Best Laid Plan

***This may not make any sense at all as I haven't written in MONTHS, so please be kind. Please give feedback, comments, suggestions, edits. Any and all comments are welcome! Thank you!

He sat staring at the blinking cursor wishing he could shove the laptop out of sight and away from him. Why did he check his email if he didn’t want to read the emails? He knew if he even saw the subject line appear he would have to tell her. This wasn’t something that happened just to him. 

He thought back to the day he first met her. She was at the bar, the bar that quickly became The Bar. Their Bar. Their meeting place. She had her back slightly turned and her head tilted back as she laughed out loud to something that her friends had said. Her long brown hair cascading down and curling lightly at her shoulder blades. 

“Excuse me, may I buy you a drink or breakfast?” he used his not-so-funny pick up line on her. She turned to him and pinned him to the floor with the clearest, brightest green eyes he had ever seen.

She smiled as she replied, “Depends, will this be cheap diner food or do you make a mean french toast?” 

That summer it never rained. It was a blue sky, yellow sunshine, shorts and t-shirts sort of summer. The two of them spent every free moment together. He was a recent graduate and was working full time as a broker. She was working on completing her masters degree in counseling. They joked that he sold the stocks to hopeful investors, then she would counsel them when they lost their money in the stock market. 

The first hike they took together was almost the last hike they took together. They chose a waterfall not too far away. It wasn’t the drive that was difficult. It turned out to be the unmarked trails. “I think I can hear the water,” he said multiple times as they walked in circles. It turns out that the wind in the leaves can sound remarkably similar to running water to an untrained ear. 

“How can you lose an entire river?” her cheeks a bright pink and unsightly large wet sweat stains under each armpit. She had been trying unsuccessfully to keep her arms pinned to her sides to hide the sweat until she just gave up the fight. He had pit stains too. And, the rest of his shirt was looking rather sweaty too. Were they really lost?

“We will be fine. We will find the trail, or get a cell phone signal soon. Do you need a drink of water?” he asked helpfully. Hoping she wouldn’t sense his fear.

“The last thing I want or need is water. Do you think I want to have to pee in the woods? Oh great. Now I have to pee. It’s all your fault. You had to bring it up. Now what. Swell, just swell,” she said as she took off deeper into the woods.

Her scream caused instant goose bumps as he raced towards her. Branches smacked him in the face and low vines tangled his feet. His sneakers slipped and slid until he came to a halt. 

There she stood in the bright sunshine staring up at the falls. They cascaded in a veil of white against the dark grey rocks. The rocks below accepted the gift of constant rain and made the water dance in whirlpools and eddies before gliding along down stream. He silently walked up behind her and took her hand. 

Over a cold mug of beer that night at the bar, she said that was the most beautiful and romantic moment ever. He didn’t know if it was the waterfall, the finding of the trail, or the holding of the hand, but he didn’t want to risk asking. They were at their favorite table and had just ordered a couple of burgers. It seemed getting lost made them both work up an appetite. 

“To getting lost,” he toasted her with his bottle of Sam Adams. “It’s always better to be lost than to lose.”

This table was their center. It was the place they met when he first heard those dreaded words, “ we need to talk” and his heart sunk to his converse. She had a job offer across the country and what did he think of that? 

He held her hands and sincerely congratulated her on this achievement. He asked all the important questions and details about when the job would start and where she would be staying. She hadn’t committed to the offer yet and had another interview next week. 

That’s the first time he felt genuine fear of losing her. That’s the first time he told her he was in love with her. 

It’s a good thing she was offered the second job the following week. 

It was another Friday night so they met for their regular date night at The Bar. 

“Remember Shelly? She was there that night when we met? She was dating the computer tech guy? Well, anyway, she’s getting married!” she said with a mouthful of fries.

“Yeah? They seemed so awkward around each other! Maybe I’m thinking of the wrong couple,” he said. 

“No, you may have the right girl, but she is marrying someone else! Do you ever think about marrying someone?” she casually dipped her next fry into the ketchup before popping it into her mouth.

All. The. Time. His mind shouted. “Do you think a piece of paper and ceremony would change how we feel about each other? We could just move in together and live in sin,” his eyes danced.

“Or,” he pulled a ring out of his jeans pocket, “you may want to start planning our wedding. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Will you marry me?”

It was that day he walked in to the bar to find her at their table with a bottle of Sam Addams and a glass of water that next stood out in his mind. He sat down and reached across the wooden table top for her hand.

“Did they run out of Shock Top? Did you want a Blue Moon instead? Why’d you get a water?” He took a big swig from his bottle before setting it down.

“Alcohol isn’t recommended for pregnant women,” she said. And they became a family. 

“Which house did you like the best?” They chatted over the toddler’s head at their table in The Bar. The tiny human tapped the table with his rattle demanding attention and more cheerios. 

They decided on the three bedroom home with the big backyard and two car garage. The house soon became their home with a dog and fresh paint and a swing set and photos on the walls. 

Now he wished he had not read the email. He wanted to erase the words from his brain. His phone began to vibrate and he knew without even looking who was calling. A follow up to the email.

His letter of resignation was accepted. After thirty years with the company he was finished. He was ready to retire and move on. They had talked about what they wanted to do. Now was the time to leap into the next adventure. 

He knew what he wanted that adventure to be. 

He needed to tell her. He needed to tell her today. More importantly, he wanted to tell her today. Before it was too late.

The Bar was for sale. He wanted to buy it. He was going to buy it. For her. They would own their bar. Together. But then the realtor emailed to let him know the property had just been sold to another party. 

His phone vibrated again. This time the name on the screen made him smile. It was her. 

“Hey there, why don’t you come on down to our bar?” her voice chirped.  She pocketed her phone and smiled at the realtor seated across the table. "Thanks for this. I really appreciate you helping me make this sale a surprise for my husband."