I awake the following morning next to my love, my wife, my Linda. She opens her eyes that are still as vibrant to me as they were before.
“Good morning, sweetheart. You’re up early.”
“Mmm. And you’re up late,” she says, kissing my cheek.
“I don’t think the kids are up yet. I should go make breakfast. Care for anything?” I ask, sitting up.
“Fruit salad, oatmeal, and wheat toast.” She says, fluffing her pillow a little more.
“So scrambled eggs, sausage, and pancakes. Got it,” I say as she winks at me.
I quietly go to the kitchen, smiling at all the baby decor now covering the first floor of my home. As I prepare breakfast, Leslie creeps down the stairs.
“Hey daddy,” she says, tightening the robe around her frame. I smile warmly as she plants a butterfly kiss on my cold cheek.
“Hi darlin’. Hungry?”
“Mmm, you bet. Smells good. Anything I can help with?”
I hand her a bowl of fruit to cut up. “So how is Florida? You liking it yet?”
“Mmm… there are some things I like. Others not so much,” she giggles. “But Dave and I are adjusting.”
“So tell me about the baby,” I say, moving around sausage links in the pan. “Miss.Mom-to-be.”
“Being a first time parent is tough. Mama said it’d be a piece of cake but… she lied,” she says, slicing a few kiwis. “But I’ve been spoiled rotten so I guess that’s the plus side of it all, until the baby actually arrives of course.”
“Any names you like?”
“Tons. But since we still don’t know the sex, we can’t chose yet. We still have a month or so left, that’s plenty of time.”
I nod, gazing at my daughter. She’s grown and matured a lot more than I thought. “Well you have so many people to turn to if you need help. Ya’ll got both your parents, and you have your other sisters and your brother, and friends, each other.”
From the corner of my eye I can see her sneak a few piece of fruit into her mouth. “Hey, we gotta eat too you know,” I tease.
“I’m just nervous about the party. Everyone’s coming, even Stacie. I haven’t seen her in forever!”
“You always say that,” I chuckle. I turn off the stove, setting everything out on the indoor dining table.
Finally, David and Linda join us, greeting us both a good morning.
“Big day today,” David said, taking a seat next to Leslie.
“I was just telling Daddy how excited I was,” Leslie says, and then her tone suddenly dropping, “I hope no one thinks I’m fat.”
“Les, no one is going to think you’re fat,” Linda says, scooping a heap of eggs onto her plate, “you’re pregnant for God’s sake.”
“And if they do,” I say, “then you know your mother will be right there to take care of it.” I look over to my wife, who smiles knowingly.
“And if anybody thinks I’m fat,” she says, “then you know you’re father will be right there to take care of it.”
At about 4 o’clock later that day, just about all our guests have arrived and the party has been going smoothly. Leslie is walking around in a gorgeous dress being paraded by friends and family members, wishing her and David the best. There are little children running around chasing each other, some of them being my other grandchildren, young couples cuddling next to the fire pit, old couples dancing and laughing like they did when they were young.
I, however, am enjoying this all from a table set up in the big gazebo out side.
“You really got a nice pad here,” a familiar voice says behind me.
I turn around in surprise, to be met with the person that has thankfully, given me all this. “Trace! Wow, I didn’t expect you to be coming,” I say, hugging him tightly.
“I know, but Linda called me the other night and we figured out a way for me to come,” he says. Over his shoulder I see her wink at me from the back porch.
We both take a seat, neither of us wasting time to catch up. “So how’ve you been?”
“I’ve been great. Got myself a good family, good friends, making good money,” he says, sitting back in his chair, “I can’t complain. Seems like you’re not doing so bad either.”
“Nope,” I sigh, “I got it good buddy. And it’s all thanks to you.”
“Me?” He asks, pulling two beers from the cooler at his feet, “What did I do?”
There’s a lot that I want to say, but I just keep it as honest and simple as possible. “More than you know, man. More than you know.”
Trace wonders for a while what I’m talking about before speaking again. “Leslie’s all grown now.”
“I know,” I say, happening to catch her in front of someone’s camera waving, “so am I.”
“You’re gonna be a grandpa…again,” he laughs, “You’re old.”
“What are you talking about? You got seven,” I say. “Elisha and the kids here too?”
“Nope, they couldn’t make it but they send their love.”
Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Trace or his family in about four months. “I’m glad you’re here though, buddy.”
“Me too, Justin,” he says, “me too.”
And we raise our bottles toasting to the past, the future, and this exact moment.
“Daddy, Uncle Trace! It’s time for presents and games!” Leslie exclaims, making her to us.
I mumble to Trace as we follow her, “You better be here the whole night. I’m not gonna go through this alone.”
