Reflecting on My Love

The computer keys went wild tonight, as Carol Seiken typed away at the story she has been writing since she was a child. She reflected on all the memories she is fond of, and all of the memories she wished she would forget. Never in her life has she written a story this grand, this important. It was hard to put so many of her thoughts into words, but she typed away at any thought that she believed needed to be heard. Her excitement raged as she was nearing the final sentences of her biggest accomplishment; the greatest story she could ever dream of. Tonight, Carol was about to finish her autobiography - detailing all the important and memorable events from her life since she was a child - all the way until this very moment. Every word she typed gave her more excitement, as this was in fact her lifelong dream. It amazed her that she was finally about to fulfill this dream.

Carol looked back at her very first memories - all that she could remember, of course. It was hard for her to remember very specific memories of her childhood, but she reflected the best she could. She remembered when her grandparents came over, always bringing a special treat for her to eat, like candy or chocolate. Her uncle would come and they would watch tv. She remembered how she used to climb on his shoulders like a monkey. She looked back at the first birthday she could remember; she had her whole kindergarten class come to her house and watch a magician perform many tricks. She looked back on all of the holidays: Halloween, when she dressed up as Wonder Woman. Christmas, when she got her first bike and her father taught her how to ride it. Her favorite was Thanksgiving, when she would douse every spot of the turkey piece she received with warm gravy and would fall asleep in her grandpa’s arms as they watched the Jets play against the Bills.

Moving on from Carol’s childhood, she looked back on all her accomplishments growing up. She graduated top of her class and studied at Yale, where she pursued her passion of receiving her Bachelors of the Arts in English. After college, she traveled around the world to study the many cultures present in different countries. She stayed in Sweden for a couple years and studied German during her time in Munich. She stood below the Eiffel Tower and watched it glow at night, tearing up at the beauty of it in person. She spent days reading up on the history of the Great Wall of China, before actually walking on it. She even walked through Rome and had gotten a tour of the Colosseum. The best part about these experiences is that she came home, and with great enthusiasm, told her family about her entire experience traveling.

As she reached her adulthood, she still hadn’t married or found any sort of love interest. One man, however, changed her life and helped her become the woman she is today. Lee Cantonelli, a veteran of the United States Army and a successful accountant, caught her eyes almost immediately. A friend had introduced them when they all went out to dinner, almost as if they had gone on a blind date. The next weekend, Lee and Carol went out to dinner - a fancy steakhouse by the name of Abe & Louis’ - for their first date. Carol wrote about how they talked all night, and they were talking even until the restaurant was about to close. As Lee paid the bill and walked Carol to her car, Lee asked her a very general question: “What are you going to do for the rest of your life?” Carol, without hesitation, responded with a simple yet touching answer: “I’m going to spend it with you.” From then on, Carol had found the man she had awaited for many years - one that she indeed would spend the rest of her life with.

Her time with Lee was most certainly memorable - they had kids, and then their kids had kids. They loved to spend time with their grandchildren. When her family came to visit, they would often listen to Frank Sinatra and would catch up on any ‘family news’ of sorts. Her youngest grandchild, Gabriel, would dance to the music - his diaper would be falling down as he danced, which she thought was hysterical. Lee loved Gabriel’s dances as well, and would turn up the music and try to dance with him. He was a fun man, and everyone loved his presence.

One other thing Carol and Lee had in common was their love to travel. Carol would tell Lee all about her time overseas and all the great monuments she came across. Lee always wanted to travel - so they decided to travel together. Carol took him to Europe, and tried to take him to many areas she had not seen before, such as Southern Italy and even taking a trip to the Taj Mahal in India. They often took vacations to the Caribbean Islands and relaxed on the beaches for days on end. She knew she could never travel alone ever again.

As she went over her final accomplishments of her book, Carol was stuck reading the parts of her life where Lee was involved. She reflected on how great of a man he was. He played golf with friends and could talk to anyone about football. She laughed at all the inside jokes they had made throughout all their years of marriage, not forgetting anything funny or important that he used to tell her. There was one thing they both regretted, however, and that was not meeting sooner. They wished they had met each other when they were younger, so they could’ve spent their whole lives together. Unfortunately, Lee passed away a few years ago, but Carol stayed strong in his passing. Lee died a happy man, and still loved her unconditionally - in fact, he loved her the same way he did since the day he met her.

 Carol looked back towards the beginning of the book, seeing that most of her childhood and teenage memories were of many accomplishments, but reflecting upon her time with Lee made her realize that he was the greatest thing; and that the best accomplishment was ever meeting him. As she read through many parts of the autobiography, she started to feel guilty. She had spent her whole life taking memories down in hopes of one day writing an autobiography about herself. She thought - how was this fair? How was it fair to write about her life when she owed someone else for all the great times and experiences she had as an adult? Carol had finished the book. She didn’t feel accomplished, however, even though this had been her lifelong dream. She felt that she needed to do something else.

Carol sent the finished book in to be published, entitling it: Carol Seiken: An Autobiography. After doing so, she got started on a new story; one that was filled with adventure, excitement, and love. She had decided to write a new story - a story that meant the world to her. Carol opened up her notebook and began to brainstorm. Instead of reflecting on her own life, she reflected on the times of her life that she had spent with Lee Cantonelli. She was going to write a love story, a story on how they met and everything they had been through. Only then did she know that she was on the verge of achieving her lifelong dream; a story that put not herself in the spotlight, but a story about her and Lee’s lives together as one.