Forever In Love With Him

Love That Will Be Forever

I sat in my car taking some deep breaths, this was my sophomore year at college but the 1^st day was always the worst. I looked and seen my best friend Zachery waving me toward his car, I knew I had to do this. It was now or never and I would have rather been at home sleeping the day away, or sleeping till 10 and then going to work. I grabbed my bag and got out of the car, I smiled at him as the heat of the day hit my face. This was the first year Zach and I didn’t have a class together.

“Lacers” Zach said as I walked to meet him, I smiled at him. He was one of my best friends in the whole wide world.

“Zach-wheee” I said as we stopped at his car, he was pulling his backpack out of this Jeep Grand Cherokee. I looked at him, he tugged it up on his shoulder, and he was always prepared for the worst.

“Let’s get this over with!” I said as we walked in silence. I sighed as we walked down the stair’s there were a killer on anyone, we cussed them every day when we had to leave. I jumped the last step and we checked before we walked into the school.

“Do we have to?” I wined as I pulled open the door almost smacking myself with it; I always seemed to be getting hurt. I wasn’t the most coordinated person you could ask anyone of my friends and they would tell you I was danger prone.

“Yes. We are almost finished with our college transfer degrees and then just to the big school in Virginia. ” Zach said as we entered the cool breeze of the school, I took a deep breath and existed to the left, that’s where I had my English class. I walked to the door alone and seen that I was about the only one in the room except for a guy who had a bald head and a white Marines t-shirt on. He looked up when I entered the room and smiled at me, the butterflies I had in my stomach kicked into overdrive, he was cute and I get nervous around guys anyways. I sat beside him; we were sitting in front of computer. I sat my stuff down and pulled out my phone, I had a text message from my dad.

Morning pood love you lots I smiled because that’s how he greeted me every morning since my mom and I moved out. Plus it was 8 o’clock and he was the only one awake at that time, well out of my friends. I closed the phone after I typed a quick good morning I love you also message and closed my phone. I looked over at the guy and gave a shy smile.

“Hey, my name is Chris Cloves.” He said as his pretty stormy colored eyes shone with happiness as he extended his hand for mine.

“Hey. I’m Lacey Leanne” I said as I stuck out my hand and took a hold his, his hand was greatly bigger than mine but something about that touch sparked something in both of us. I smiled and took my hand away, his hand was smoother then my rough hands, and I had to wash mine all the time at work.

“Lacey, that’s a pretty name” he smiled I blushed and looked down at the notebook I had on my desk.

“It came from a romance novel called Lacey’s Way. My mom was eight months pregnant with me when she read it and that’s what she wanted to name me, so ta da that’s my name.” I said with a smile, my name was different because I couldn’t find anything with my name on it. I shrugged my shoulders when I finished because I didn’t know what else to say.

“It’s a lot prettier than just plain old Christopher Ray Cloves” he said with a bright smile, I smiled back at him as we sat there. Just than the classes started to fill in and everything started in motion, we had an assignment first thing, so Chris and I got to working right away but in between us we had a piece of paper that we were playing 21 questions on.

(Chris, Me)

Favorite Color: Blue, Red

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Strawberry, Chocolate!

Favorite Band: Silverstein, Avenged Sevenfold

Favorite Food: Mexican, Chinese

Favorite Animal: Panther, Horse

Did We Have Sibling’s: 2 younger twin brother Nathan and Gregory (10), No sibling’s

Age: 22, 20

The questions went that like that until the end of class until we walked into the lounge that was there. I hadn’t smiled and laughed like that in a long while. We sat at a table and added each other on facebook and exchanged numbers.

“S**t, I have a class in five minutes” he said as he looked at his cell phone that was sitting next to mine.

“Lacey it was great meeting you, call me or text me sometime” he said as he jumped off the stood and then picked up my hand, those butterflies I had came back as he kissed the top of my name. He smiled at me and got his stuff and left, I watched him walk out of view, I closed my eyes and opened them.

/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*-/*/*

“Lacey please don’t cry” Chris’s weak voice said to me as I looked over at him in the hospital bed. Chris and I had been together for seven months, he told me the day we met that he had Cancer and it could kill him. We were going to be friends, we never thought we would fall in love but it happened. I stopped a sob in my throat, the last month he had went downhill fast and now here he was laying in this hospital bed with tubs and iv’s running everywhere, I couldn’t help him, I prayed to God about 24/7 that he would get better but the Cancer was winning this battle and there was nothing we or the doctors could do. I told Chris from the day I found out that I would be there for him no matter what.

