Appointment

Everything was set. You’ve cleared your schedule so there was nothing stopping you now. Despite the fact that you lived together, it seemed as though you never see each other. So tonight you planned a special evening for just you and he. So with the candles lit, the music playing softly in the background, the dinner warming in the oven, you prepare for an evening a long time in coming. Now the only thing needed is for Maxwell to come home. The mood and moment was right for love and a little sumthin’ sumthin’ else [that is if everything went according to plans]. The candles cast perfect shadows around the room, illuminating some things and moving others into the background. The music played so softly it could lull and pull you into its trance if you but let it. Maxwell was a late, but you assumed it was only traffic that was holding him up. You’ll give him another 30 minutes before you begin to worry. After an hour passed [hey the music was intoxicating] you become concerned. You wonder if he called you at the office, [lately that has been the only place you’ve been able to talk to him. In the mornings all you have time for is a quick hi, bye and a quick peck on the check] so you go to call your service. Not surprisingly he did call to leave you a message. With bittersweet longing [you missed the days when it was only you and he and the outside world didn’t intrude] you listen to his message…

“Hey, I was hoping I would catch you before you stepped out of the office. I know you have a big meeting tonight and I was just calling to wish you a little luck. Good thing you have that meeting though…it seems something has come up and I have to meet with my manager tonight…and you know how those things go sometimes. Besides I would hate to think of you sitting home all alone waiting for me. So hopefully by the time my meeting ends yours would have ended too. And then maybe just maybe when can meet up at home and try block out the world and just spend a little time on you and me [if that’s even possible] I love you, good luck, and I’ll see you at home”

God…you loved the sound of his voice…it did things to you. Just as you prepared to hang up the phone you hear that you have another message…

“It’s me again, I had the sudden urge to call you back and tell you to forget your meeting and come away with me. But I know that wouldn’t be right. I was just sitting here and I realized how lucky I am. I never thought I would be blessed enough to find anyone like you. I knew that when I found you I found someone special. I didn’t realize at that moment that an angel had entered my life. Every morning I wake up and look at your beautiful sleeping face and I am happy, moved, forever changed. I know I’m rambling just a bit but I realized how much I loved you, and while all of this was in my head [although I doubt I would ever forget it] I wanted to call you and tell you.”

With tears streaming down your face you hang up the phone, and you wonder if things will ever go back to the way things used to be. Realizing there would be no romantic dinner tonight you blow out the candles, take the dinner out of the oven, lay down on the couch, and turn up the music a little louder. You know for the rest of the night you would think of nothing else but Maxwell so you might as well turn the sound up and set some music to your muszing. You remember how you first met, your first date, the first kiss, and all the other first you experienced with him. You drift off to sleep thinking about Maxwell and how lucky you feel to have him in your life. Tender kisses are being placed on your forehead and you awaken to Maxwell kneeling beside you softly stroking your hair and kissing you. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” He says softly smiling.
“That’s ok…I wasn’t really sleep, just waiting for you” you say. You hug and as you sit up he joins you on the couch. Still hugging you sit there for a second silently savoring the tenderness of this moment.
“What have we here?” he asks looking at the table with the burned candles and the half - eaten dinner.
“I was trying to set up a special night for just you and me. So I canceled my plans but I didn’t realize you had some.” You reply. “But that’s ok will have another day to do this.”
“Yeah, we will. I’m sorry though…had I known you went through as this trouble I would have canceled any and everything I was doing” he says while bringing you closer to him. “Well I really feel bad now telling you this but it seems I have to leave town for a little while.”
“Why?” you ask unable to hide the hurt in your voice.
“I have to go and meet with a couple of people about a song, and some other things,” Max says.
“Well how long do you think you will be gone?” you ask while silently praying he says a day or two
. “At least 2 or 3 weeks.” Max replies
“Really…when do you have to leave?”
“First thing tomorrow morning.” Max says and seeing the hurt and disappointment on your face he adds, “I really hate this too. If it was up to me I wouldn’t be going at all, but they said this is really important.” Max stands and takes your hand and says “All we have is tonight, and though most of it, [(smiling)…thanks to me] was ruined, we can make the most out of what is left. We can do whatever you want to do.”
“All I want is for you to hold me tight. I want to be able to remember the feel of your arms around me.” you reply. So for the rest of the night you and Maxwell lay intertwined memorizing every rise and fall of each other’s chest. No words were needed for the silence was conversation in itself. As you fall asleep to the thumping of his heartbeat, you come to terms that you will be away from him for close to a month. Morning comes and with heavy hearts you come together to say goodbye. Maxwell takes your face in his hands and caresses your cheek as his comes in closer to kiss you goodbye. Whisper soft kisses are placed upon your lips and you can feel him mouth the words “I Love You” and you try your best to hold back the tears. You hug each other tighter not wanting this moment to end. You sense his reluctance and pull away from him and tell him goodbye. Despite how strongly you want him to stay you know that this trip is what is best. Maxwell promises to call you daily, kisses you again and leaves for the airport [you didn’t want the airport goodbye scene, parting was hard enough without an audience].