He pats me on the back, “Don’t worry buddy. I’ll be here.”
“I’m happy you made it Uncle Trace,” Leslie says, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“It’s no problem. I wouldn’t miss this.”
“You know, it seems like I can’t go ten seconds without having someone herd me sayin-”
“Leslie! Wow, look at you!” a man I recognized as Steve said. He’s an old friend of Leslie’s. I never liked the guy.
“Hey Steve,” she says wrapping him up in a hug. “Thanks for coming. How are you?”
“Great,” he says, “Look at you. You’re so… big.”
Leslie looks at me with that “Go-get-mom-right-now” look.
“Ha ha, well I am pregnant right. We don’t shrink,” she says, slugging him in the arm. “I’ll see you later Steve.”
As we enter the large tent that’s been decorated with streamers, balloons, banners, candles, and flowers, Leslie takes a seat at the center of the long table in front of all the round ones, where our guests are sitting.
The inside of the tent looks like we’re all sitting inside a water fall of white chocolate. It’s dimly lit, with white flowers scattered all around and light sea green ribbons trimmed all along the interior of the tent, and tall big center pieces with seashells lying at the base.
I take a seat next to Trace at a round table, allowing Leslie’s cousins and girlfriends to gather around her.
“Hello everyone,” Linda says into the microphone, “Um, we just wanted to welcome to our home, and thank you for showing up tonight. Today means a lot to my family and we’re glad to be able to share it with you. Right now we’re going to start with presents and then proceed with some really fun games. So, let’s all make of most of this night, shall we?”
And with that, the gift opening begins. Leslie and her friends all cry out as every gift is exposed. I’ve never seen anyone get so excited over little booties before. Flashes go off every second, everyone trying to capture each moment.
Finally, Linda hands her our gift. There are three boxes, wrapped up in shiny white wrapping paper, stacked up on top of each other.
“Aww, this is from my parents,” Leslie says, placing the gift in front of her. “I wonder what it is…”
She opens the two larger boxes first, pulling out the contents: custom-made outfits, blankets sewn by Linda, and a “Baby’s Firsts” book. She squeals with hurriedly opens the other package.
I watch with happiness as she gasps, lifting the items inside: three bracelets. The first, for David is top quality platinum, with three yellow canary diamonds in the center. Leslie’s bracelet is elegant, with three D flawless diamonds set in gold. And the last, belonging to the baby is a mixture of the two.
I feel myself almost go deaf as an uproar from the crowd rings through the tent. I watch as David and Leslie help to put on each other’s new present, both pieces looking extraordinarily amazing (and expensive may I say).
“Mama! Daddy! Oh my gosh!” she says, hugging Linda, repeating those words over and over. She runs to me, throwing her arms around my neck, “It’s beautiful! Thank you so much!”
Now her girlfriends are trying all at once to see it. Leslie doesn’t really care about material things, but she deserves it. When the chaos dies down, Leslie announces the beginning of games in which all the men in the tent leave, including Trace and I.
“I am not sticking for that,” Trace says, as we walk back to the gazebo.
“Me neither,” I agree. I hand him another beer, “You’re awfully quiet. That’s a new one.”
He pops open his beer and takes a swig, swishing it around his mouth for a while. “I was just thinking…” he taps his fingers on the table before looking up at me, “Do you remember that night when you were rushed to the hospital?”
Now that I think of it, that was the reason for last time I had seen him. I was just gardening my front yard until I remember fainting. The next time I woke up I was lying in a hospital bed and when I asked what happened, I had had a heart attack.
“I remember. Why?”
“Well, I remember rushing over there as fast as I could thinking what if that night… you know. What if you… didn’t make it?”
I sit and ponder his question; it’s something that I ask myself too. “Honestly… I don’t know. But I’m here now, and that’s what I should be thankful for. I’m here now, at my daughter’s wedding shower sharing a beer with my best pal.”
Inside, I battle with the feeling to hug Trace will all the strength I have left in me. Sometimes I wonder if this will be the last time I see him, and that worries me. I know that life is full of changes and adjustments; some are tougher than others, some not so much. But without change where would I be now? I for sure wouldn’t have the life I live now. I guess it’s all a matter of what you chose to do with your life when those decisions need to be made. But with all the changes I’ve had to make in my time, I’m sure glad I’ve still got all the things that matter most.
From the tent I can hear Linda’s voice through the microphone, and an idea pops into my head.
“Hey, Trace.”
“Yeah?”
“Can you do me a favor?” I ask, leaning in.
Later that night, after everyone had left and everything was cleaned up, I find Linda in the kitchen, eating up another slice of cake.
“Hey you,” I say, wrapping my arms around her. “Late night snack?”
