One More Day?

One more day? That's all we have left, one more day 24 hours, 1,400 minutes, 86,400 seconds. I pick you up in my black truck, the same one I will leave you behind in. I pick you up at 8, as we ride to our favorite spot like nothing changed between us, like everything is normal and for today it is. We get a table and sit down, we order our favorite foods, drinks, and appetizers. You sit there beside me with admiration on your face, your blonde hair like the sun in the dark. We drink and eat till our stomachs can't take any more, and then we eat some more. We go down to the dance floor, and dance our hearts out even though both of us have no rhythm. We go to the arcade next door and play games until our thumbs are blue. I win you a stuffed animal, a giraffe your favorite. The pure look of happiness and you squeeze into your new toy, is enough to make me happy for life. You give me a slight kiss on the cheek and lips as you thank me for the giraffe over and over. We then turn in our tickets at the front and she gets me my own toy giraffe. “For we can match”, she says. I take it from her with a grateful smile, knowing this could be the last gift I ever get from you.

After the food and the drinks, and the arcade games we drive down to our favorite park. We sing to the trees and dance in the grass, I spin you around kissing you and comforting you. We run in the tall plants and pick out flowers for each other, I put a white daisie behind your ear perfectly matching your hair and outfit. Tears spring to my eyes but I can't let you see, I turn around as if I'm studying a new plant ive never seen. Though I feel your gaze behind me and I know you know what emotions are pouring through me. You spin me around and wipe my tears without saying a word, and kiss me on the lips. I calm down and I ask you a question, “do you remember our song we made”? “Of course I remember my love, it was about the money trees”, she says. I tell her lets sing it and we sing to the stars, our favorite song, the one we created together. We sit there singing to the birds and it feels like nothing could ever touch us in this moment, it feels almost as if everything is okay even though it isn't

We dust off our shirts and pants, and hop back into the black truck. We drive off to the grocery store and pick up a loaf of bread. We leave from there to our favorite lake, the one we used to feed the ducks at. I watch as you call three ducks over and offer them some bread. They gladly accept and even let her pet them, as if they were a house pet. I run over hoping to feed the ducks too, but they ride off. They always loved her more than me, I always will love them though. I sit there as you laugh at me, I try to memorize your laugh and bottle it, knowing I won't hear it tomorrow. Finally we lay down in the grass and count the stars. You tell me all about your favorite ones, and their backstories, and how you love the stars. We sit there for what feels like hours not wanting to let go of the moment, not wanting to let us fade away. This lasts until she finally says, “You know you don't have to go right, you can stay here with me and be happy” I look at her as tears fall down, and I can't stop them. “I want more than anything to stay you know this but I cant, I have to go you know this. “Yea I do know but I wont stop asking until you're gone, I love you too much to give up”, she says. You will find someone new, someone less complicated, and be happy dont worry”, I tell her even though I can sense the worry through her eyes. “So you're never coming back”?, she says through a cracked smile. “I will come back, but it might be a long time, but I’ll be back”. Hopefully im still here for you to see me, she says, her hand tightens around mine, as we fall asleep to the night knowing nothing will be the same

When we wake up the sun is beaming in our eyes, it seems like we slept all night. I sit up, brush dirt and grass off of me and slowly turn to look at you, sitting there quietly already awake, knowing it's almost time to say goodbye. “Good Morning Maria, you're up early aren't you?” I tell her with a hint of playfulness to my voice, but I can tell she has been crying. “Elliot dont leave me, dont go I love you”. She tells me with tears in her eyes. “I have too Maria, they need me. I'm the only doctor in my home town and my friends and family are dying”. “But I'm dying without you, I need you Elliot”. “Ill be back before you know it, I promise”. “Do you pinky promise Elliot”? “I pinky promise Maria, now c'mon come help me pack”. She looks at me still with sadness in her eyes but comes to help me pack. We bag my clothes, our photo album, for I can remember her she says and everything else important. The final thing I pack, the toy giraffe she won me for we could match, I sat it beside me in the passenger seat, and buckled him up. Now it feels as if she will be right beside me the whole trip back. “Well that's everything Maria, I must go now”. “Okay, go save your family baby then come back and save me I love you, goodbye Elliot”. “Goodbye Maria”. I hop in my truck, wave goodbye and drive off into the unknown.

5 years later: It's been five years, I've grown, I did what I had to do back home, and now I'm back looking for you. I saved my family and now I must come and save you. First I go to my favorite corner store back home, and grab a soda and a pack of candy. Then I head to a gas station and fill up on gas for the long trip. Now I'm on the road driving thinking of you, what your face will look like when you see me back and a smile comes across me. Im finally coming back to you, I promised I would and now im fulfilling this promise. After a long drive I finally arrived home, and it felt different. Our favorite restaurant tore down, for something new and fancier. Our arcade tore down for a new and brighter arcade. This hurts me but I brush it off, me and her will find new spots to love. I arrive at your house and knock three times our lucky number hoping you remember. No answer. That's strange. I drive over to your mom’s house knowing on Sundays she usually is on the porch reading. And sure enough that's where I find her, perched up on the porch with a new book in hand. I walk up the stairs slowly waiting for some kind of recognition from her. She finally notices me and realizes who I am, but there's no excitement to come greet me. “Why are you back”? She asks. “I'm here to see Maria ma’am”. I tell her calmly trying to bubble down my excitement. I see tears start to bubble from her eyes and I start to get worried. “Son, sit down, would you like some tea?. She asks me. “No im okay, whats up with Maria“? She's been gone for 4 years, nobody knows where she is.

Four years you’ve been gone, I've been stuck thinking you would stay here but you didn’t. I drive around with tears stinging my vision, not knowing where to go. Till I remember the park, maybe your at the park. I know deep down your not but I go anyway, I call out your name to the shadows but nobody responds. That's when reality sets in for me, you're really gone Maria. So I do the one last thing we did here, I sing:

Meet me by the money trees where the grass is green and we love to sing oh meet by the money trees where we laugh and dance like were in a trance, oh meet me by the money trees our favorite spot where the world cant see oh meet me by the money trees ill meet you there and we’ll fight a bear, oh meet me by the money trees oh baby, oh meet me by the money trees and we’ll live peacefully oh kiss me by the money trees

Elliot is that you?

The end