Teddy Bear

"What is that, darling?" He had olive green eyes and the mind of the devil at times. But it was her and his true friends that caused him to learn to love, to laugh, to smile at the simple things. His friends helped so much and gave him hope. But it was her that made him realize that the world didn't have to be all black and white. It was her laugh that made him hear the laugh of the world, her smile that made him see the smile of strangers, and her touch that made him feel the earths beauty and not just its sins. He was lounging in the couch in her parents living room. His hair dark like one of chocolate, his skin of heavily creamed coffee, and the voice of a man with a slight temper.

He came off as nasty and unkind, which indeed at first he was just that. He was unwilling to hear what people had to say. Unwilling to listen and learn and respect others. He was torn at a young age between the life he wanted with one of love for others and the life he had. The life he had was nothing more then pain and torment which led to his hated view of this world. But his whole life changed after he met true people. People who truly were the meaning of friends. They showed him what it was actually like to care for others and to be a friend. He had spent 18 years with no friends, no family who knew him and loved him. Then of course, a few years later, just a few weeks after he turned 23, he met her... The love of his life.

She was a blonde straight haired girl with love for people and animals. She saw the world as a glass half full. A world in which it was all flowers and joy for everyone that walked on it. When she was little her parents taught her about the world and all it could be and what it was. But she was practically born an optimist as she spent each day with a cheerful skip in her step and a hopeful mindset as she waved lovingly at each passerbye. She was the sun and he was the moon, she was the good and he was the bad, the happy and the sad, the summer and the winter, and the black and the white. Yet we know that even opposites can attract like the yin and the yang. How they can be oh so different but share something so small, so seemingly insignificant. Even though it happens so often, it can still come out of the blue and spread quickly to them both. It may not take much effort or even be noticed as how a fire can move huge distances with ease from a single small gust of wind.

With all of this, it somehow works and for them it was beautiful when it happened. She began to take a more realistic view of things, but of course was still a lively happy going person. And he became a happier person but still wasn't all sunshine. They balanced each other in such a way that they worked. It worked.

"So..." he asked her again as he gestured to a hidden object wrapped in a plastic bag that was set gently on her lap. "What is it?"

She looked down at her lap before her eyes moved back towards his.

"I wanted to give you something," her smile was beaming and contagious as he felt himself start to grin at her. They sat together on the couch, facing each other and talking to one another. Her parents had put together a small party and invited a few of her friends as well, and of course she had been spending lots of it just talking to him. She had been waiting to give him something special for a long time now. And now that he had proposed a few months back and their wedding was coming up soon, she knew this was the perfect time.

"And so what is it?" he smiled at her.

"Well.." She began as she moved her body to face him fully.. "Let me tell you a story..."

"Oh a story?" he chuckled under his breath as sarcasm dripped from his lips. "I do love a good story..."

"Ok then," she started, taking a deep breath in and looking at him hopeful that he'd love what she was about to tell him.

"Once upon a time, there was a young woman. Her name was Lilly and she was said to be the most beautiful girl in town. She never believed what people would say as they talked of her beauty and loving personality. Lilly knew nothing of being loved as her parents had died when she was young and she had no choice but to live with her grandparents who were known for their snotty attitude and hate for young children. Lilly had been working at a grocery store for hours and hours over time to receive extra money for herself and her grandparents who insisted on her paying for their bills as well. They claimed that they were old and fragile and needed all her money in order to live happily. She also cleaned their house regularly and cooked their breakfast and dinner. She shopped for them and paid for their medical bills. Yet after all of this, she was still the sweetest girl anyone could have the privilege to meet. Her humility and compassion is what made her the woman she turned out to be...

"Years went by and by and she soon turned the age of 21. At that age was said to be the year of parties, the year of drinks and of wild times. But she was not like that. She wanted to find one special man in her life, settle down, raise a beautiful family, and live out her years in a calm and gentle setting where the love and care for one another was abundant. All she wanted was something simple, something that she could touch and love. She was something special indeed. Many people saw that in her, saw the wonderful person that she truly was. That is what was attractive to so many people. People who wanted to be her friend, people who wanted to be there for her, and even a few guys who found her qualities attractive and caring.

