The Top of the Hill

The Top of the Hill

Howard Seeley

It was early morning when John woke up. So many mornings have passed since he could first remember and each one was different from the rest. From hiding from monsters under the bed, waiting for Santa to arrive, sleeping with his first love, his honeymoon night, and now. John looked at the wrinkles on his hands and the gray hairs on his arms. Yes, many mornings have come and gone.

Turning to his side, John eyes an unoccupied pillow next to him. A smile crosses his face as he smells the aroma of fresh coffee and bacon. Darla was busy in the kitchen, he thought. John quickly got dressed and met her downstairs.

When he arrived, he kissed Darla on the cheek. “Good morning, my Darla,” he said. Normally, husbands and wives would give each other pet names, like Honey or Sweetheart. But John was more unique than most. Though his wife’s name was Maria, he would always call her Darla. “Don’t you remember the “The Little Rascals?” he would say. “Alfalfa’s little sweetheart was named Darla.” So, Maria’s new name came to be.

John scanned the kitchen and was pleased to find eggs frying in the bacon grease. Doctors and vegans would gasp at the site, but when it came to favor, nothing could beat the combination.

Darla poured John a cup of coffee. “Sit down, dear. I’ll have your unhealthy breakfast ready in a minute.”

John sat down and gazed out the window. New fallen snow blanketed the landscape. All signs of grass were eradicated, but trees and saplings broke the white barrier, reaching towards the sky.

Darla brought John his breakfast and sat down next to him. She nursed her coffee and joined him at looking out the window. “A penny for your thoughts.”

John continued to gaze through the window. “I wish the kids didn’t cancel out on visiting us. I was looking forward to taking Mary out sledding. It would have been her first time doing it, at least with old grandpa. I had the toboggan all waxed-up and ready to go.”

Darla patted his lap. “There, there, Honey. You know Tom has that meeting on Monday and couldn’t take the time to visit this weekend. Don’t worry. There’ll be other times you can sled with your granddaughter.”

John slumped down in his chair and began to pout. Mary smiled to herself. He can be such a child at times. That’s why I love him so. She could another sip of coffee. So, what do have planned for the day?”

“Heck. I’ve nothing else planned. The toboggan is waxed up. Might just as well go sledding myself.”

A laser beam glare from Darla’s eyes pierced through John’s skull. “You’ll do no such thing by yourself. What if you fall off the sled and hurt yourself? In case you haven’t noticed, you’re not a young man anymore.”

John shot back. “What about Mary? If I fell off while taking her down the hill, what could she have done? She’s only four years old.”

Flustered, Darla replied. “Still, it’s different you wouldn’t have been alone.”

Sensing a weakness in Darla’s defense, John went in for the kill. “Well, if you don’t want me to go alone, why don’t you come with me?”

Darla scoffed. “You’re kidding me, right? I’m not climbing up that hill and go screaming down it on a piece of wood you can’t steer. I’m too old for such nonsense.”

“You’re not that old and you’re a lot stronger than you think. Everyday, you get up, cook, clean, do laundry and a lot of other things around the house. Between the two of us, I’d say you’re the most fit.” John pointed at the nearby hill. “Look at it. It’s not Mount Everest. It’s not even Pike’s Peak. It’s just a hill and not even a big one at that.”

John stood and raised his hand. “Let’s go up and do it one time and if you don’t like it, I swear I’ll never ask you to go again and I promise I won’t ever go by myself.”

Darla slowly shook her head and sighed. “I can hardly believe I’m hearing myself say this. Very well, John. One time. Get your boots and mittens on. We’re going sledding.”

John found himself almost running in excitement to the closet. We’re going sledding, he thought. He couldn’t remember the last time he was so excited to do anything. He threw on his coat, hat, and mittens, and hopped into his boots. When he was done, he ran to the garage, calling back. “I’ll grab the sled and meet you out front.”

In one swoop, John picked up the toboggan and opened the garage door. He ran to the edge of the sidewalk and waited in anticipation for Darla to come out.

In what seemed like an eternity for John, the front door slowly opened, and Darla appeared. At first, she just stood there, regally. She stood with her back straight and gracefully turned her head from left to right, absorbing the natural beauty surrounding her.

For a moment, John just watched in awe. Then, when her eyes stopped on him, the spell was broken. John stuck the toboggan in a snow drift and went to take Darla’s hand and help her down the porch steps. Together, they marched to the toboggan waiting for them and John picked it up with his free hand. Placing the toboggan under his arm, they began their trek up the hill.

As they climbed to the top of the hill, John talked about the weather, politics, and anything he could think of to keep Darla from complaining. But it didn’t take him long to find out it wasn’t necessary.

“It is a beautiful day, isn’t it sweetheart? It just dawned on me I haven’t done this since our kids were little. It must have been twenty-five years or so.”

John was flabbergasted. He couldn’t believe this was his wife speaking. There was no way he was going to stop her now. “It has been a long time. Too long. I wish Tom could have made it, but you know what? I’m also happy he didn’t come. Now, I have a chance to sled with you.”

Darla was holding his hand the whole way up the hill and now she gripped it tighter. “Thank you, Sweetheart.”

John was at a loss. “Thank you for what?”

“For being you. We’ve been married for nearly fifty years and through the thick of it all, the hard times as well as the good, it was the one thing I could always count on. Even when you were floundering on the outside, I could see in your heart you were there for me, steady as a rock. So, I’ll say it again. Thank you for being there and always loving me.”

John returned Darla’s squeeze. “It should be me thanking you.”

But before he could say anything else, Darla pressed her finger to his lips. “Don’t spoil it.” She lowered her hand and gave him a kiss. “Enough said.” She looked down at the town below. “I think we’re high enough. Don’t you?”

John nodded in agreement and set the toboggan on the snow. “You sit in the front and I’ll sit behind you. That way you get the best view.”

Uncertainty came to her as she sat down. “Are you sure about this? It looks scarier than I thought it would be.”

John sat behind her. “Don’t worry. You’ll be fine. I’ve got your back.”

“It’s not my back I’m worried about. It’s my front.”

Laughing softly, John pushed the toboggan into motion. “Don’t worry about that either. I’ve got that covered.” As the sled began to pick up speed, John wrapped his arms around her.

Faster and faster the sled went. At first, the toboggan would slide over bumps, but soon was jumping over them. Darla began to scream in delight and John joined her. Control of the sled was all but lost to them, but they didn’t care. They were on a freefall flight to the bottom of the hill and nothing else mattered. The Toboggan bounced from left to right, but always ended upright.

Finally, they reached the bottom of the hill and the toboggan came to a halt. John and Darla rolled off the sled and into the snow. John laid there and laughed, and Darla began to make a snow angel. When she was done, John helped her up and admired her creation. “It’s beautiful,” he said. “but not as beautiful as you.”

Darla wrapped her arm around him and gently hugged him. John pointed to the hill. “You want to go again?”

She looked at the hill and shook her head no. “Not today.”

John picked up the toboggan and clasped Darla’s hand. “So, what would you like to do?”

She started to swing her hands and bob her head in unison. “I was thinking hot chocolate, a warm fire and maybe popcorn later. What about you?”

“Me? I’m all for that, as long as it’s with you.” They let go of their hands and wrapped their arms around their wastes. In all the years they lived together, they learned life is the accumulation of all the smalls moments in it, put together.