Sparkling in the Sun

(“Youth is like diamonds in the sun, and diamonds last forever”)

-- Forever Young, by Alphaville

The park is bathed in sunlight; it bounces off Mel’s long red tresses, throwing shadows onto the grass. She sprawls across the bench, and waits. Its wood is coarse under her skin. Eagerly, Mel’s eyes scan the surrounding park, searching for a sign of Carl.

“Hey honey,” comes a voice from behind her.

“Holy – oh, hey Carl.” Mel lets out a nervous laugh. “How was sniper training?”

Carl steps around the front of the park bench and sits down, gently lifting Mel’s head into his lap. Absentmindedly, he runs his fingers through her hair, biting nervously on his top lip as he answers, “Alright, you know what it’s like when …”

He stops short, but his unspoken words still linger in the air, floating along with the few pearly grey clouds hovering in the sky. There’s an agreement between them not to mention Carl’s imminent departure for war. It’s nothing more than a requirement of the army, but neither of them can imagine a tender future amongst the death that haunts the deserts of Iraq.

Carl untangles his fingers from Mel’s locks, and nervously fiddles with the box that bulges in his pocket. He’s taken to carrying the ring everywhere, just waiting for the perfect moment to propose.

“Yeah.” Mel’s voice jolts him back to reality; her uncertainty rings in his ears, deafening him. “It must be hard. Really puts serving grumpy old grandmothers coffee and listening to them whine about their ankles into perspective.”
”I imagine it does,” Carl says.

“No, seriously,” Mel laughs, shifting her weight so that she sits up. “Today, I got a lecture because the tomato wasn’t evenly sliced. Next to … next to that, it’s nothing.”

She smiles, but it struggles to fully cover her face as she attempts to ponder a future in which Carl is overseas, dancing with death, perhaps even provoking it.

Carl looks down, only to find Mel’s hand inches from the box in his pocket, which contains all his dreams, bound together by a thin blue ribbon. She doesn’t look suspicious. Nervously, he shies away from his girlfriend, and she looks at him curiously, unable to hide the fact that his mention of the war has upset her.

It’s now or never, Carl decides, now or never.

“Mel,” he says, standing up and grinning at her.

“What? What’s wrong?” Mel asks, as Carl fiddles with something in the pocket of his jeans. He’s going off to war, he’s leaving her in less than two months, and yet he’s smiling.

Mel knows it’s selfish, but she cannot help contemplating their relationship and what’s going to happen. And then rational thought turns to fear and oh God, she thinks, he’s going to break up with me. Panic floods her as Carl opens his mouth.

“The last year has been the happiest of my life, and I really want to spend eternity with you.” The words sound cheesy in Carl’s head, but they roll easily off his tongue, filling the otherwise silent park. It’s late, the sun is about to set, and everyone else has gone home. “Will you marry me?”

Bending down on one knee, Carl opens the box, and with a flourish, reveals a sparkling diamond ring. It sparkles in the sunlight, and Mel stares at it, her mouth open wide. She can’t speak. All her thoughts become trapped in her throat as Carl gazes at her with deep brown eyes, waiting for a response.

“But you’re going to war,” Mel says finally.

“I know,” Carl replies, amazed at the fact that she’s mentioned his future without shedding a tear. “And now, I can leave for Iraq a husband or a fiancé, not a boyfriend.”

“But what if … what if …” Mel can’t bring herself to say the words.

“Then I can die a happy man,” Carl says. He has every intention of surviving the war, but he isn’t naïve, he knows the possibilities.

“That’s stupid,” Mel says, finally beginning to discover her voice. “You can’t die happy, Carl. That’s a childish idea, and we’re not children anymore.”

Carl, nods solemnly gripping the ring tightly in his hand, and wondering why everything has gone so wrong.

“Do you know what one of my army officers told me when he proposed to his girlfriend?” Carl asks.

“No, what did he say?”

“He told me that youth is like a diamond in the sun, and reminded me that diamonds last forever. Just because there’s a war out there, we don’t have to forfeit our happiness.”

Carl had found the quote ridiculous at the time, but now, it makes perfect sense. The sun may be going down on their childhood, and a new dawn may be ushered in by the night, but it doesn’t mean they have to give up everything that’s made them blissful these last few years. In the end, war lasts a few years, love lasts a lifetime, and Carl knows he won’t let the war affect his relationship with Mel.

“When the war is over, we can still have everything about our youth that’s ever made us happy, and we’ll be together.” He flashes the ring in her face, allowing it to sparkle in the remaining sunlight.

“That’s rubbish Carl, and you know it,” Mel snorts. All her previous trepidation and confusion is gone, replaced with anger. “It’s absolute rubbish.”

Carl’s voice rises to rival his girlfriend’s.

“If that’s what you think Mel, fine.” He raises his right arm, his hand directed at the trees surrounding the park, and prepares to throw the ring.

“Oh, congratulations, nice choice,” Mel snaps sarcastically. “Go ahead and show me your excellent throwing skills.”

“I will,” Carl replies. “One … two … three!”

“Don’t do that,” Mel says, jumping up from the bench and glancing at her boyfriend with imploring green eyes. Carl’s fingers quickly grasp the ring, which is only a second away from leaving his hand.

“And why not?”

“Because … because I love you,” Mel stutters. All her fears have been washed away in one wave of emotion, leaving her blissfully happy.

A smile slides across Carl’s face like melted butter.

“Really?” he asks curiously.

“Yes.” Mel’s head throbs as the last half an hour begins to replay in her mind.

“Marry me?” Carl asks, holding out the ring, which shines in the last rays of sun, throwing beams of light across the park.

“Of course,” Mel says, throwing her arms around her boyfriend.

As Carl slides the diamond ring on her finger, dancing with excitement, Mel can’t help but believe in his statement: maybe, just maybe, their happiness will last forever, and maybe, just maybe, this war won’t be quite so bad.

The sun goes down as they share a passionate kiss and their love spreads into the night.

This was written for my English assignment last term, and I've only just been able to post it because of plagarism and the like. It's rather fluffy, I know, but the prompt (the lyrics at the top of the story), inspired this, and I'm really quite proud of it. Please, do leave a review ...