Skipping Stones

by J. B. McGee

“I think you’ve mastered that skill. Much better than the day I met you.”

  Thinking of the day he met me reminds me of my parents. I remember the day like it was yesterday, and wondering if it would ever feel like anything other than an open wound in salt water. I take one last glance at the area, seeing my life fifteen years ago and how far I’ve come. They’d be so proud. “Ready?” I ask.

  Stone nods, then takes my hand again. We walk the rest of the way in blissful silence, at least it is for me. The silence doesn’t cut like a knife because just being in his proximity is enough. While I’m scared, I’m also excited and hopeful. For the first time in my life, or maybe the second, I feel like I’m sufficient just as I am.

  When we reach the door of Memaw’s house, he pulls my body into his arms. “I’ll see you soon...later.”

  A tear escapes from my eye. He catches it with the pad of his thumb, and kisses it. “Do you think Memaw is awake?”

  Laughter helps my tears. “Why I hope so. I didn’t bring any keys with me last night.”

  “I want to tell her that I’ll see her later, too.”

  Smiling, I turn to ring the bell. It only takes a few seconds before I can hear the lock being manipulated on the other side. Bells jingle as the door opens. “Well look what the cat dragged in,” she says playfully.

  “Good morning to you, too,” I tease.

  Memaw clears the door and holds her arm out, as if to invite us in. She winks, “Stone.”

  We step into the living room. He opens his arms to embrace her. “I have to go. I just wanted to say that I’ll see you soon.” When he releases her he holds her at arm’s length, and his face grows serious. “My life was hard. There were only a handful of places we were safe for longer than a month. This was one of them.” He closes his eyes for a moment. I can feel the growing lump in my throat. Watching him be so good to the people I love is like an added bonus. He clears his throat and continues, “I never had grandparents. When we left, we left everyone and everything...you and Papa for those three weeks were the closest I ever had.”

  Memaw brings a hand to her mouth and her eyes fill with water. “Come here,” she breathes pulling him closer, into a warm hug. “I’m so sorry for what you went through, but as far as I’m concerned, you’re the grandson I never had for as long as you treat my Alex like she’s precious gold.”

  I watch them silently, almost like it’s a movie playing before my very eyes. I don’t feel like I belong in the scene, and it’s so touching. Stone swallows hard and blinks. I know that he’s a soldier, it takes a lot to make us cry because of what we’ve seen, but I think he might be as close to tears as I’ve ever seen him. He says, “That means the world to me. I have every intention of doing just that.” He glances towards me and smiles. “I need to go,” he mutters. Memaw wraps her arms around him one more time, then releases him.

  Stone uses his pointer finger in that come hither motion, and it makes me giggle. So sexy. His kiss is electrifying. I know my face is turning a million different shades of red. I’ve never kissed a boy or a man, and Stone is most definitely every bit of a man, in front of my family. There is no holding back. I savor the way his stubble feels on my cheeks, the taste of his sweet breath, and the air he feeds to my lungs. He makes me feel so alive. When he breaks the kiss, I have renewed hope that this is right. Even with the distance. “I’ll see you later,” I whisper.

  He smiles. “Later.”

  A few seconds later, and we’re all standing on the front porch. Memaw and I put one arm around each other as we watch him start to make his way back to the creek. A minute later, he looks back one more time and we both wave. The way my heart feels can’t be expressed with words, at least I don’t think so. It’s not breaking. Maybe it’s bending. It hurts, it could potentially break, but it’s too strong.

  I’m lying in our spot in the field. I’m deep in thought about how I got into this position. Sometimes I just need to be alone, outside, and let my thoughts run wild. So I am letting the sun seep its rays into my pores because it relaxes me. Everything is in place. Now I’m just waiting. Waiting for the love of my life to come back to me.

