I
“Till Death Do Us Part”
It was never as serious for you as it was for me. I swore my solemn vows, and you laughed and called them stale, yet you still kissed me that day. I only realize now, much too late, that you never finished your part of them. Just another breadcrumb, left for me to reminisce after your loss. There isn’t much else to do, my days without you consist of only the bare minimum required to live. Surrounded by claustrophobic walls and a door that seldom opens. The only light in my solitary world being the moon, shining through a similarly solitary window. Oh how you loved the moon, many a night was spent with you in my arms exposing the secrets of the night sky. The folklore seemed to flow so easily out of your small mouth, I never minded being tired at work the next day. I never tired of your eyes either, as captivating as the north star to a lost sailor. I was a sailor alright. I had never even known it before I met you, but I was lost. I’m lost without you now. Some days I even wish I had gone with you that day, but I know I must remain, and carry your memory for as long as I can still see your face when I close my eyes.
II
“You can’t blame gravity for falling in love.”
Albert Einstein
There is a park, very close to my old home, with a pond as beautiful as the ocean itself. Or so I’ve heard, as you were the only one who ever saw the ocean. I remember this park clearly, as this is where we shared our first hellos. It was a cool day in spring, the trees were still shaking off their winter coats. I was sitting on a bench writing a report for work, when you sat down next to me. I paid you no mind until you started talking to me. You said that it was a beautiful day out and I agreed without looking away from my work. Then you took my chin and forced me to take in the pond before me. For an instant, I was furious, but then I was enamored. I set my work aside and stood up, gazing over the pond. The setting sun was sending vibrant beams of light shimmering on the surface of the water. I forgot where I was for a moment, and took a couple steps towards the immaculate sight before me. One step too many it seemed, as I tripped directly into a patch of stinging nettles. Through the pain I could hear you laughing from the bench, so I whipped around to rebuke you. This was the first time I saw your face, and even with all the pain and embarrassment, I fell in love right then and there. I proposed to you a little under a year later.
III
“I saw that you were perfect, and so I loved you…”
Angelita Lim
I first noticed something was off when I came home from work early one evening, only to see you get home around the same time. It was strange I thought. We had shared our schedules ever since we first started our romance, and yet I had no idea what you were doing while I was at work. Purely out of curiosity, I thought I would take a weird day off work and follow you. I was sure that whatever interesting thing you were doing I could join in on as well, as a surprise. It truly was interesting what I happened across. As I was following you, you surprised me by turning into the driveway of someone I didn’t know. When you knocked on the door my eyebrows furrowed, and my heart sank when someone answered. A man. A beautiful and handsome man, the likes of whom I had never seen before. He answered in nothing but a bath towel, and you, my wife, were ushered in quickly. I had no words to describe what I was feeling, so I never described them. I went back home, sat down, and thought about the day we had met.
IV
“You will never age for me, nor fade, nor die.”
Marc Norman
I bought a pistol on our 10th anniversary, lord knows I had done enough practice at the range in preparation. I got home late that night, carrying a bouquet of nettles, and luckily not the stinging type. Your radiant smile told me you had remembered, and all my fears were alleviated. The woman I loved was still fresh in my mind. I took the next week off of work, wasting the days away in bliss. We were two doves intertwined, our hearts in perfect harmony. I knew I had to keep it that way. I had to clip your wings before you flew too far for me to catch. Then came along the day we met, and something told me it was time. Poetic, isn’t it? You always told me you wanted to die on a meaningful day, but you probably meant your birthday when you said that. I didn’t go to work that morning, instead I waited outside of our home for you to leave. When you did, I didn’t need to follow you to know where you were going. I almost leaped back through the door of our house, the hands of God guiding me. I sat down in my usual spot, and poured a glass of brandy for you and me. I watched the clock tick till it chimed at noon, and even longer after that. At ten past three I heard the jangling of keys. My hands tightened around the handle that I hadn’t realized I had been holding until then, and I downed the brandy I had poured for myself. You walked in then, seemingly surprised that I was home. You must not have seen the gun until I stood up, because that was when you screamed. The next thing I remember is standing over you, an unconscious heap on the floor, and pulling the trigger. Bang. And again. Bang. Again. Bang. Bang. Bang. Even when the only sound remaining was the ringing in my ears and a rhythmic clicking, I pulled the trigger again. Finally, I dropped the gun and let my sore arm hang loose to my side. I turned around and downed the second glass of brandy set out, then I gazed back upon my handiwork. I was amazed. It was utterly baffling. Lying there, painted red like a mosaic, you were even more beautiful than the day we met.