“Yeah,” she giggles, “I thought you were sleeping?”
“Nope,” I turn her around and whisper, “I’ve got a surprise for you. Follow me.”
I take her hand and guide her through the back and open the gate to descend down the steps and onto the sand, the same sand where so many years ago, we married. We stroll down a few more steps with the moonlight guiding our way back to the gazebo. I help her up the steps as she cries out with joy.
“Oh Justin, this is wonderful,” she says, her eyes looking over the table I had Trace set up for us while I kept her busy inside. “How did you do this?”
“Trace,” I tell her, both of us taking a seat.
“I should have known,” she laughs. I help pour her glass of wine as we toast. “To love.”
“To love,” I repeat, “To love found between two complete strangers, that all began with a nurse aiding an injured man in his underwear.”
“On this very beach, too,” she says as I nod.
I take her hands into mine, leaning in close. “I know that with the baby shower today and all, we were both so busy. But I wanted to make up for it. So,” I say, “Happy Anniversary, honey.”
She kisses me softly, “Happy Anniversary.”
I feel the nerves build up in me as I tell her, “I’ve got a surprise for you.” I scoot back in my chair to pull out what I’ve been working so hard on. “Here you go.”
Her eyes squint in confusion at the newspaper-wrapped gift. “What in the world?”
“Newspapers are keepers of history. The way the present inside does.”
She tilts her head at me unsurely, but begins to rip away at the present anyway. When the task is over, she holds the object in front and I sit beside her.
“A Picture Is worth a Thousand Words and Hers Deserve a Second Glance Too: Justin and Linda Timberlake,” she throws her head back laughing as she reads the title.
“Let’s take a look,” I say, flipping open the first page.
“Love at First Sight,” she says with a raised eyebrow. “Oh God… it’s that picture from the first time we met. How ugly are we?” She turns the page quickly, both of us looking at all the memories we’ve shared.
“That’s the day you’re head got stuck in between the fence when you were trying to get your watch from Ms.Cooper’s backyard last summer at Leslie’s house,” she says, pointing to the photo.
“I wasn’t about to ask her for it. That lady is crazy,” I say shuddering from the memory.
For another half hour we scan over the pages, each photograph holding its own importance to our history together.
“Honey, the rest of the pages are blank,” she says, flipping through them.
“That’s because we still have a lot more memories to make,” I say, tucking a strand of hair behind her ears. I reach for a remote to my side, turning the radio on. “Will you dance with me?”
“I’d love to,” she says, placing her hand into mine.
I close my eyes, enjoying the feeling of having her near. Linda’s body moves closer to mine, both of us taking in the moment. The stars in the sky and the crash of the waves bring us back to that instant in time where our eyes first met. She didn’t rescue me just for that night alone, but for the rest of my life as well.
“Linda?” I ask, as we continue to sway back and forth.
“Yes, dear?” she says from her spot, nestled below my chin.
I bring my mouth to her ear and whisper, “What do you think of when you hear this song?”
I feel her smile against my chest as she lifts her head to join our lips. “Us.”
Lately you've been questioning
If I still see you the same way
Cause through these trying years
We gonna both physically change
Now don't you know you you'll always be
The most beautiful woman I know
So let me reassure you darlin that
My feelings are truly unconditional
See I'll love you when your hair turns gray
I'll still want you if you gain a little weight
The way I feel for you will always be the same
Just as long as your love don't change, no
I was meant for you and you were meant for me
And I'll make sure that I'll be everything you need
Girl the way we are is how its gonna be
Just as long as your love don't change
Cause I'm not impressed, more or less
By them girls on the T.V and in magazines
Cause honestly I believe that your beauty
Is way more than skin deep
Cause everything about you makes me feel
I have the greatest gift in the world
And even when you get on my last nerve
I couldn't see myself being with another girl
I'll love you when your hair turns gray
I'll still want you if you gain a little weight
The way I feel for you will always be the same
Just as long as your love don't change, no
I was meant for you and you were meant for me
And I'll make sure that I'll be everything you need
Girl the way we are is how its gonna be
Just as long as your love don't change
So don't waste your time worrying bout
Small things that ain't relevant to me
Cause to my understanding you’re all I want and need
See what I'm trying to say is I'm here to stay
And as long as your love don’t change then babe
Baby, baby darling I swear that I,
I swear I ain't going nowhere no
I'll love you when your hair turns gray, girl
I'll still want you if you gain a little weight, yeah
The way I feel for you will always be the same
Just as long as your love don't change, no
I was meant for you and you were meant for me
And I'll make sure that I'll be everything you need
Girl the way we are is how its gonna be
Just as long as your love don't change
Lyrics:
“Don’t Change”- Musiq Soulchild
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