  I thought when I joined the military that it would be a career for the rest of my life, until I was medically retired. What I didn’t count on was Alex being placed in my life for a second time. I never thought I’d want to settle down in one place. It never occurred to me that I might actually want a family of my own...a boy to play ball with, or a little girl who I could give my heart to so she could wrap it around her little finger, but here I am. Now the one thing that has been so important to me and my life the last decade and a half is over. I’m a civilian, no longer commissioned in the United States Army. I’m free to live where I want, be with who I want, love who I want.

  For the first time in my life that I can remember I’m free. I open my eyes and stare into the sun, even though my mother told me it was a great way to go blind. I do it because I want to feel the brightness make me squint. I want to know this is real. It only takes a second for me to feel that it is.

  This isn’t a dream. If things go the way I want, very soon, I’ll have everything my dreams have been made of in arms’ reach.

  As I drive home from my shift at the hospital, I think back on the last three months. They’ve been the best of my life. Initially, I had a lot of questions. I was also scared. I have seen the effects of war first hand. The thought of finally having him back in my life, and then having him leave again to only lose him for forever was enough to nearly make me not take the risk, but I knew I couldn’t be without him anymore. Even if we only had one more month to be together, one more month to love each other, I knew that the month would be worth it. The memories, like the month we had before, would last me a lifetime.

  A few weeks ago I bought my first home. It’s across the street from Memaw. I wanted to be close, but I also needed my own space. When I pull into the driveway, I notice that there are fresh delivered flowers on my front porch. I walk up to them and read the card.

  Go across the street.

  I smile as I turn around and see more flowers, but this time they are wild ones, like we used to pick in the field and I know they are from Stone. As I approach them, I see another card. I reach down and open it.

  Go inside.

  So I turn the door knob, and walk into the formal living room. There are smooth stones, perfect for skipping, in a straight line leading to my old room. There’s an old metal folding chair by the bed. It has a notecard propped up on it.

  No more chairs needed. Stop by that closet in the hall with the towels on your way to the kitchen.

  At this point, I know I’m grinning like a fool. The anticipation is killing me. He’s not supposed to be here. He’s been gone for months, us communicating via Skype, phone, and email. Those conversations and messages have only confirmed what we both already knew, which is that we are the missing piece to each other’s puzzle. We share the same interests, and we want the same things out of life. The only thing that has been holding us back from fully living that life is the fact that we’ve been separated.

  My heart is racing. I open the closet to the towels, and there are two that are new. I pull them out and notice they have something embroidered on them. I unfold them to see: His and Hers.

  Swallowing the lump in my throat, I proceed to the kitchen and wonder where this is all heading. My stomach is swirling with butterflies. When I get to the kitchen, there is a Rubbermaid cake plate. There’s a sticky note attached.

  Bring this with you to the creek. No forks or other eating utensils needed.

  I stop for a moment and close my eyes. He’s here. I know he’s here. I fight back the tears that are forming. My hands are trembling from the adrenaline, but I carefully pick up the cake plate of what I can only assume would be Memaw’s Red Velvet cake. I briefly wonder where she is. She’d usually be home and cooking. When I get to the back door there’s another piece of paper taped to the door.

  Don’t wor
ry about Memaw. She went out with The Episcopal Church Women for dinner.

  The smiley face makes me giggle. Adorable. I love this man. I push the door open with my side, and slowly go down the few steps to avoid dropping this cake.

  Ordinarily, I’d run to the creek, but I can’t with this cake. So I walk as fast as I can, but my mind is racing wondering what he’s up to with this scavenger hunt. The questions stir in my mind as to how he’s even here. I thought he had another week before he could take leave.

  When the water becomes visible, he’s not there. Instead, I see rocks in the formation of an arrow pointing to the direction of our field. I glance down looking for poison ivy or poison oak. I briefly see flashes of him from when we were kids in my mind, memories of him smiling at me as I almost walked straight into the itchy plant.

  My heart pounds so fast in my chest that I can hear the vibrations in my ears. When I get to the open pasture, I hear music playing. It’s Home by Ry Cuming. What I see takes my breath away. A big heart made out of wild flowers. In the middle of it, is Stone lying back watching...waiting. Below his crossed feet are the words, Marry Me in red roses.