"She always said no, every time someone asked her out, she replied with a calm no. She said this was because she never had the ability to care for someone other then herself, especially a family. She thought little of herself and never found herself worthy of being a wife or a mother. So she always respectfully, carefully, lovingly, declined. She even declined the ones she was interested in.

"Then one day, one beautiful day, at the age of 22, she laid eyes on someone. He was not attractive for his looks, but for his personality, his voice, his kind soft eyes and gentle way of life. He smiled at everyone, always trying his best to stay positive and help the ones he loved. Yet he also put himself first. Not in the high self esteem, snotty, smug way. But in the way of a positive, healthy nature. In a way that all people should love them selves in. This is what she found attractive in him. But, she still didn't find her worthy of being that special person to someone. Especially if that someone she thought should only receive the best in that world, and she felt as if she was nothing. She thought she would never be the person that he would need.

"Years had passed, and yet Lilly still found herself smiling at this man. His name was Devon, and to him, Lilly was his whole world. But no matter how many times he explained that to her, she did not believe it. She said over and over that she could never be good enough for him. He however, would not stop. He told her time and time again that she was good enough, that she was loved by many, and that he would do anything to show her how much the world needed her.. how much he needed her. So as the time went on, he taught her how to love herself, and showed her how loved she was by others. In the end, she saw herself as something worth it all. He knew that, and was so proud for her.

"As she saw all he did for her, she wanted to show him the love he showed her. So she spent 6 months straight shopping, talking to her loved ones, and trying to find the perfect gift for Devon. He continually told her that he did not need any present, that she was enough. But she did not give up, she would not give up. Then one day she thought of the perfect idea, the perfect plan, the perfect gift for the love of her life.

"You see, Devon had a special hobby that he shared with her and only her. He loved to travel the world, and each new place he traveled he bought something small, something simple that he could carry around as a reminder of his favorite memories. He would purchase or even simply find a single small button. It could have come from a suit jacket in that town or city, or a button from a container, a bag, or anything really. No one really thought that something so small and seemingly insignificant, could be so special. But to him, each button reminded him of each one of his trips. He shared a few with Lilly, giving her the ones he collected from Madagascar and India. He told her all the memories that went with them, all the stories from his adventures. He wanted to share them with her so that she could close her eyes and be there with him herself as he journeyed to these magical places.

"She took the two buttons, and set them in a small little box that she hid under her bed. Over a few weeks, that box filled up with other little bits and pieces of materials. There was soft fabric of different colors from random shirts and cloths, stuffing from old worn out pillows or stuffed animals, and anything else she could find that she could use. Over about a months time she had collected enough little trinkets and objects to create something she hoped he would find beautiful.

"So, for 5 months straight, she got everything she collected together, she grabbed her sewing kit, and for 5 months she sat down and worked on his present. She didn't tell anyone what she was working on as she hid it under her bed still. She worked hard and diligently on it. She hadn't done anything like it before, which would've surprised lots of people honestly. But, in the end, it turned out exactly how she wanted it too. She held it up to her eyes with love and care, seeing how it turned out with joy in her face. In her hands, she held a beautiful teddy bear that she has spent months working on for Devon. It wasn't just any teddy bear though. She had used everything she collected over the past few months and a few things that were special and dear to him. She had used the buttons he gave her from his trips as little eyes for the fluffy teddy bear. She also used random objects that he had given her or had been somehow special in someway to him. Lilly tried to make it as beautiful as it could be in her eyes, and she hoped in his eyes too..

"So, after those months and months of trying to find the right present, then finally making it for him, she decided to give the teddy bear to Devon. After planning how to give it to him, and how to prepare the setup for the moment, she invited him over to her family's house. She then stood in the living room, smiling at him as he entered..."

