Kiptyn

"Sky?" I ask as she's slipping on her shoes.

"I know this is supposed to be a brunch and movie date, but I kind of had a different idea. You game?"

"Well, that depends on what you have in mind," she replies with a suspicious look on her face.

"It’s a bit of a surprise. Do you trust me?"

"I suppose. Am I at least dressed appropriately?"

"You're perfect. I mean, you're dressed perfectly." She nods and stands, smoothing the skirt of her dress.

"Let’s go then." I nod and take her hand. She smiles and shakes her head, following my lead.

She sits in the passenger seat, facing forward with a half-smile on her face. When I pull into the parking lot at the local VA nursing home, I feel her staring at me.

"What?" I ask.

"This is the surprise?" she asks.

"Yeah. I thought this might be good for us, you know, with Camryn and all." She bites her lip and nods slowly.

"Do you know anyone here?"

"I know a few of them, but Mr. Jackson is my favorite. He was always around when Cam and I were growing up. I think he had a bit of a crush on my grandmother."

She reaches for the door handle and pauses for a moment. "Do you come here a lot?"

"Not as much as I'd like."

She draws in a deep breath and opens the door. Instinctively, I jump out and rush to her side. "What a gentleman," she says, bringing her hand to mine.

"I try."

"Well, keep it up. The nice guy stuff looks good on you."

"Ahh, Mr. Price! So good to see you again. Mr. Jackson will be pleased to see you," says Phyllis, the front desk clerk.

"And who is this lovely young thing?"

"Hi, Phyllis. This is Skila."

"Nice to meet you," Skila says, reaching her hand out to Phyllis.

"Oh no. We don't handshake here. We hug," Phyllis replies, coming around the desk and hugging her tightly.

"You know, young man, I had a love once. She was a sight. Much like that young lady over there," he says, pointing to Skila. "Petite and curvy, with eyes of onyx. Every time I close my eyes, even after all these years, I can still see her. Such a breathtaking beauty. But . . ." he pauses with a hitch in his breath, "In my time, it was frowned upon."

"What was frowned upon?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

"My folks called it mingling with . . . well, I'll be polite—African Americans. The other term always offended me, and I'd cringe whenever my father would use it,” he says, shaking his head in disgust. I understand that feeling perfectly well.

"You see, my parents were very straight-laced and rather preachy. I didn't want to disappoint them, so I ended what could have been the greatest love I've ever known." The tears beginning to pool in his eyes make my heart ache for him. He wipes away the tears with a worn old handkerchief embroidered with the initials, TWS. I assume those to be hers, the way he takes such care not to fray the fragile yellow fabric.

"You want to hear the whole story? I remember it like it was only yesterday."

"Yes," I reply as I look over at Skila brushing a woman's hair into place. She isn’t paying any attention to me or Mr. Jackson. All her attention is focused on the elderly lady in front of her.

"November 5, 1943. It was just after dusk when we were attacked with no warning or anything. A couple of my buddies and I were in our barracks playing cards when the first wave hit.

The chaos hit like a wildfire. Everything happened so fast, it’s hard to remember all the details up until Gerald was hit and fell. I panicked, and with the sudden strength of Adonis, I threw him over my shoulder and rushed him to the infirmary. That’s when it happened. I saw her. Her name was Theresa, and she had to be a direct descendant of Aphrodite. She was stunning.

Reality hit me, and I knew Gerald needed immediate attention, so I turned away and ran to what was once the lobby. At the time, it was being used as an emergency room of sorts. I got him in the right hands and watched over him while they worked on him. He was lucky. The shrapnel missed his heart by only a couple of inches. Imagine my surprise when my Aphrodite was appointed his nurse. I couldn't keep my eyes off her. She rebuffed me at first, but I think my charm finally worked," he says with a laugh.

His eyes light up every time he says her name, and his misty eyes show me the kind of love that only comes once in a lifetime. He looks at me and smiles. "Don't let people get in the way of your happiness. I did, and I've regretted it for so many years. Even after I married, I always thought about her."

I look over at Skila again, and she turns to smile at me. "Excuse me a moment, Mr. Jackson." He nods with a knowing glint in his eyes. I walk up to Skila and wrap my arms around her without so much as a word. She leans her head back and reaches up to softly touch the side of my face.

"I just wanted to tell you how beautiful you are, and that no matter what anyone says, I'm not letting you get away."

She laughs and turns to face me.

"You know, I had my doubts about you, but I think if you keep this up, they may start fading." She hugs me and I close my eyes, breathing in the sweet smell of honeysuckles and home.

A few more hours at the Veterans’ home and we leave, hand in hand, with a new sense of who we are and what we want from life.