“Chris, I know you hate to see me cry but I hate to see you in pain.” I said as I got up out of the chair I was sitting in and walked to where he was laying in the bed, I sat down beside his hand and took it. I let the tears feel as he took his hands almost too weak and wiped the tears from my eyes.

“Baby, I will fight this battle and win. Mom and Dad can I have a moment alone with Lacey?” he asked his parents who were sitting in chairs on the other side of his bed, I looked over at his mom, Regina, she was trying her best not to cry. Richard, his dad, took Regina by the hand and they walked out of the room closing the door. Dan, his best friend, Nathan, Gregory, and my mom were in the waiting room. The doctors told us that he could go at anytime now it was just about the waiting.

“Chris I just can’t stomach the thought of losing you.” I cried to him as I held his hand to my cheek as we sat in the room. He removed his oxygen mask and used his strength to make me look at him.

“Lacey Leanne. I love you with everything I have; you are the majority of my heart. You walked into my life that August 16^th day and haven’t walked out yet. You kept me fighting this far in my battle, you gave me wings to fly and the breath I take. I want you to have my class ring” He said as held my breath and the lump in my throat grew larger. He took class ring off his finger and handed it to me, I placed it on my engagement finger and then looked back at him, he never took this off it was his favorite ring.

“Chris, I love you with all that I have! You gave me the love I have always dreamed of, you took my breath and heart away and you have it with you. I love you Chris but I know you are ready to let go and not be in pain and baby if you are ready to let go then just let go. I love you” I said to him as he smiled at me with that smile that melted my heart and he closed his stormy blue eyes and the heart monitor line went flat. He knew I had been holding on, his hand went limp on my face. The nurse and doctor came running in.

“Let see if we can’t get him back” the doctor said.

“No” I cried as I sat there still holding his hand, “He had been holding on for so long. He was ready to go.” I said as I couldn’t talk no more and the tears fell. I reach over and kissed his lips one last time. I got up and walked past the nurse and doctors and into the waiting room. Everyone looked up at me as I entered the room I had tears streaking my face as I stood in the doorway.

“Lacey?” Nathan asked me as I stood there.

“I told him it was okay to let go and….” I couldn’t finish the sentence, I lost the battle and hit my knees and let the cries out. He was gone; the guy I thought I was going to be with for the rest of my life was gone.

“What???” Dan said as he jumped up but couldn’t move.

“No” his mom and dad said before they ran out of the room toward his room and then you heard his mom started to screams but it was muffled by his dad. I sat my head in my hands, I didn’t want him gone, and I needed him now more than anything. THUD, I looked up with watery eyes and seen Dan hit the wall. I seen Nathan and Gregory start to cry, they clung to each other and that broke my heart more if that was even possible. My mom had her head hung low; she loved Chris like he was already part of the family.

I looked down at his ring my tears had subsided a little until I looked at the ring. I felt them start to flow again, I didn’t hold in my sobbing either as I sat in the floor crying my eyes out. I then felt someone sink down beside of me, I looked over and seen Dan, his face was wet with tears, I closed my eyes and then I put my hands around his neck as we sat in the floor, my eyes crying tears and his eyes crying tears.

“Lacey I am so sorry” Dan said we had sat in there for over an hour just crying Dan, Nathan and Gregory. My mom had gone to his room to see his mom because he dad had to walk. They had a small couch in the hospital waiting room; Dan had moved me onto the couch where Nathan and Gregory had joined me and were crying on both shoulders. Dan sat at my feet and cried as we talked about Chris. I was all out of tears for the night but I knew they would be back.

“Dan, there was nothing anyone could do. I mean I want him here right now. If he wasn’t sick and here we would all be at his house watching some stupid movie and making fun of the people in the movie” I said with a sob laugh. Dan rested his head on my legs as Gregory adjusted his head on my left shoulder. We all looked up as the door opened in walked his mom, dad and my mom. No one knew what to say, I moved and Dan and they boys let me up, I walked over to his mom and hugged her. She hugged my back as fresh tears rolled down her eyes; I was trying to stay strong when I then felt Nathan and Gregory come up along with Dan to hug her.

