It was another warm, humid evening. Caroline's last class had been cancelled so she decided to prepare a picnic dinner for Tim and left a note on his truck to meet her at the Beaumont Botanical Gardens as soon as his 1 pm class ended. She grabbed a bottle of wine, a few of his favorite foods along with cheeses, crackers, fruits and a blanket lay on. The gardens had always been one of their favorite places to go to when they first started dating so it was the perfect place for an afternoon break.

Tim came out of class, looking for Caroline while he was walking to his truck. He always tried to see her before he left, making sure she made it ok and to give her a quick hug and kiss to get him through until she came home. Not seeing her car, he started to become a bit anxious, especially when he first noticed a piece of folded paper under his windshield.

"Hello my love, meet me at the Botanical Gardens as soon as your classes end. My last class was cancelled. I will be waiting.  All My Love, Caroline"

Tim smiled as he reread the note, then laughed aloud "how did she reach the wiper"..

Caroline spread out the blanket under a large oak tree, placing the picnic basket to the side. She had brought a small book with her. It was Tim's book of poems and song lyrics he had been working on. She was hoping to convince him to read a few to her. She loved everything he wrote, each one filled with so much emotion. And so much of him, his heart and soul. 

As Tim parked his truck near her car, he could see Caroline sitting under the tree. A prefect spot for a perfect woman, he thought. She looked up noticing him walking towards her, she stood and began to run towards him. How he loved to see her so happy and carefree. He picked her up and swung her around, before placing her back down on her feet, kissing her passionately. She leaned back as she looked up into his dark, loving eyes "what took you so long" she giggled.

His head was pounding with a wicked headache "damn, this must be how Chance feels when he gets one of his" he said aloud as he grabbed the bottle of Tylenol from the medicine cabinet. "But then again, he doesn't usually try to drink himself into oblivion either". He still needed to contact Chance about heading down to the gulf, but for now he was heading back to bed to try to sleep off the rest of the hangover. As he began to dose off, he saw the small tattered book on the nightstand he had been reading the night before. A tear escaped his eye as he drifted back to sleep.