She stopped her story, a bit thirsty from all her talking. Her fiancé looked at her with a curious and anticipating expression. He was wanting her to finish this story. He was now actually quite intrigued by what she was telling him. He wondered what was going to happen, or why she was even telling this story in the first place. He tilted his head and adjusted himself so he was now positioned facing her completely. He wanted to show her that she had his full attention. She took a sip of water, her throat feeling dry, and smiled at him.

"Well?" He said raising one of his dark eyebrows at her in a smug way. "Don't leave me hanging, darling."

"Well..." She began with her hands in her lap and her body language showing her joy and relaxation.

"Lilly was waiting for Devon to come over to her and her family's house. Once he did, she stood in her living room, holding the teddy bear behind her back. He walked up to her with his hands in his pockets and a cheeky smile that reached ear to ear. He leaned forward, gave her a quick kiss, then leaned back, noticing that she seemed ecstatic about something. Devon asked her what she was so happy about in the moment. In response to his question, Lilly told him that she had been working on something for him for months. She said that she never felt like she would be good enough, strong enough, perfect enough, or even simply kind enough for him or for anyone. That she could never show him the love he showed her. That she could never truly be the loving caring one that he needed in a girlfriend or wife. Lilly told him that she was wanting to be a true friend, a true best friend to him. Devon tried to tell her that her merely being herself was enough for him, but she would not hear it. She kept insisting that she wasn't good enough. At the end of her long, considerate and caring speech, she showed him the teddy bear..."

"And?" He asked her after she paused the story for a minute. "Don't pause the story, what happened?"

She looked at him, getting more excited as she got to the climax of the story.. So she continued.

"When she showed him the teddy bear, his heart jumped. He gazed into her eyes, took the teddy bear from her, and told her that of all the moments she could've chosen to give him that gift that speech, then was the perfect time... She asked why, why was it so perfect? Then he set the teddy bear aside, he got on his knee, and he proposed to her. He told her that he was planning on proposing that day to her, he just didn't know exactly when. He told her that the teddy bear was beautiful and it touched his heart. But that her being herself was enough for him, that she didn't need to do any more for him then she already has done. They got married and lived happily together for 67 years after that. They both died at an old age, she outlived him by a few years, but after he left she found it harder every day to find the reason to live..."

"Why are you telling me this?" He asked her now very unpleased that her love story took a dark turn quickly. He crossed his arms and waited for her response.

"Because," she answered him. "That woman, Lilly, was my great grandmother. My great-grandmother Lilly. The day she died 6 years ago, before she took her last breath, she gave me that teddy bear. She told me that when I find that person, when I know that I have found the love of my life, I should show that to them. She told me to give them her teddy bear that she made for her husband all those years ago. She said that if I gave it to them, I would also be giving them but a piece of the love and affection I had for them. So... I give it to you..."

She opened the plastic bag that was sitting in her lap, revealing the very old teddy bear that was made by her great grandmother Lilly all those years ago. She gave it to him, hoping he would love it. He usually wasn't one for sappy romantics and such, but she also knew that it simply being a kind gesture would make him smile... and it did. He looked down at the teddy bear, at not just any teddy bear, but the special one that had been designed so many years ago and had been made with so much love.

He took the teddy bear from her, speechless and uncertain of what even to say... To think that he was engaged to someone; that would take their time to tell such a story, to take something anyone may overlook any day like a little teddy bear, and turn it into a breathtaking piece of art, and to do so only because they felt as if they were nothing in comparison, made his heart melt. He felt that he never had done anything to deserve this kindness, and that he never truly would.

So what would you do? If you were to find that special someone who makes your heart skip a beat, who makes your mind become hazy, who makes your words stutter, who makes you feel special and unworthy for the world, because they are the world, what will you do to tell them that? To tell them that they indeed are your whole world?

How would you tell them that they have won over your heart?