I will kiss you every night
The climate was custom made; as purchased from a postcard factory specializing in perfect day clipart.
A clear, unbroken blue sky stretched from horizon to horizon, soft cotton white clouds drifting lazily across the aerial view, covering fleeting patches of cool shadow over the celebration and its attendants who joined together to send the pair off. newlyweds to their lives together. .
As they stood face to face under the canopy, holding hands, the minister raised the couple’s heads and looked out into the crowd;
“The couple have written their own vows that they would like to share.”
He could barely hear what she was saying; the sound of your heart beating too hard in your ears. When she finished, he, with shaking hands, pulled a sheet of paper folded three times from inside the pocket of his charcoal gray tuxedo. Looking deep into the brown eyes of his beloved, trying desperately to keep his voice from breaking, he screamed his promise.
“Today, in front of my friends, my family and God, I am marrying my soulmate. I don’t know what is in our tomorrows. However, no matter that, I promise you that I will love you deeply and without reservation in every way that I know. I will love you for the rest of my days and beyond. In all that time, I promise to honor you for the person that you are and not try to change you, since there is no reason to do so. You are already of my spirit, woven into through my essence, closer to me than my breath. I ask nothing of you in return except that you be with me. And I promise as each day fades into yesterday, before I sleep, that I will gently kiss you good night. and thank the Universe for your presence. When we agree, I will kiss you with joy. If we differ, I will do the same. In sickness, my kiss will heal. In good times, it will be celebrated. – through joy and pain, sickness and health, poverty and riches – will remain forever by your side, ending and com starting every day with you one nd with a kiss “.
A ray of sunlight reflected off the gold ring as he placed it on his finger.
Faintly, she heard applause and cheers, noting the soap bubbles as they floated skyward above the two of them as they walked back down the hall, floating in their thoughts like the clouds and bubbles above.
Together they wove their history through the fabric of time. Their wedding was lost in the memories; replaced with the day-to-day tasks of a life as one. He built his career; she pursued her art. Together, they faced the days, two as one; each one is self-sufficient while being strengthened, not divided, by interdependence.
Every night, he stayed true to his commitment, placing his lips against her, even if she was already asleep, as he crawled into bed.
The passage of the calendar brought with it the “usual” ups and downs; career changes, mortgages, vacations, children, football games, birthday parties, the loss of parents and, increasingly, of friends. In spite of everything, or because of everything, each and every night, he stayed true to his north star as he slid onto the mattress, carefully pulling the covers over them both.
His hair was thinner now; hers grayer.
They moved a little more slowly, visited the doctor a little more often, settled in the living room a little earlier. The smooth, younger skin had been replaced by the signs of aging. The wrinkles fanned out from the corners of his mouth with crow’s feet adorning his eyes. Yet even now, decades later, the spark he saw when he looked at her on that hot summer day hadn’t faded. Their thirties were memories of long ago, kept alive in photo albums, but the solidity and energy of youth had been replaced by the strength, togetherness, and softness of countless days together. He was more in love with her now than he had ever imagined.
She lay on her side staring at the opposite side of the bed, a slight drowsy sound as she breathed. After looking at her for a moment as he did most nights, he pulled back the coverlet and slipped under his warm embrace, leaning in, he, as he had done thousands of nights before and many more to come, kissed her softly while she slept.
