Until The End Of Time

           Fourteen-year-old, Becky Swanson was mesmerized at the brilliant color spectrum that filled the sky over Lake Canatoga at dawn. A gaggle of geese honked as they skimmed across the almost-still water. Becky heard the snap of a twig off to her left and turned quickly to find its source.

           About fifty feet away, a young man with auburn-brown hair sat on a boulder staring out into the lake. He looked to be about sixteen. Becky found him to be quite attractive and cleared her throat loudly to get his attention. *Ahem!*

           The boy turned, startled at first, then smiled at the sight of the pretty, young red-headed girl standing before him.

           “Hello,” he called out. “It’s a beautiful sunrise, isn’t it?”

           “Yes, very much so,” Becky replied. “Would you mind if I came and sat with you?”

           “I wouldn’t mind at all.” The boy shifted over and made room for Becky on the boulder.

           “Thank you so much. My name is Becky.”

           “I’m Stanley,” the boy responded. “What brings you here to Lake Canatoga?”

           “My parents rented a cottage just over there,” Becky said as she pointed up and to her left. “It is so beautiful up here. I just adore nature.”

           “Me too,” Stanley said. “We live here in town, not too far from here. I come down here every chance I get. I find it so peaceful.”

           “It truly is quite peaceful. I hope I will get to see you more while we are here. I will be heading back to the city in another week. Perhaps we can exchange numbers?” Becky asked anxiously.

           A broad smile covered Stanley’s face as he replied, “I would like that very much, and now that I know you are here, I will make a point of returning here every morning.”

           Stanley and Becky spent the next hour sitting and talking until she heard her mother’s voice calling out her name.

           “I have to go, Stanley, but I will be sure to return here at sunrise tomorrow. See you then.”

           Becky headed back toward the cottage and looked back to see Stanley still staring at her and smiling his joyful smile. She waved and walked up the hill and out of sight.

           Stanley continued to stare out into the lake, but now it was a red-headed vision that filled his thoughts.

           For the next week, they continued to meet by the lake at sunrise, chatting about their lives and dreams they each had. The chemistry they shared since that first day had a lasting effect that neither one wanted to end.

           On Becky’s last day, she met Stanley once more. As she neared, he could sense her sadness, and he felt the same way. Stanley wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace.

           “This isn’t the end, Becky. I do not want this to end. I will call you every day and write letters to you. We can make this work. I know we can! Besides, I will have my driver's license soon and I will be able to come to visit you occasionally, okay?”

           The confidence in Stanley’s voice made Becky’s heart was beating stronger. She felt better knowing that Stanley felt as strongly about her as she did for him. They stared into each other’s eyes silently, then Stanley leaned forward and kissed her for the first time. Becky gladly accepted the kiss and tried her best to kiss back, but she had never kissed a boy before and felt nervous about if she was doing it correctly or not. Stanley, however, did not seem to notice or care.

           Weeks turned into months and Becky continued to hear from Stanley every day as promised. Becky’s parents wondered who this boy was that was calling their daughter every day and insisted on meeting him before the relationship went any further, so they invited Stanley and his parents for dinner at their home.

           When they arrived at the door, Becky and Stanley had a hard time restraining themselves from holding each other, but they needed to make a good impression in front of the parents. Instead, they sat across from one another at the table and touched feet as they ate, occasionally looking up and smiling coyly.

           Both sets of parents seemed to get along as well. Stanley’s father even had mutual friends with Becky’s dad. The mothers spent most of their time either comparing recipes or bragging about their children. Becky was an only child and wished that her mother would have other kids to tell embarrassing stories about instead. Stanley had an older brother, but he was away at college.

           The evening went better than expected and they agreed to allow Stanley and Becky to continue to see each other more often as long as it did not interfere with their school work. Stanley pulled Becky around the corner briefly before they left and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. They walked together to the door and said goodbye.