  Tears start streaming down my face. My Drew, my Stone. Forever mine. I nearly drop the cake plate because my hands are trembling. He gets up and walks over to me with a smile on his face.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask.

  “I’m out. I’m done with the military. I wanted to surprise you. I didn’t re-enlist. I’ve known for some time I’d be home a week earlier than I told you.”

  I turn my head and try to catch my breath from the sobs. I shake my head trying to fathom what’s happening, but I am not sure when it will sink in for me.

  He takes the cake plate from me, “I’ll take this. It’s for later.”

  “Red Velvet?” I whisper.

  He winks. “Of course.”

  Then, he takes my empty hand and walks me to the flower heart. He leans over and puts the cake down onto a picnic blanket that is being anchored by a basket. When he turns around, he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me close. He rubs his nose against mine, inhales and moans. “I have missed holding you so much.”

  “Me, too,” I murmur into his neck as I run my fingers through his hair. Words aren’t freely flowing for me. He has a way of making me speechless.

  He pulls away and brushes my hair back, caressing my cheeks. "Someone wise once told me that when I found a girl who made me want to love her for always and in all ways, I’d found the one. It was after I'd had to leave you. It was during my first deployment. I knew even then that you were that person for me. So when I saw you before the explosion, that brief moment, I knew that I'd been given another chance. Except, this time, the only way I will ever leave you is when death do us part."

  I nod and try to swallow, but my mouth is so dry. The bricks that always seemed to occupy my chest during the most horrible times in my life are there once more, but this time, instead of crushing me, there’s a feeling a of fullness. My cup runneth over.

  He continues. "Diamonds are rare, beautiful, and precious stones. Let me explain how this one is different from all the rest." He opens the Tiffany blue box. “This is a heart shaped diamond, but it almost looks like a tear drop.”

  I gasp. “It’s beautiful. Not what I’d expect a heart ring to look like.”

  “Right.” He glances up at me. “I came to your house to find you the day that Papa passed away, but we talked for hours before the heart attack.”

  I swallow again, not sure how this has anything to do with his proposal.

  “I knew I’d marry you.” He shrugs. “You saying ‘no’ wasn’t even an option.” He kisses the ring. “He asked me if I’d get you a heart shaped diamond so you’d always have the Hart name with you, close to your heart, even after your name changed.”

  I cover my mouth, unable to contain the tears. I try to speak, but it’s like my voice is gone. Nothing comes out.

  “I had this custom made. I wanted it to also look like a tear drop. A reminder of the tears you’ve shed. A reminder of your parents. If not for their tragedy, I don’t know that I’d have you.” And for the first time, I see a tear escape his eye.

  I brush it with the pad of my finger. “Oh, Stone.”

  He clenches his eyes closed and then he opens them. “Alex, everything happens for a reason. Even when we don’t understand why. I’d bring them back if I could. I’d erase all of the hurt you’ve had.” He shakes his head. “But I can’t.” He picks my finger up and places the ring on it. “I told you once that I’d tell you what to do with those tears.” He swipes them from my cheeks, and kisses them. “I’m promising you right now that I’ll catch them for the rest of my life. I’m promising that I’ll do everything in my power to make sure they are only tears of joy, not sorrow.”

  I can’t take anymore. I reach my arms around his neck. “Are you done yet? Because the answer is yes. Yes, a million times yes. Just kiss me already!”

  He chuckles as I nearly tackle him. Our lips lock, and it’s like our hearts are being welded together, for eternity.

  When he pulls back, he says, “I wasn’t done yet.”

  “Okay, well finish. By all means. I want to hear everything. We’ve got nothin’ but time,” I giggle.

  He smiles. “Now. Out of all the rocks and stones I've ever given you, this is the only one you don't have permission to ever skip. Promise me you'll wear it for the rest of your life."

  My heart flutters. “I promise. And someone once taught me to never break promises.”

