I Love You
By
Nathan Caleb Camerer
Jack and Diane are standing on a street corner. Just as oblivious to the world that passes by them as it is of them. The few who do notice, just see a couple of Twentysomethings having a “talk” on a street corner. This is more than a “talk” though, this is Jack’s Smirking Revenge and it’s about to pay a visit to a young man sitting across the street at a Sidewalk Café. This is Jack’s first proof of love for Diane.
Jack’s new home is a room he shares with a guy named Dan in an institution known to most of the world as rehab. He’s a smart boy, but due largely to the lack of examples in his life, he’s made a few left turns and is now paying the price in a way. This is self imposed though. After having a friend get beaten to death in a drug deal gone wrong and losing another friend to an overdose, he realized it was time for a change. So, here he is. Getting “clean.”
His room mate, Dan, is dating a girl who is inside as well and her name is Candy. She has a room mate named Diane. Dan and Candy came in together after she OD’d on their Honeymoon. Diane was admitted after her boyfriend gave her a beating for refusing to start turning tricks. The only way she could escape him was to come here.
Jack was smitten with Diane the first time he saw her. It took a little time to win her over though. For obvious reasons, she was a little cautious. Dan and Candy helped move things a long and by the time Jack and Diane were released, a romance was blossoming.
Diane is sitting on the hood of her car, waiting for Jack to be released from jail after he beat her Ex to within an inch of his life in the Sidewalk Café. She looks bored to most people who pass by, but she isn’t. She can hardly contain her excitement. Jack’s little display of love has her reeling. She is trying to piece together a way to express her love for him that is greater or at least equal to his display. When he finally comes walking down the steps, her heart skips a beat and she almost becomes a statistic when she darts across the street without looking. Luckily, the driver of the car was paying more attention than she was.
Jack has the perfect apartment, in the best part of town, but it just isn’t quite big enough for two. Diane has a bigger place, but it’s kind of out of the way. The talk about getting a place together started while they were still in rehab, but Diane’s parents wouldn’t help her get a place with anybody, especially a boy she met in rehab. They picked it out and helped her get re-established in society. Jack had proved to be a good catch and her parents loved him and gave them their blessings to move in together, but would be cutting back the assistance that Diane had been receiving. They found a place that was closer than hers but not as close as his to the world they loved and invited her parents to the House Warming party. Jack asked for her parents blessings so they could get married and in front of all their friends, Jack got down one knee and asked her to marry him. Their love for each other was public now. There was no hiding it.
Jack and Diane are standing on a street corner. Just as oblivious to the world that passes by them as it is of them. The few who do notice, just see a couple of Twentysomethings having a “talk” on a street corner. This is more than a “talk” though, this is Diane about to destroy something beautiful to prove her love to Jack. Unfortunately, the “beautiful” thing is a cashier at the store across the street and she is about to feel the fury of a woman scorned and it will feel like hell.
Jack has been planning this day for months. He has enlisted the help of their friends who live in the building and the help of friends at all their favorite eating and drinking spots. He even has a live band that they are friends with to play some of her favorite tunes. They’ve been together for 5 years, married for 2 of those, and he wants to make this a big day. He also sold the rights to one of his stories to be made into a movie. The time to celebrate has arrived. He has her favorite sushi and he has her favorite wine. He has her heart and she has his.
Diane looks so sexy in her orange jump suit when she goes before the judge to receive her punishment for Assault. She holds her head high and has to repress a laugh when the judge tells her that the charges have been dropped and she only has to pay a fine. Jack is waiting for her when she gets released just like she was waiting for him.
Jack and Diane are sitting on a beach, as oblivious to the world around them as it is of them. To most around them, they just look like a couple of Twentysomethings enjoying a vacation. This is more than a vacation though this is their Honeymoon, another “happiest day ever” on what will hopefully be a very long list. It’s also something to mark off Jack’s “Bucket List.” Diane picked Big Sur as their destination for their Honeymoon because of Jack’s love of Hunter S. Thompson and the writer spending a great deal of time there in his early years.
