StrongA Story by Kathryn SmithYour heart, my heart Sit tight like bookends Pages between us Written with no end So many words we're not saying Don't want to wait until it's gone You make me strong I was 18. The phone rang. My mother answered it and her face lit up. "It's for you!" She had a twinkle in her eye as she handed me the phone. I put the phone to my ear with a racing heart. Why did she have a twinkle in her eye? Who was calling this time? "...Hello?" "Hi Kathryn. It's Michael. I heard you were in a car crash and I wanted to call to make sure you're okay." My heart smiled. Michael. Michael was one of my best friends. Michael, his twin brother Nicholas and I grew up together. I had known them since I was 5. They had known me their entire life. We were the 3 musketeers. As Michael and I spoke on the phone, memories began to play in my head. All the times when we were small - One day we were in my bedroom. He was helping me clean my room. He touched a toy of mine and I snapped at him. Suddenly to my horror I saw him crumble down with tears in his eyes. "Did I hurt your feelings?" I asked terrified. He nodded and I buried him in a tight hug. From then on my 9 year old self promised I would never hurt my friend again. As we grew together the boys and I played in the forest. At the beach. In the parks. We rampaged through our childhoods carrying pride of our little gang we created. And whenever we played house - Michael always ALWAYS wanted to be my husband. Whenever I chose Nicholas he would go off and pout and mutter to himself how I wasn't being fair. Nicholas always got to be my husband. I secretly liked seeing him mad - so I purposely chose his twin brother half the time. Years slowly trickled by. Their little brother Matthew was born. He was the perfect addition to our group! Later at 12, Michael and I got married. I put on a dress and a veil. He held a football and I held flowers. We pretended to have a service on my front porch. My mother snapped pictures with amusement in her blue eyes. After our marriage we found a doll and decided we had a son. We named him Samuel and went so far to color and create his birth certificate. When we hit the tweenage years our innocence slowly turned and churned into something different. I was changing in my bedroom one summer morning. Suddenly I saw a pair of delighted green eyes peering through the crack of my door. I slammed the door in Michael's face as we had a laugh festival. As they reached high school I cheered them on at their football games. When they won state I was beyond proud of them. Even though our 3 musketeer days are long gone - each summer the boys still pay me a visit. We sit around and muse about our childhood together. We return to the forest and we gaze at our past. Not too long ago I was walking down my college hallway. And to my surprise I saw a boy who looked exactly like Michael walking towards me in the distance. We didn't go to the same college so I shrugged it off.
It was Michael! I ran to him with glee. We hugged. And when he had to go - he didn't want to go. We stood in the hallway in silence looking at each other. I always knew something was there between us. And he clearly knew too. Fast-forward to today - and on November 3rd I am for the first time going out for lunch with my childhood husband. It will be just the two of us. I always wondered about this moment as a child and what it would be like.. Here's to the only boy who called me on the phone after the car crash. To the kid who I teased endlessly as a child. I don't know what's going to happen between us - but there will always be love in my heart for him. For Michael. The one who made me feel strong. Who cheered me up on my bad days. Who picked me up whenever I fell down. I will forever be thankful.
© 2016 Kathryn SmithReviews
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