Kind of Beautiful

“Daniel, when we get married, I want to go to Venice.”

He scoffed, running his fingers over her knuckles. “The city’s been overrun, Lorraine. All they have now are scammers who prey on the tourists, and a dozen crumbing buildings. Why go there, when I could take you to the Caribbean instead? Monte Carlo? Our honeymoon could be wherever you want! You’re not picking someplace... I dunno, nicer?”

She turned to him, pouting in the over exaggerated way she did whenever they bantered. “You said anywhere, and so I said Venice. Would you really say no to the place that I picked?” She lifted a brow at him, daring him to argue.

Daniel couldn’t help but laugh, and he leaned down to kiss her once. “I suppose not. I’ve never been able to deny you anything.”

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“What do you mean you’re giving me $20,000 dollars? Young man, how are you going to pay for your college tuition? It’s very expensive nowadays, you need to save all you can!”

The kid— God, he couldn’t be older than 25— laughed, holding up a camera. “Don’t worry, sir. I’ve got it covered— this is a YouTube giveaway!”

“A what now?” YouTube? I can never keep up with these kids and their crazy slang. . . .

“Well, you gave a good answer to my question! So I’m giving you the money to do it!”

“That’s awfully kind of you, but I don’t think—“

“Nah, don’t worry about it! I’ve been going around asking people what they would do with the cash all day, but this is the first time I’ve really wanted to help someone do what they said they would. Sir, you really should go back!”

“I. . . . alright. You’re a very good kid, didya know that?”

“Haha— you’re a very nice person sir. Have fun in Europe!”

Daniel smiled softly, and thought of golden hair and big brown eyes. “Thank you. . . . I will.”

————————————————————

Daniel Martin had been having the same dream for nearly a month now. It always started the same— Lorraine would wake him up by tugging childishly at his nightshirt, and he’d look outside to see that sunlight was already slipping through the shutters of their hotel room, bright in the way that light can only be in midday. She snorts at him, telling him that she’s never met anyone who gets as affected by jet lag as he does. The scene changes then, and they’re sitting on a bench, staring out to a bustling canal. Lorraine eventually looks at him, and says that this is why he should always listen to her, and isn’t it beautiful?

He always thought that it was decent, but that he’d get bored of it in three minutes. He never tells her that, but he pulls her close and says that he’s happy they’re finally married.

It always ended there. Lorraine’s spot on the bed would be empty, as it had been for the last three years.

He always missed his wife, of course. He’d never thought it possible to love someone as much as he had loved her. He would think of her every time he made coffee, every time he saw his kids. But lately, it had been getting stronger. He’d find himself making a second cup with extra cream, even though he always took his coffee black. He would slip and call his daughter Lorraine, even though he knew it was Lisa.

It wasn’t that Lorraine was lingering in the back of his mind, like usual— she’d taken front and center.

So when that boy had asked him ‘What would you do if you had an extra $20,000 dollars?’ he had only needed a moment to decide, before responding with:

“I would go and retrace my honeymoon in Venice. I haven’t been in years, and my wife always did love it there.”

————————————————————

And only a week later, Daniel was there.

If his jet lag had been bad forty years ago, it was nothing compared to how he felt now. The only reason he had been able to get up at all was the blaring of his phone alarm. It was already bright out, and he could hear the murmur of people in the streets below.

He got dressed before he decided to make his way around the city, which was teeming with sellers and giddy tourists. People shouted at him from every direction, gesturing wildly to the tchotchkes lining the white and sea green awnings of their little shops. Tourists cooed over richly colored masks adorned with costume jewelry and feathers that glistened in the daylight. Things that should have been worth 20 euros were going for three times that much, but nobody seemed to care. Even he indulged, grumbling about conmen as he bought a set of deep blue bottles made from Murano glass. It wasn’t his thing, but he figured he could give it to Lisa when he got home. He ate at some restaurant overlooking the water, and it had to have been the best risotto he’d ever had, before continuing on his way.

————————————————————

After an hour or two of strolling around aimlessly, Daniel stumbled upon a bright red bench. He stared at it for a long while, before slowly making his way over. He sat down as gently as he could, and as he had done forty-four years before, looked out to the city around him. But now, he saw it.

What was once loud and messy was now charming and bustling. He watched the water lapping under the white hot sun. He saw a smiling couple in a gondola, and the pinks and yellows of the houses across the canal. He felt the sun on his face, and couldn’t bring himself to care about the inevitable sunburn that would follow. He heard people laughing and calling out to each other. He could’ve sword he felt his wife’s hand clenched in his.

I guess you’re right, Lorraine. It is kinda beautiful here.