whole hell of a lot.” She put her head in her hands and started crying and I felt like an ass. Unable to stand this distance any longer I get up and pull her into my arms.
“Baby I’m sorry. So, fucking sorry for everything. Just please… I know I’m asking a lot but please, promise me even if it’s a lie, because it must be you. Only you.” She was shaking grasping at my back. The feel her tears on my shirt made me feel even more like shit.
“I promise ok. I promise I won’t break up with you now tell me. I need to know, before I go any further in this relationship with you.” The relief I felt was dizzying. I squeeze her and pull her away so I could look into her eyes.
“Thank you.” She only nods wiping her tears.
“Tell me now.” Swallowing I look away, still quiet, unsure of where to start. Then instinctively I think about the moment I first laid eyes the love of my life.
“It was like love at first sight.”
At First Sight
Channing
Three and a half years ago
“So, what do you think? Do you think Rebecca will like it?” Landen stood there examining the eight-carat diamond ring with a smile. He took the box and I could tell that he was feeling the same thing that I am. Proud with everything we’ve accomplished and content with the women in our lives. Life can’t get better than this.
“It’s beautiful. I think Becca is sure to love it. When are you going to propose?” Having my brother feel this level of excitement for me I feel even more proud with where we’ve come from.
“I don’t know I still have some planning to do, what’s important is that she like the ring.” Landen snorted and I threw him a look.
“Like hell she won’t like something that blinding and big.” He leaned against my desk looking up. “Honestly if she doesn’t thing that’s good enough then you don’t need her. She knows our struggle to get to where we are. She’ll love it, I’m sure.” He’s right Rebecca knows where we’ve come from. That’ll make her appreciate this ring even more knowing the sacrifices I had to go through to get her this.
With Landen and me having grown up so poor, we didn’t know milk went with cereal until I was forced by the state to go to school. When I got there, I was astounded that kids didn’t eat corn flakes with water, and they had something called frost that sweetened it up for them. I remember feeling so embarrassed that I didn’t know one third of the things the other kids knew. Not only was that embarrassing but the kinds of things that everyone else seemed to think were normal like running water and eating twice a day, were luxuries to me.
Hell, at one point we didn’t know what sugar was. I remember being in class asking the teacher what she was putting in her drink, because the only powdery stuff I’d seem at home was the stuff that made my dad pass out sick. The look on her face when I told her about what happened with my dad made her take me to the office and I vividly remember staying there with many teachers coming in and out. When I got some alone time, I snuck a pack of the sugar and tasted it.
It was the best thing I tasted in my life. After the school day ended, I ran home and gave Landen the ‘candy’ that I found at school. It was fun going to school and the teachers were super nice. At home, Landen just waited for me. I saw my brother sprawled on the floor with daddy’s candy around his mouth. If it weren’t for something deep inside of me helping me pack my brother to school to get help, he would have died.
Having a three-year-old brother overdosing on cocaine changed things to say the least. Our dad went to jail and we went to live with our uncle Milky on our dad’s side who had a son named Michael, and a wife Aunt Tessa. Yeah after that mishap things were fairly good for us. That is until we met our cousins on our mother side who got us to where we are right now. Leaning back, I shift my thoughts back to Rebecca and realize it’s our anniversary this month.
“You know I think I might propose to her at