  Today has been the best day of my life, but I wish Papa and my parents had been here to experience it with me. The band is playing that famous strip tease song as Stone is starting to pull the many layers of my dress up my leg. He glances into my eyes, and I can’t help but burst into giggles. He chuckles. It’s like no one else exists at this moment. It’s just us, for the rest of our lives.

  Today, I married my best friend. We made promises that we vowed we’d never break. Today I married the one who makes my soul complete and full, the one who has always saved me when I felt like there was no hope left in this world.

  His fingers dance on my legs, and it sends shivers through my entire body. When they reach their target, there’s a glimmer in his eyes that hypnotizes me. It’s a look of other kinds of unspoken promises. I can’t hear his voice because our family and friends are cheering so loud and the band is right behind us. I read his lips, “You’re beautiful.”

  It freezes me, and my heart pounds in my chest. The fun moment turning serious in slow motions. “My heart.” I glance down to my chest. “Is so full. Complete. Whole.”

  When he gets it off my leg, he clenches the garter in his hand. On his way to standing, he stops and holds my head between his hands, pulling me into the sweetest kiss. When he releases me, his lips brush my forehead. A tear escapes my eye, but before it is able to land on the fabric of my dress, he catches it and winks.

  Hours later we’ve left the reception, and I think we’re headed to our honeymoon suite, but instead the limousine takes a detour. I glance around at familiar scenery. “Are we going home?”

  He scoots closer to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders, spooning me. “Nope.”

  “Hmm,” I wonder aloud. “Where to then?” I ask.

  “You’ll see in a minute.” He threads his fingers through mine, then brings our hands to his lips. “I don’t want this day to end,” he whispers.

  “Me neither.” It sure looks like we’re headed home, then another idea comes into my mind. “Are we going back to the creek?”

  He nods. “I came here earlier, and it just didn’t feel right not having this as a part of our day.”

  I grin. “I agree, thank you.” Stone wanted to get married in our field. It would have been beautiful. I could picture it. Yet, there is something so sacred about our field, our place. I just couldn’t imagine sharing it with so many people. Then the thought of rain and no place to flee made my decisio
n to have our wedding indoors an easy one. “Did you know I came to the creek earlier, too?”

  He turns his head. “You did?”

  “Uh huh. I had a few pictures taken here before I went to the church.” I smile remembering them. Me skipping stones, picking flowers, sitting in our spot, giggling as I point to a patch of poison ivy. Then there’s my absolute favorite. I’m in our spot eating a Little Debbie Swiss Roll and a piece of Red Velvet cake.

  He kisses my hair. “What kind of pictures?”

  I close my eyes as I smile. “They’re a surprise.”

  “Hmph. I can’t wait.”

  Soon, we’re there. The chauffeur opens our door, but Stone leads the way. When he is out of the vehicle, he offers his hand. I place mine in his. Then as soon as my feet touch the ground, he swoops me into his arms. “They say you’re supposed to carry your bride over the threshold.”

  “Uh. There’s no –”

  He silences me with a passionate kiss. Our tongues dance and swirl like the very first time we ever locked lips in this place. He rubs his nose against mine. “There may not be a threshold to a bedroom, but when we cross over that path into the field, that is like crossing into a magical place.”

  I smile. He’s right.

  He continues. “It’s the only threshold I’m going to carry you across tonight.”

  I furrow my brows. “But we have reservations.”

  “No we don’t.” He shakes his head as a sly smile creeps upon his gorgeous starlit face. “Trust me?”

  “Yeah.”

  He tightens his grip on me as he starts to walk. Our big rocks that we sit on are decorated with flowers from the wedding. There’s a trail of red roses that lead to our special spot. Then I see a glow, like there is more light than there usually is.

  Stone stops as soon as I am able to see what he’s done. There’s a white tent with a large, plush white bed covered with more roses in the middle. Mosquito netting surrounds the perimeter, and the extra light I thought I had noticed was from the string lights giving the entire area a romantic glow.