Wilmer

          She was still consumed by him, I could see it, I could feel it. Slowly, she was warming up to me, but her heart was sheltered, holding onto the love she once had for him. I've done my best, always trying to be supportive, but I knew he was still a wedge between us. She still thought of him, and sometimes I wondered if she wished it was him when she closed her eyes at night.

On our first date, she told me about him. She told me about how he broke her, but about how she still loved him. When she finished, she had this look on her face that showed she was horrified with what she had told me. She said sorry, and thought she'd ruined her chances. But that wasn't the case. She called him the love of her life, but I was determined to show her that has wasn't. He was the love of that time. A lifetime love doesn't leave. A lifetime love doesn't tell her she doesn't deserve him, and that he's going to go find someone else that does. A lifetime love is just that; love. She doesn't know that I intend to be that for her, a lifetime love. The moment I saw her, I knew that in some way she would be a huge part of my life. My heart was empty, and open, aching for someone or something to fill the void, and while I had tried to fill it with other girls and meaningless sex, she was the only one who wormed into my chest and stayed there.

The first time she slept over my house, she was hesitant, even though I insisted because of the huge lightning storm that was going on outside the house. I told her that I'd sleep in the guest room, and that seemed to appease her. I guessed that the last man she'd slept in a bed with was him, and she didn't want anyone else to keep taking those 'lasts' away from her. We watched a movie, and she moved to the other side of the couch when my fingertips trailed along her spine. I guessed that even though she said she was over him, his touch was still embedded in her skin, and she didn't want my hand to taint the memory of him.

I asked her to date me, and her face froze, her mind taking her back to a place when he had asked her the same question. Was there hesitation on her face? Did she give him straight answer? Because she forced a smile and gave me a shrug as if I had asked her what she wanted for dinner that night. She didn't give me an answer until we were alone again the next week, and I practically begged her to tell me yes or no. I knew it was him holding her back. It was frustrating, but my frustration wasn't directed towards her, but him. I was angry that he had dug his hooks into her so deep and when he left her he hadn't bothered giving her heart back.

I kissed her today, and her eyes got so wide I was afraid she would faint. She held my sides and looked into my eyes, then told me she was scared. Scared because she didn't think of him then, she only thought of me. This time I was hesitant, until she kissed me back. This time I was sure I was falling in love with her.

I called her 'love' today. She flinched, and wouldn't look at me. When I came up behind her and took her waist, she tensed. It was only for a moment, but I knew she thought of him. Sometimes I wonder if she wished I was him. I called her it again when we went to bed, and she didn't let me hold her as we fell asleep. It was two weeks before she could stand to hear the word come out of my mouth.

I'm not afraid of his ghost that's in her. I'm determined to replace his presence with my love for her. When she says my name, I sometimes see the slip in her tongue, as if she is about to say his name but it's stopped with the realization that I'm the one standing in front of her, not him.

I told her I loved her today. I saw the hope inside her eyes, the hope that she could forget about him and life her life in freedom. Freedom from him. She said she loved me back. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. She kissed me with everything she had, and in that moment I knew it was possible. I knew it was possible for me to drain her of him. For her to be healed from the way he left her.

We almost made love today, and for the first time in a long time she tensed when my lips touched her skin. I looked up at her, and she was staring at the ceiling with tears in her eyes. She told me she was sorry, and that she loved me more than anything. For the first time I wondered if that was true. I told her it was okay, and held her in my arms, kissing her hair as she cried. She let me in that night, and told me he was her first. She'd never felt the lips of another man before.

I asked her to marry me today, and there was no hesitation in her eyes as she pulled her hands to her mouth in shock, and nodded yes dozens of times and kissed me ten times that amount before finally looking down at the ring. She whispered "Yes," then kissed me again, "What took you so long?"

"Him." Was almost my answer.

We got married today, and I cried as I watched her walk down the aisle. She looked so carefree, and happy. Her mysterious smile never ceased to amaze me. When the time came for the pastor to ask for any objections, she stared right into my eyes, not even bothering to look at the crowd of our family and friends. When she said "I do" there was no hesitation, but if there was I wouldn't of noticed, I stopped looking for it a long time ago.

She told me she's pregnant today. We cried, and laughed, and kissed. I wasn't sure I would ever stop smiling, or kissing her stomach. As I looked into her eyes, my hand overlapping hers on top of her stomach, I saw nothing but happiness, and intense love.

I came home from work today to see her comforting our sixteen year old daughter from her first heartbreak. I stood behind the wall and listened to her speak about her old love, and how I had given her something she will never be able to return; a lifetime love.

Today we watched our daughter get married while our other son and daughter sat next to us. I kept my hand in hers the entire time and when we danced I held her close with her hand resting against my heart. I began to think about the life we had together, the ups and the downs. I had been blessed more than I deserved. And before I lost count, I thanked God twice for giving someone me someone to have for the rest of my life. Someone who would last a lifetime.

It was two weeks after her eighty-second birthday when we laid down in bed, neither of us knowing that this would be the last time we fell asleep next to each other. I smiled at her and stroked her cheek as she laid her head on my chest. We had an amazing life, eight grandchildren had been gifted to us. She looked up into my eyes for a few moments before speaking.

"I love you Wilmer."

I smiled and kissed her gently, "I love you too Demi."

"Thank you." She blurted out.

"For what."

She stroked my cheek, "For everything. For holding me when I cried, and loving me even when I pushed you away. For making me believe that this was possible."

I held her close, pulling my arms around her, "Thank you for letting me in Hermosa. You're truly one of a kind."

She looked up at me, "A lifetime love."

We kissed one more time, and then both us laid down to succumb to the awaiting arms of blissful eternal sleep.

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-Rachel