I closed my eyes again and opened them; the line never seemed to end at Chris’s visitation. So many people knew Chris and when they heard I’m pretty sure the world got a little less sunny. I was standing beside his dad in line with Dan right behind me. All of his other friends knew I was the girl he planned to marry and that Dan was his best friend. I had shook hands and hugged so many people they blended together after a while; I was numb as I stood there. A slide show was playing of picture of him and his family and me. After the line was done I walked to the front of the room and everyone looked at me, looked over at his body and felt tears coming, he was dressed in his Marine blues. Chris was a Marine when I met him but they gave him an honorable discharge after he found out he was diagnosed with cancer.

“Um can I have everyone attention” I said into the microphone over 300 people were trying to pack into the room. “I just wanted to let everyone know that on March 31^st there will be a memorial service held in Chris’s name at South Raven Community College Auditorium at 7 o’clock. Just try and let everyone know that knew Chris because his Aunt Rachel, Aunt Maggie and I have put together a slide show for and would like everyone who can come to please come, I know Chris would love it.” I said as tears left my eyes and everyone shook their head and I walked off the stage, I pushed my way through people toward the door, I needed air I couldn’t take much more.

           “Lacey… Lacey” someone was calling as I walked to the end of the parking lot. I must have been running because I seen his mom and Dan running after me. After putting the slide show together I was beat and this was killing me.

         “Baby cakes are you okay?” his mom asked me as they stood in front of me.

“Honestly I’m not sure anymore, I want this all to be a joke. I want Chris to jump up and be like ‘got you Lacey’… I want for this nightmare to end.” I said and broke down in tears, I was prefect at hiding my emotions and these past couple of days I had been doing worse then what people though and saw I was. Dan took me in his arms and I broke down in his arms. This was so hard for me, the next couple of days went by in a blur, and I sat in a chair in front of his casket in the graveyard before I knew it. His grandmother, Teresa, was crying something in Italian beside me and Dan was holding my hand as my mother had her hand on my shoulder.

The rose I was holding in my hand was shaking pretty bad. They played the trumpet as they lowered his casket in the ground; the wind blew causing my hair to blow, as tears streaked my cheek. They shoot guns three times cause me to jump as they lowered him. The preacher read a beautiful verse from the bible but my trust and love in God was pretty thin at the moment.

After they lowered him and everyone hugged his mom and dad and said they were sorry to Dan and me. I sat back down the chair and looked at the dirt the men were placing over his casket. I closed my eyes as all our memories flooded my mind, I couldn’t go on know that this was the end well except one big secret I had told him right before he had died. I looked back at the road and seen his Mom, Dad, Dan, Zach and my Mom standing at our cars. I had to tell them so some happiness could come out of this. I looked down at the ground and then got up, I walked slowly to where they stood looking at me pick my way across the graveyard.

“Hey Lace” Zach said as I hugged him, he was my best friend in the whole wide world.

“Hey. Guys I have some news but I don’t think know would be the best time.” I said as I looked back at his grave one last time for the day.

“What is it?” my mom asked as she looked over at her wife, Kim, they loved each other so much and they were my mommy’s.

“Let’s go to dinner if anyone can eat” I said, Dan came to my side and gave me a hug. He knew the secret also but that was because he was there with me when I went to find out for good. I looked at him and smiled I felt tears glimmer in my eyes.

“Let’s go to Chris’s favorite restaurant” Dan said as ever one agreed. Zach said that he had something to do so it was just going to be His mom and dad, my two moms, Dan and I. we drove 45 minutes to the little Italian restaurant. We all got out of the car and got inside the place. We sat down at a table and a waiter took our drink order.

“Guys before we get started and I forget you know how my mind works” I said with a smile as they all looked at me. “In April little baby Cloves will present his presence in our life’s” I said with a smile as Dan took my hand. No one said anything because they were in shock.

“I am going to help raise the baby since Chris is no longer with us.” Dan said as he smiled like they expecting father.

“Congrats” Kim yelled as she got up and I got up and she hugged the crap out of me. Once she did that everyone else got up and hugged me.

“I told Chris before he died.” I said with a sad smile, “and he said he wanted me to name the baby, Dan to help raise it and that he wanted the baby to have his last name.” I said and they all started to cry. 

Reviews

[Silent.Writer]

Thanks, some of it came from my ex dying almost 5 years ago. I made most of it up but I still think of him when I read this story.

[Daniel J Darcey]

A sad story with a good ending. It's a good piece. Thank you for sharing.