Packaged Memoirs

The post does not normally run on Sundays, but today proved to be a rare exception. It has been a year and six months since I’ve last heard from him and not, I find this interestingly wrapped package, dusty brown in color, sitting on my front porch. I cannot say for sure if it is even from him or if he is even thinking about me enough to send me an entire package. We went from sending love letters back and forth to each other for over a year to complete silence. Not a single letter, nor a note of any kind. It is like all the love we expressed to each other, all the romance we poured into each other and all through the simple technique of eloquently placed words on blank sheets of paper...never even happened.

I cannot even tell you why he stopped writing to me. It all feels like a dream that just crashed and burned, but I digress. This package was small in size, quite petite. It did not have an address from the sender nor a name, but it had my name and address on it. The detail in the way my name was written looked all too familiar. It sent my heart fluttering slightly out of control, and I had to catch my breath for a moment. I clutched my chest to help ease my racing mind as I stared at the mysterious package. Forgetting where I was for a moment, I looked around as I stood on my front porch and saw my neighbor staring nosily at me. I fixed my hair, threw on a smile and waived at Mrs. Flowers.

“Good evening Mrs. Flowers!” I greeted.

“Good evening Liara dear. Are you feeling all right?”

“Yes Ma’am! I am fine. Just felt a little light-headed. I think I’m going to go back inside and rest a while”

“Okay dear. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Yes Ma’am, thank you!”

Mrs. Flowers is a sweet older woman, just overtly nosey. I quickly grabbed the package and retreated inside. I sat at my dining room table and looked over the package. I traced my fingers over each cursive letter of my name and placed my hand over my mouth, hushing the gasp that tried to escape. ‘There's no way’ I thought to myself. The indentations of each letter transformed into a flashback of the very first letter I received from him. Dorian...That was his name. Just saying his name sends my body and mind rushing into a euphoric sense of passion that unhinges my Soul!

Damn him...damn him for not responding back to me. Damn him for not writing me a single letter back with an apology or some sort of explanation of where he has been or what happened to him, what happened to us...what happened to ME?! Falling in love with the idea of a man that writes me intense love letters only to abruptly stop communicating with me? How dare I be so vulnerable and give my heart away like that! I placed my other hand over my nose; A subtle scent of musk and Golden Sands filled my sensory levels with immediate thoughts of him. Why? After all of this lost time, why has he chosen to send me a package now? And of all days, on the eve of our writing anniversary?! Such a cruel man to play such cruel games like this with me! I needed to be certain that this package was from him. I grabbed one of the letters he wrote to me some time ago and compared the writing style to that which was on the package. An almost perfect match. It had to have been from him.

I proceeded to open the small package delicately, as I did not want to tear where the writing of my address was. After removing all the brown paper, I opened the small square box to find a cute, vibrant red, heart-shaped box inside. I held it gently in my hands as I noted the smooth finish of the box. It was beautiful! Simple, yet elegant. The thoughts running through my mind were endless. I found my hands trembling as I pressured myself to open it regardless of how fearful and anxious, I felt. I took a deep breath and slowly opened the heart-shaped box...

My heart dropped into my stomach and I loudly gasped. Tears swelled up in my eyes as I stared back at my own reflection. A diamond ring. A DIAMOND RING! I was completely awe-struck. I cried and laughed at the same time. ‘If this isn’t from him, I don’t know what to think’ I thought to myself. The display was adorable! From the suede-feeling heart shaped box to the spotlight shining down onto the exquisite diamond ring, everything about it was perfect, except one obvious thing. I heard a knock on my back door, which I found strange, so I went to investigate. I peered out of the window and saw nothing, but the moment I opened the back door, a trail of lights highlighted my cobblestone pathway into my garden. There were rose petals and sunflowers trailing into my garden as well and I could not help but smile widely. He knows sunflowers are my favorite. Forgetting my slippers at the door, I instinctively walked out into the darkness of the evening barefoot and followed the petals and lights. I started to hear a faint sound of a violin being gracefully strummed as I grew closer to my intended destination. Once I reached the middle of my garden, I saw an array of things; My table with two glasses and a bottle of wine, candles, but the most breath-taking sight was that of a tall man standing within the shadows. He slowly turned around and walked forward into the light while playing his violin and I shrieked with excitement.

“Dorian...” I spoke.

“My Goddess.” He responded.

“I cannot believe this...how did you...when did you...”

“Shhh” he hushed me.

I do not know when, but before I knew it, his arm was wrapped around my waist while the other gently grazed my cheek. My temperature rose with an eruption of long-last passion over his very presence. His touch, his smell, everything about him was making me swoon, but before I could, his lips pressed against mine locking ourselves into a deep lover’s pact. I looked into his eyes as he immersed himself into mine. Out of all the things I could have said, I opened I mouth and asked,

“The 10th Kingdom?”

He chuckled and nodded his head in agreeance. He was a huge movie buff and that was one of the last movies we watched together. Plus, the display of the ring fit that description of the singing pearl ring all too well. He grabbed the box from my hand and knelt on one knee.

“I apologize for keeping you waiting my Love” he started. “My intentions were never meant to hurt you, I swear it. My absence was meant to lead up to this very moment and I hope that you’ll see my efforts were not in vain and I ask that you share more moments with me like this, forever”.

The water works were flowing down my face and practically rejuvenating each petal surrounding my feet on the ground.

“Dorian...” I whispered.

“My Sun, my Sunflower, my Goddess Liara. Will you do me the great honor of being my wife?”

Without even a second thought, I fell to my knees to join him on the ground and kissed him profusely.

“Of course I’ll be your wife, Dorian!” I exclaimed.

From that moment on, we lived the most incredible life together and still create lasting memories to this day and to think it all happened because of a mysterious brown package I received on a Sunday.

“Again! Again mommy!” Shouted O.

My daughter absolutely loved our love story, and she would stay up all night listening to it.

“Now now O. That is enough for one night. It is time for bed” I responded as I tickled her down into her comforter and proceeded to tuck her in.

“Will you tell it to me tomorrow night then mommy? Please?” she begged.

“Yes, yes of course my Love. But for now, let us rest, ok?

“Okay mommy.”

I kissed her on her forehead and whispered goodnight to her as she started to drift into dreamland. As I walked out of her room and quietly closed her door, Dorian startled me with a quick tickle on my waist.

“The brown package story again?” he asked.

“Do you have to ask?”

We both chuckled at the unanimous thought. “She’s a hopeless romantic” I said.

“Just like her mother” Dorian snickered. I gave him a look and he quickly added “to the garden then?”

“That sounds lovely.”

Hand in hand, we both retreated to the garden where we would sit and kiss and night dream of our nostalgic moments together.