Diane parks the car and Jack is waiting for her. He quickly puts a blindfold on her. He leads her up the stairs for what seems like forever, especially when you’re blindfolded. They finally stop going up stairs and he removes the blindfold. She takes in the scene, which includes all their friends and a live band. At the main table is a table with her favorite Sushi roll and a bottle of her favorite wine. She’s trying to hold back tears as they walk over and take a seat. As Jack is pouring her a glass, she decides to let her own little secret out. Luckily, there was someone taking pictures and they captured the look on Jack’s face when Diane tells him she’s pregnant and right before he fainted.
Jack comes home from a day at the coffee shop, where he was doing some writing, to find Diane and their daughter, Ava, all excited and bouncing off the walls. Diane had just scheduled an opening at a gallery for her art. A bonus to this was that two of her pieces had already sold and that the person who bought them was the force behind her getting to have an opening.
Jack and Diane are sitting on a park bench, as oblivious to the world around them as it is to them, just a couple of Thirtysomethings enjoying a day in the park. They weren’t alone though they were enjoying a day in the park, watching Ava play with her little brother, Korban, and the family dog, Crash, the perfect family with a checkered past of drugs and crime and violence.
Ava steps off the bus and starts heading towards home. Enjoying the crisp fall air and oblivious to the world around her. Daydreaming of what kind of car she’ll get for her 16th birthday in a month. She never saw the van pull up to the curb or was even aware that the passenger had jumped out. Her next memory is of waking up in a hospital bed and being surrounded by friends being told that everything would be okay. Her memory of that afternoon was vague, but the doctors said that was normal. They said that she would be able to work through it with therapy and go on to be just like other girls, but it would take time.
Jack comes home to find Diane sobbing in the middle of the living room floor. The doctors had called and the results were in. It was breast cancer and they would need to start treatment immediately.
Jack and Diane are sitting on a beach oblivious to the world around them. Twenty years ago they came to this beach on their Honeymoon. After a renewal of their vows, they boarded a jet plane to Big Sur. Diane has her hair back and regained some of the weight she lost during treatment for cancer. They removed a breast, but Jack was there through it all. His love never faltered. His strength kept her from giving up. His love and that of her children got her through it.
Korban is standing in front of mirror, trying to get his bowtie right. He’s struggling with it when his dad walks in to check on him. They talk about the big day that is before them. It’s not that big of a day for Korban, but he’s excited still. He’s looking forward to having a brother-in-law, especially one who is into cars and football. There have been some real losers over the years that have tried to be buddies with him just so they could date Ava. He’s missed having her around and some of her friends as well, but he’s found girls his own age to obsess over. The last year has been hectic for him and his parents. They have been acting a little strange lately. Today they give their daughter away and at the end of summer they will be losing him for a few years while he is away at college. He knows they’ll be okay though. Ava’s rape, his mom having Breast Cancer. His family has stood strong through it all.
Diane was just going through her daily routine at work when the phone rang. It was Ava and she had good news. Jack and Diane were going to be grandparents. After some hysterical chatter, they said their goodbyes and ended their conversation. She was shaking when she went to call Jack and could barely hold the phone. She never even noticed a change in his voice as they were talking about it, but the excitement was maybe a little too much. The next phone call she received was to let her know that he had a heart attack. The doctors at the hospital said it was nothing too serious, that he would be fine and there would be no serious lasting side effects. It was her turn to be the strong one.
Jack and Diane are sitting in the front Pew oblivious to the world around them. They are focused on their little boy who has become a man, a college graduate who has found himself a nice girl to marry, a man who will make a great father to the baby on the way. It’s just one more “happiest day ever” on a long list.
Ava and Korban are sitting at a long table with their families sitting beside them and their parents, Jack and Diane sitting at the head and foot of the table. Two people who did the best they could for their children. Who have tried to always be there for their children and grand children. Two people who’s love for each other has never wavered.
Jack sit’s in the front row with his children and their families on either side of him. In the rows behind him are the friends and their families from a life that has been full. In the coffin lies his wife of 50 years, the love of his life that was always there for him, the love that gave him two beautiful children who gave him five beautiful grand children who’s love will help him to face the future.
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