So for the next two weeks you wake up and go to sleep with calls from Maxwell. You speak about your love and how much you miss each other. But despite the constant calls and talks with Maxwell you still miss him more and more each second he is gone. You begin sleeping on his side of the bed just to remember the scent of him, and to somehow bring him back to you. In one of the last conversations with Maxwell he tells you he won’t be able to call you for a day or two but rest assured that he will still be thinking of you. You’re saddened by the fact that you won’t talk to him but you understand the situation. To take you mind off of him not being able to call you, you call up a few friends to hang out. While out you miss his call saying he’s coming home. Wanting to surprise you he doesn’t leave a message and heads home. It was good to hang out with your friends and all, but halfway through the evening you realize that you’d much rather be home. You come up with an excuse to leave early [you know how your friends are…it had better be a good reason] and head home. You pull up in front of your home happy that you went out, but at the same time just as happy that you’re home. You sense there’s something different but you pay it no mind, you’re in a rush to get inside to see if Maxwell has left you a message. You unlock the front door and are greeted by rose petals of every hue strewn across the floor. You become excited, but you quickly dismiss them. Knowing Maxwell, as you do, he probably just had someone come in and do this for him. In the two weeks he’s been away he’s surprised you with daily bouquets of flowers, he’s sent you tapes of lullabies [yes lullabies] to fall asleep to at night [he regularly sings you to sleep at night], long letters speaking of his undying love and appreciation for you. Constant things to remind you of him and his love. A few steps into the foyer you notice a card placed upon a platter with your name attached. You become excited again because you recognize his handwriting. You open the card and it reads:

Hey, I’ve been waiting for you to return. Anticipation and longing makes a person do many a funny things…Well let’s not wait any longer. Come into the Living [Loving in our case] Room and I have something there for you.

You rush into the living room and it’s as if you stepped into a rose garden. It seems as though every rose that had been planted was in that room. And in the midst of all these roses you see another card placed upon a wrapped box with a red ribbon upon it. You are instructed to read the card first, it says:

I wanted to give you each and every rose created. I purposely picked the colors of the flowers because for me they truly have meaning. Red [love]… for the love you give me daily and for the love that replenishes each and every time I see you. Yellow [friendship]…for the friendship and companionship you’ve brought into and to my life. White [purity]…for the purity and newness I have discovered since meeting and getting to know you. Peach [just because] when I see you I get a warm fuzzy feeling inside [had to make you smile]. And because of all of these feelings I give you this…[open the box now…]

You open the box to find a necklace/bracelet created with gems/stones of these colors [red…rubies, white…diamonds, yellow…peridot, peach…citrine] and another note saying:

I hope they meet with your approval. Put them on now and come into the bathroom and there you will see what else I have planned for you.

You go into the bathroom and are surprised to see he has drawn a bath for you. All around the room the lighted candles are glowing and casting shadows about the room. There is a radio placed by the tub with a card placed beside it…it says:

Welcome to yet another escape. I remember a time when I drew you a bath and from that day forward I’ve wanted to give you that pleasure again [and not just the bath…* smile *]. So again I give this to you… submerge and let go. I want to relax you before the final surprise…by the way press play and it will bring you another gift. By the time the last song plays, you should be relaxed and finally ready for your next present.

You press play and you hear he has made a tape of “your” songs… Songs that having meaning to the both of you. You slip into the bath water to “submerge” and let the bath oils and beads do their job. As the last song plays [“Reunion”] you are ready to collect your present. Somehow you did not notice during your bath that another present topped with a card was placed next to the radio. You step out of the bath wrap yourself in the clothing [elegant yet sexy lingerie] that was laid out for you and go over to the box. You read the card and it says:

In this box you will find all the tools you need to unwrap your final prize/gift. Once you receive these tools come into the bedroom [the final destination…yet it is really the beginning] and all will be revealed.

In this box you find a box of tissue, an old skeleton key and a pair of scissors. Confused yet intrigued you gather these “tools” and head into the bedroom. When you step into your bedroom it’s as if you have been transported to someplace anew. It appears as if your bedroom has been bathed and dipped in white. Gone are the dark and heavy furniture, fabrics and colors that once made up your room. In the middle of the room stood a huge wrought iron four poster canopy bed draped in reams of white shear fabric. Again there were candles [white of course] lit throughout out the room illuminating all that was of importance. Sitting on the floor in front of the bed was yet another present. And you rushed over to open it and to see what the final present truly is. There is a card in side the box and it reads

Ha ha I fooled you didn’t I… as you can probably tell this is not the final gift after all. If you can find your way through all of the fabric surrounding the bed [I know I might have overdone it just a little] there you will indeed find the final and most important gift of all.

