My Parents Love Story

The dictionary defines fate as a development of events
outside a person's control,
destined to happen no matter what,
at all costs.
Do you believe that?
I used to think it was just some hocus pocus,
a fairy tale told to little girls to make them believe in true love.
Until my father told me the story.
Yes, THE story..
the tale of how him and my mother came to be...
how falling in love is truly a supernatural power
with the name of fate.

God had a plan,
a truly miraculous, amazing, extraordinary plan.
He knew what he was doing when he stationed a sapphire-eyed beauty,
who knew how to shoot an AK47 better than any man,
in the hometown of a Texas native.

Not only was they stationed in the same town,
but next door neighbors.
Coincidence?

The day she moved in,
he peeked through his smoke stained curtains,
admiring the way her auburn curls bounced as she strutted
in and out of her apartment,
packing boxes marked with bedroom, kitchen, bathroom,
from her olive green Ford pick-up truck.

The gentlemanly thing to do would to be to introduce himself,
offer his hand,
show her how strong he is,
wear his uniform... isn't that what turned the girls on?
However, he drew back the curtains and sighed,
praying that maybe tomorrow he could muster up
enough courage to do it.

A few weeks went by with only a casual hello between the two,
he noticed she walked to her truck in her uniform once or twice,
at least they have that in common.

He laid awake at night sometimes,
role playing scenarios in the back of his mind,
wondering if they will ever become more than dreams.
Why did this woman affect him so much,
when he's barely spoken four words to her?

One early morning,
the sun was shining bright through his window...
when it suddenly registered it shouldn't since he set the alarm for 0500 hours.
Cussing so loud it echoed through his tiny bedroom,
he scrambled to gather his clothes,
throwing his shirt on,
hopping on one leg putting his black sock on,
until he noticed the match was missing -
not having the time to search he grabbed a white cotton one,
pulled on his black boots and went on his way.

When he arrived home later that evening,
exhausted from his punishment of a five mile run along with fifty push-ups,
he collapsed into the couch.
Since his air conditioner had been out all summer,
he left the door open so he could feel the slight breeze
that Texas hardly ever had to offer.
He took the last draw off his cigarette and a swig of Diet Coke,
slowly falling into a slumber of fatigue.

An hour creeped by when her voice started to linger into his thoughts...

"SUNSHINE, COME HERE!"
"QUIT THAT!"

Knock, knock,
crunch, crunch.

Sleepy-eyed and confused,
he awoke to her standing in his doorway with a scowl on her face,
he instantly thought she looked cute when she was angry...
wait, what? angry? he thought.
He noticed she was looking behind him instead of at him,
he turned his head towards the sound of stomping and crunching.
He saw a little black puppy, a Labrador,
with the trash can turned upside down,
and the dog wallowing on egg shells,
having the time of his life.

The laughter roared from his chest
as he watched the pup stick its head in a peanut butter jar.
As his laugh echoed,
he saw the scowl quickly turn into a smile as their laughter conjoined together.

After their stomachs ached,
he invited her over for dinner,
and they talked for hours.
Of course, Sunshine got a special treat that night
for being such a great ice-breaker.
He made a note to keep his door open more often.

About a week later,
he heard a tap on his door.
It was her and Sunshine wagging his tail,
not waiting to be invited in...
she had a grocery bag full of freshly washed random socks.
She giggled and explained that Sunshine must have a fetish with socks,
especially his.

It was the beginning of their life,
twenty-six years of marriage,
two kids,
and happiness.
What more could you ask for?

This may not be some over the top romance story,
but it is theirs -
my mother and father's love story.
God put the power of fate into that dogs heart,
and true love into theirs.

*Written for a club challenge but didn't get to submit on time. And yes, this is my actual parents love story.

Copyright 2012: Hannah K.