           Time went by and their relationship grew stronger. They attended the same college, though Stanley had started his course a year sooner than Becky had. Eventually, they moved into an apartment together and it was then that they finally felt like a couple. The bond that they shared was unbreakable. There was no fighting or distrust. No arguments at all. They enjoyed every moment they could spend together.

           After college, Stanley had gotten a job working as a junior architect at a major construction firm in the city. They were so impressed with his skills, that he moved up quickly and began working as a lead architect in less than two years.

           Becky became a nurse and worked long hours at the only hospital in town, so it was constantly busy. Whenever she felt stressed, however, she would think back to the days that she and Stanley sat on that boulder watching the sunrise and all of her stress lifted away.

           Ritually, whenever Stanley was home at the end of Becky’s shift, he would run her a warm bath, put on some soft music, and sit by her side while she bathed. They would discuss any stressful feelings they had and let the worries flow down the drain with the tub water. They would then have a quiet dinner and spend the evening in each other’s arms.

           Wedding bells soon began to ring as the loving couple committed their relationship before God and their loved ones. It was a beautiful ceremony with the most adorable flower girl and ring bearer who walked nervously along the aisle of the church. The ring bearer was almost at the altar when he shouted out, “Mommy, I need to pee!” The whole crowd chuckled as his father quickly grabbed him and ran him to the restroom. The ceremony eventually continued without any further interruptions.

           The marriage was unbelievably perfect. They both had successful careers now and Stanley had custom-built a home for them. Only one thing could make it any better.

           Becky had taken a day off work and met Stanley at the door as he arrived home one night. She kissed him passionately. Her kisses had improved greatly since that first kiss by the lake. She walked him to the living room and sat him down in his favorite chair. She then straddled his thighs, held his face gently, and looked him in the eyes.

           “I have something to tell you,” she began. “You are going to be a daddy.”

           Stanley’s face lit up at the news. He wrapped his arms around Becky and lifted her into the air. He began to spin her around, but then remembered that she was pregnant and slowly set her back down again.

           “Sweetheart, you have made me the happiest man on the planet. I did not think I could be any happier after meeting you, but you have made it happen. I love you so much.”

           After the first trimester, they shared the news with family and friends. Everyone was excited. In the ninth month, however, complications began to set in. The baby was due in two weeks, but it appeared that the umbilical cord had wrapped itself around the baby’s throat and an emergency Caesarean Section would have to be performed immediately.

           Stanley and the family waited in the waiting room for news about the surgery, but he could not get any answers. The surgery lasted almost an hour and the surgeon finally appeared. Stanley could tell by the look on his face that the news was not good.

           “What happened, doc? Is the baby okay?”

           “Yes, Stanley, the baby is fine. You have a healthy baby girl.”

           Stanley got excited at the news, but then he saw that the doctor had more to say.

           “There’s more, isn’t there, doc?”

           “Yes, Stanley, I’m afraid I have some bad news as well. I am sorry to say that Becky did not survive the surgery. We tried the best we could to revive her, but her heart stopped beating and she had lost a lot of blood during the surgery. I am sorry.”

           Stanley dropped to the ground, bawling uncontrollably. His family came over to find out what had happened and soon after, they all were in tears.

           After the funeral for Becky, Stanley decided to take his newborn back up to Lake Canatoga to the place where it all began. It was nearing dark as they arrived. The sun had just set and the moon lit up the lake like a huge nightlight. The sound of owls hooted in the trees above. Stanley and his little girl, with red hair like her mother, sat upon the boulder by the water.

           “Keira, my sweet little angel, this is a special place. It is a magical place. A place where miracles happen. If it wasn’t for this place, you wouldn’t be here with me right now. I hope that when you grow up, this lake will allow you the magic that it gave to your mommy and me. I will never let you forget your beautiful mother, Keira, and because you look so much like her, I will always feel that she is still with me.”

           He fell into silence and it seemed like the whole forest sat in silence with him as he stared up at the silvery moon.