.
“I do. I’ve been thinking about it a lot actually. We’re such a good fit it’s scary.”
“It’s scary in a perfect kind of way, just like the way I feel about you.”
“You’re scared?”
“No, but maybe shocked. You know when something is so perfect that you feel like maybe life is playing some trick on you? Like Candid Camera is going to jump out from behind the bushes and tell you it was all a joke?”
“Candid Camera?”
“Sorry. Punk’d. You’re from that Ashton Kutcher generation. I’m, well…from his too and from the original Punk’d.”
“Punk’d isn’t original?”
“It is, but surely they took some elements from the original and learned what worked and what didn’t and perfected it for this generation.”
“Kind of like us.”
“Just like us,” I say.
“But you’re already perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“Thank you, beautiful,” I say kissing her again before we resume our walk through the woods. “But I’ve made mistakes, no doubt.”
“Really? My dad speaks so highly of you. He thinks you’re practically infallible and invincible.”
“Well, that’s nice of him and I wish I were both of those things, but I’m not. But the positive side of that is that you can learn from my mistakes. I can help you pick out the right sequence of classes so you can stack the various pieces of medical knowledge you need as quickly as possible. So you can learn how to not only be a better doctor one day, but also be a better person. How to save your money. How incredible compound interest is. When to be patient and when not to be. All kinds of things.”
“I can’t wait. I feel like I’m going to learn so much from you.”
“Everything. I promise to be there every step of the way to guide you…to push and motivate you when the time is right…to support you when times are tough…but to always remember that when it comes to your life you get to make your own decisions. You know I’m more than happy and ready to share my advice but at the end of the day I want to be your rock, not some controlling guy.”
“Thank you.” She pauses. “Without even knowing all the obstacles I’m going to face I’m pretty sure I’ll take your advice most of the time, but it’s nice to know you support me and trust me to make my own decisions. I think when the guy is considerably older in the relationship sometimes they get a bit controlling.”
“Really?”
“I’m not sure actually. I just read it on some Internet forums. It might not even be true.”
“Well what is true are my feelings for you. And what we have is special and different because we’re different. And I promise you you won’t ever have to worry about anything like that.”
“I know. I just wanted to do some research before I decided to get dolled up in that red dress and come over to your office yesterday. The idea of it all was so exciting, but sometimes when I know my emotions are running wild I need to take a step back, breathe and think things through logically. And as a bookworm and a bit of an information nerd I figured I’d look into potential pitfalls and trouble areas because I knew if I was going to go in I was going to go all in for you. To put my everything into it.”
“So it was a conscious decision.”
“Yes and no, but in a good way.”
“How so?”
“Because all the logical told me that we’d work perfectly.”
“Wait? But your heart?”
“My heart was already in a long time ago and to be honest it would have overruled the logic anyways.”
We both laugh.
“And you are without a doubt the one for me in every way shape and form. I feel like the luckiest guy in the world and I can’t wait to stay up all night with you helping you study for all those medical exams.”
“You’d do that?”
“Of course! Are you kidding?”
“I mean I know you’d want to help me, but being older and all I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to stay awake past nine o’clock.”
“Very funny you!” I say and she tries to dart the other direction but I grab her by the hips and lift her high in the air before she gets away.
I’m glad she has a good sense of humor about everything and she definitely got me with that joke. And I’m also glad that she’s moving so freely after that injury.
Yeah, this is scary all right. Scary perfect. But I’m not going to think about it…mostly because I won’t have time.
I’ll be busy every minute of my life doing everything I can to put a smile on her face, which will put a smile on mine in turn.
I had my turn at medical school and learning how to be a doctor and all that stuff. Now it’s her turn, and I can’t wait to be by her side every step of the way.
And share my bed with her every night.
Which will lead to the best part of all.
Sharing our home with the beautiful family we’re going to make, because that’s what life’s really all about...as we watch our kids shoot for the sky as they grow up even faster than the trees in this forest that surrounds us, as we nurture them with positivity and encouragement always.