The Gift of Hope

“Today, it is going to happen,” Jake said as he straightened his bow tie and looked in the mirror with a glee of hope in his eyes. Jake has worn the same classic black tuxedo daily for almost a year and thought he looked better in the suit each time. He grabbed the wide toothcomb off the dresser and combed his silky dark brown hair to the back. He wanted to ensure every hairstring was intact and he looked handsome. Looking at his watch, Jake saw it was almost 4:30 in the evening and knew he had to leave home now to beat traffic. He needed to be at his destination by 5 o’clock and didn’t want to be late. No, he could not afford to be late because he would miss the purpose if he were late. Quickly dashing for the front door, Jake grabbed his keys and the fresh flowers and checked his coat pocket to ensure he had the small black box. With everything accounted for, he rushes to his car and proceeds to the destination. Every day, Jake drives to the park on 50^th Avenue, no matter the weather. He had been there in the rain, snow, and sunshine, wearing the same black tuxedo, bringing fresh flowers, and always remembering to bring that small black box. Jake has never been late and had to be on time, as he had been for the last 365 days. In the process of doing so, he has not grown weary or sad; for this, he knows he will be rewarded.

           Now in traffic, Jake instantly regrets taking this route to the park. He knew he should have taken the back roads to the park since there was less traffic. All around him, Jake can hear car horns honk. Still not feeling weary, Jake did not focus on the traffic jam or the horns being repeatedly honked. Instead, he stayed hopeful and focused on getting to the park on time. Deciding to turn on the radio to filter out the outside noise, Jake could find a country music station and listen to it. The chaos around him was loud, but now the chaos was not since traffic started to move. It took five minutes before Jake and the other drivers could move until traffic flowed freely again.

Glancing at his clock on the dashboard, Jake smiled because he would be on time again today. At first, a slight fear crept up inside him, but once, he did not allow it to stop him from his mission. In total, it took him ten minutes to get to his destination. After arriving at the park, Jake could tell tonight would be filled with festivities as it was about ending the year and celebrating a new one. He did not mind since who and what he was congratulating was special. In other words, Jake did not wait until this day to celebrate but has been doing so all year. Grabbing his blanket, flowers, and keys, Jake made his way to the park. He carried the blanket just in case there was no seating available. He didn’t want to block anyone's view of the fireworks and other performances on a special night like this.

           Looking around the park, Jake saw the people walking, talking, and laughing as they enjoyed themselves. There were food trucks, live performances, and game tables for everyone to enjoy. Also, there were areas where you could buy merchandise from different vendors during the new year. Jake felt happy because the families and friends were committed to being together on the last night of the year. They were also united to bring in the new year together. Jake was happy that the community came together because it was worth it.

           Wanting to check the festivities out, Jake decided to walk around the park to see what he could buy. He wanted a shirt or hat for a souvenir piece and to try street tacos. He heard that Mexican Tacos make the best street tacos in the city, and he is there to find out. Jake also played a couple of games before deciding to find someone to sit, eat, and enjoy the rest of the night. He didn’t want to walk around eating and carrying his belongings around. Jake searched for his favorite bench to sit on before he found an area on the ground to lay his blanket on. Eyeing the bench from where he stood, he saw it was vacant. With urgency, Jake made his way to the bench and sat his things on it. Being careful not to drop his tacos, Jake sat it on the bench first before releasing the other stuff out of his arms.

           Now situated and eating his food, Jake enjoyed the rest of the night of music, and every once in a while, a friendly person would stop and talk to him. They even compliment him on his tuxedo and how he looked too good to attend a park festival. Instead, they recommended he go to a fancy ball or gala party. Jake laughed and thanked them for their compliments but told them he was okay where he was. He also mentioned that he was celebrating a special event and person. Occasionally, someone would ask about a particular person and event, but Jake would give them an evasive answer. The people would get the picture and greet him good night and a happy new year. In response, Jake would return the friendly greeting and smile as they left him alone.

           Looking at his watch, Jake could not believe that the time passed by so fast and that he did not have enough time to straighten up the bench area. He did not want it to be untidy before he presented the flowers and what sin the black box to an extraordinary individual. So, Jake removed the souvenirs and placed them on the ground next to him. Then, he picked up his trash from eating and took it to the nearest trash bin. Jake returns to the bench and neatly places the flowers on it. Then, he removed the small black box from his tuxedo coat pocket and put it on the bench beside the flowers. Looking at the arrangement, Jake decided to open the box to display the big diamond ring.

           Then, Jake hears the community counting down the last ten seconds left in the year. He turned and looked at the bench and imagined his wife sitting there. He would take her out every year for eight years to celebrate the new year. Jake's eyes began to tear up because this year had been exceptionally challenging without her. Hope is her name and the woman he married eight years ago in this park. He even proposed to her sitting on this same bench while she ate ice cream. He could remember her dropping her chocolate ice cream cone on his new shoes because she was so happy yet surprised by the proposal.

Every day since her passing from cancer, he decided to date her again for a year as he promised to her on her deathbed. Jake chose to wear his wedding tuxedo, buy fresh flowers, and bring her wedding ring to where they met, got engaged, and married. He thought it was a good touch and promised that Hope would be happy he made and kept it. Jake chose 5 o’clock because it was the time they got married at the park. He wanted to continue to honor their marriage every day that he could. Hearing the crowd say Happy New Year, Jake closed his eyes and told Hope, happy anniversary, baby. He also told her he missed her and promised to heal and move on one day like she wanted. Until that day, he told her he would celebrate her as he had done every second of their lives together. Wiping the tears from his eyes, Jake smiled and looked towards the night sky and promised Hope that this year he would do something different but commit to it as he did last year. Ready to go home to rest, Jake gathered his things and headed home. He knew today was the start of a new adventure for him and Hope.