Are You Ready?

Rose Smith sat on the grassy hill overlooking her small town, lost in thought and nostalgia She could see the place where she had met Will. Right outside of their high school in the front lawn by the cherry tree. She smiled, remembering how they had argued every day freshman year until they finally realized they were crazy about each other on the last day. She could see where they had shared their first kiss, underneath the gazebo in the middle of the town. The same place where they had been married only five hours earlier.

At that moment everyone was dancing and she could hear the music from her place. She could hear her sister’s laughter and remembered how Cissy had always laughed a bit loudly when she was flirting, Rose sighed, thinking to the future. Tomorrow she’d be in the islands with Will for their honeymoon and then they’d be gone to Washington to start their lives. Across the country from this place, her home. Hours and hours away.

Rose sighed, resting her head in her arms as she curled up her knees to her chest, the anticipation of loneliness beginning to weigh heavily upon her. Just then she felt Will’s hand on her arm and she turned up to smile at him. “Hi,” he said, his hair easily mussed up from the wind.

“Hi,” she replied, leaning her head back into his chest.

“You seem a little down.”

“No,” she said, “just... I don’t know. I was excited by the thought of leaving this town forever, but I’m gonna miss it.”

“Me too, but we’ll come and visit,” he said, sitting next to her and placing his arm around her shoulders.

“I’m afraid I’ll be lonely in Seattle.”

“You’ll be with me. As long as we’re together, you’ll never be lonely. I promise.”

“Good,” she replied, smiling. “Do you remember when we went on our first date at the diner?”

He laughed. “Yeah. That was disastrous. You remember telling me you never should have accepted the date in the first place?”

Rose laughed as well. “I do. I was so upset about my dress.”

“I found it in one of the boxes yesterday,” he said. “The grease stain was still in it pretty bad.”

“I couldn’t part with it,” she smiled. “It’s memorabilia.”

“It was the only dress I’d ever seen you in besides this one and prom,” he said. Rose looked down at her simple white dress and smiled.

Rose laughed again. “Prom. How wasted did we get?”

“Horribly,” Will answered. “That’s what happens when you think it’s okay to get wasted on prom night.”

They laughed. “I remember my mom had a fit and forbade me to ever to talk to any of you ever again,” Rose said.

“But, of course, she couldn’t resist my charming personality,” he laughed.

“Oh, stop,” Rose laughed, pushing his arm.

They both went quiet as they watched the festivities below. “Hey, it’s the song,” Rose said. She closed her eyes as she listened. “It’s the song from when we first kissed.”

“Well, Mrs. Smith, may I have this dance?” Will asked, standing up.

“Of course, Mr. Smith,” Rose laughed and stood up.

Will twirled her and brought her closer where she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. “So don’t forget who’s taking you home and in whose arms you’re gonna be...”he sang, making Rose laugh.

“So darling, save the last dance for me,” she finished. Rose looked up. “I love you, Will.”

“I love you too,” he said, kissing her.

The music stopped and soon they could hear voices asking where the newly wedded couple was. They both stopped and smiled at each other.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

Rose paused for a moment, taking in the full weight of this question.

“Yes.” She looked up and smiled at him. “I am.”