You make your way through the fabric and find yet another box on the bed. However this box is huge and you know instantly that whatever is in that box might not be of that size, but whatever it is would have meaning that if not equaled it easily surpassed it. So ever so carefully and slowly you proceed to open your final box. Inside amidst all of the tissue and fill you find a small rectangular box and a letter. You are instructed to read the letter first, and with nervous fingers you open the envelope and read this:

_______ [Add your name]

Never did I think my life would turn out this way. I thought I was living and had a good life, that is until I met you. When you came into my life I was instantly awakened and shown what living really was. You’ve brought so many things into my life, I’m not sure if I will ever be able to repay you. Now, if I must, I will happily spend the rest of my life trying to return all that you have given to me. From private birthday parties with balloons and streamers for just the two of us, to giving you every rose of every hue, to hot bubble baths each and every night. I’d even offer to braid your hair but we both know what a mess that would be…*smile*. Nothing would ever compare or equal the one gift you’ve given me. I know I keep speaking and rambling on about this precious and amazing gift you’ve given me and I know by now you’re wondering what it is. Well I’ll gladly tell you…you’ve given me my reason to awaken every morning, my reason to live. I used to sit and watch people and wonder what makes them continue on day after day. And I remember one particular day I saw an older couple in the park walking together still holding hands and laughing together. I wanted to go up to them and ask them how did they do it? What was the magic they found within each other and themselves that made them stay together and happy for so long. But I didn’t have to go to them after all, the answer was so plainly written on their faces for all the world to see. They found love, and that was what held them together and kept them going. And I knew from that day forward that if I were ever blessed with the opportunity to give and receive love I would be a truly lucky man indeed. I didn’t realize till our time apart, that I had indeed been blessed.

I’ve been in a lot of relationships where I’ve given my all. But it was not always given back in return. I thought that this was how it would stay. I thought I would always be searching for the lady who was willing to give just a little bit more. Thou never really expecting to find her because her all would never be given. It was at the point where people/women were more impressed by who I was than who I am. So instead of continually getting hurt I conditioned myself to be happy with the status quo. And as sad as that fact was I accepted it. But with a glimpse of a smile my whole world changed. I never thought something as small as that would mean so much and become so important.

You’ve changed my life. I didn’t notice it at first, but day after day, night after night I found myself smiling with thoughts of you. I found myself looking forward to my moments with you. Whether it was the few minutes it took for me to open and read an email sent by you, or if it was the hours on end we would spend on the phone together talking about everything and nothing all at the same time. I would go to the phone to call you just for a chance to hear your voice. And if by chance a day went by that we didn’t get to speak or communicate, the day would seem to drag and go on forever and I would become consumed with thoughts of you. I would wonder about the things you were doing, what was making you smile, or [if by chance] you were thinking of me too. I would record my moments with you and play them over at least a thousand times in my mind. The way you smiled when you heard something funny, the way you blushed when I paid you a compliment and/or whispered something in your ear, the way those little lines came in your forehead when you were thinking or really concentrating on something. The way you played in your hair. You were becoming my world, my every thought; every wish was about you. You engulfed my soul and made me whole again.

So as I continue to gather up our moments together…each hour each second each minute each day spent and all the moments yet to come. I am immensely touched and awestruck by the magnitude of who you are and what you’ve brought into my life. And as these wondrous moments continue to build and construct our castle in the sky [I was listening to “Just The Two Of Us” by Bill Withers while writing this and the song fit us perfectly] I humbly come before you and say Thank You. It’s sorta funny, I put a tissue in the last box because I knew that after reading this letter…better yet pledge to you tears may be flowing [I know how you are…all sensitive and stuff…which by the way I love] but I can honestly say that I stand before you all man with tears flowing. Tears of joy [for all that you have brought into my life], tears of happiness [because the second after I met you it’s as if I found all the happiness the world could muster], tears of sadness [although now that I have you there aren’t any…but for all the empty moments I experienced before you], and most importantly tears of love [because regardless of how this “ride” may end I can and will honestly say that I will love and cherish you until the day our souls depart]. LOOK INSIDE THE BOX THERE ARE MORE TISSUES *SMILE*

The key that was placed in the box has two meanings…symbolically and literally. Symbolically it means you hold the key that unlocked my soul and allowed me to live, love and breathe again. I had willed all my emotions away as a safeguard to insure I didn’t get hurt again. And no one I met ever made me desire a release of these feeling until you. You’ve taken that key and opened my heart once again. You’ve managed to take that old rusty key [the skeleton key that was in the box] and replaced it anew [look in the box again and you will find the new “key”]. And this new key I want you to wear always so in case it ever seems that my heart is closing once again you will always have the power to open it again. (The new key is a small diamond encrusted key dangling on a clear plastic necklace so it appears to be floating) Keep this key close to your heart because you will always be in mine.

Love Always,
M

p.s.
In case you were wondering what the scissors were about turn around slowly and cut the ribbon on your final present…

You turn around slowly and behind you stands Maxwell “wrapped” in a red ribbon smiling at you. You rush over to him and fling your arms around him secure in the fact that his love for you is as strong as yours for him. He touches your face slowly and you join together for a kiss…
“I guess you liked the letter huh?” he says smiling.
“More than you know” you reply. “I….
“Shhh…let this moment speak for itself” he says. And you continue to hold each other and share in another precious moment made for only you two…

Story Home Dance Birthday Wishes Wash and Go Anticipation By Invitation Only Winter Wonderland