I can't take my eye off of her hand.539Please respect copyright.PENANA8ZWzbmzQJZ
We're back at the bar where we first met, each with a bottle of ginger ale.539Please respect copyright.PENANAOr1TsSyKtN
The ring... it fits her finger perfectly. Its as if her finger was destined to wear that ring as a symbol that she is mine, and I am hers. Forever.539Please respect copyright.PENANA0PtaCRo9Qv
"Caleb, if you could get a pet, what would it bue?" she asks.539Please respect copyright.PENANAfLevv8LiHF
"A parrot," I reply almost immediately.539Please respect copyright.PENANAhjx919wbxO
She smiles. 539Please respect copyright.PENANA7w3fCTsBKC
539Please respect copyright.PENANAP8rOODjbwH
539Please respect copyright.PENANAXXn0kWH4uJ
"Me, too."539Please respect copyright.PENANAZSbA17iDz5
539Please respect copyright.PENANAMF1SRPDXEN
539Please respect copyright.PENANAOcbIiZWKDE
"Why?" I ask her.539Please respect copyright.PENANAuJwCITIS8e
539Please respect copyright.PENANAdpx0EKo9p8
539Please respect copyright.PENANAVmL0iAWJ5G
"They're loving and they live long."539Please respect copyright.PENANAmlCtqSXuT2
539Please respect copyright.PENANAGDHGefHP3u
539Please respect copyright.PENANAH8mAS98M7A
539Please respect copyright.PENANAr2rMbMxpgf
539Please respect copyright.PENANAbAgdOkBHor
"That's my reason, too," I grin.539Please respect copyright.PENANACG6GTxeoJ6
I have a love for animals, and I know how hard it is for an owner to watch their pet die; I don't want to go through that. 539Please respect copyright.PENANAgwvNGvz9b4
At my age, if I get a young Macaw or African Grey, it would probably outlive me. Problem solved.539Please respect copyright.PENANAA67oIa7ets
"What's your favourite type of parrot?" I ask her.539Please respect copyright.PENANA7EUqNe8oPe
"Military Macaw," she responds with a giggle. "It's probably because I've watched 'Rio'so many times."539Please respect copyright.PENANAxxJhI6CsFt
I smile at her.539Please respect copyright.PENANAaMY8jOQcSW
"They can also be very aggressive," I mutter to her, wincing as I recall a Blue Macaw tearing its beak into Eli's flesh.539Please respect copyright.PENANAWos4WxCg1Q
That wasn't fun.539Please respect copyright.PENANAiJDTfnuXG9
"True," she mutters.539Please respect copyright.PENANAm5qWnV2WDe
I look at her for a few seconds.539Please respect copyright.PENANAjXNIWbtuHT
"You want one."539Please respect copyright.PENANAQ8YATjdaFr
She looks back at me.539Please respect copyright.PENANA0ke231QGRp
"Yeah, I've been thinking about it," she says with a smile.539Please respect copyright.PENANAWOOBf2fEQX
"Well, lets do it then," I say to her.539Please respect copyright.PENANANuBGKtBIuT
"Really?"539Please respect copyright.PENANA3hyfejdGGu
"Really."539Please respect copyright.PENANAjhmhIQSYi8
She awards me with one of those heart melting smiles again.539Please respect copyright.PENANAsKY8vzY9ZJ
"I hope you can teach me how to take care of it, because when it comes to that shit, I suck."539Please respect copyright.PENANADnKFiOK5k1
"Of course," I retort, smiling to myself.539Please respect copyright.PENANAYi2r9nm9fO
"Do you know where to get one?"539Please respect copyright.PENANABsOEniIZIp
"I can find out," I reply.539Please respect copyright.PENANAanDVGeWMt5
She looks down at her ring finger, and smiles, then looking up at me.539Please respect copyright.PENANAQfpX8Pi3KZ
"So, when are we gonna do this?"539Please respect copyright.PENANAQ7p0iaX8OO
"Huh?"539Please respect copyright.PENANA8IwLBQNmbk
"Get married," she clarifies.539Please respect copyright.PENANA6lqCHyv6XN
I hadn't even thought about the wedding yet, to be honest.539Please respect copyright.PENANAk2AOK32CI4
"I don't know. When do you want to do it?"539Please respect copyright.PENANAGTBprrPUMK
"July," she mumbles, but I know that she wants to say more.539Please respect copyright.PENANAkALrwmHt94
"What is it?" I ask.539Please respect copyright.PENANAvaMAGCEcZU
She chews her lip, and then exhales. 539Please respect copyright.PENANAmcsOGKop18
"I want to get married in Jamaica."539Please respect copyright.PENANAXUEHWizkNb
I hadn't even thought about that, but the truth is that it would be fantastic; I've never been to Jamaica, never seen her family, her childhood friends, looked into that part of her life.539Please respect copyright.PENANAt45HUtX2zx
"Never mind—"539Please respect copyright.PENANAJC5T0wnm3Y
"That would be amazing," I breathe.539Please respect copyright.PENANAxvhcfdJKNu
"Really?" she asks, a huge smile spreading over her face.539Please respect copyright.PENANAwY9F3afz8V
"Yes! I'd love to see that part of your life."539Please respect copyright.PENANA9KPwIwOITg
She reaches over and hugs me.539Please respect copyright.PENANAJ3W69zBHtl
"Thank you," she whispers.539Please respect copyright.PENANAsrPsOq0mYN
"You're very welcome, Eve."539Please respect copyright.PENANAHDba7m7uUU
***539Please respect copyright.PENANAJ6XxKJwk7u
We got a female Military Macaw; she's one year old, and Evetta named her "Jade", because of the colour of her body.539Please respect copyright.PENANAYeGDKlDRt7
Right now, she's scratching the bird's head, and it's leaning into her hand. I don't know why this looks so beautiful to me; then again, everything she does looks beautiful to me.539Please respect copyright.PENANAl5W9vwcvpc
She looks over at me, and her brow furrows.539Please respect copyright.PENANAgFe9gZbAVs
"What?" she asks.539Please respect copyright.PENANAgJ5wCuqp7B
"Nothing. It's just that... you're really beautiful."539Please respect copyright.PENANAQKvEsuFbQZ
She smiles at me; sometimes, I wonder if she knows what that smile does to me.539Please respect copyright.PENANA67u1Ac05UL
"Same," she replies.539Please respect copyright.PENANAWjjFFV1vd5
I move over to her, and rest my head on her shoulder. She leans her head on my head.539Please respect copyright.PENANAl3x0NQbWSE
Recently, I've been thinking about... everything; bout me being in a coma for over a year, about how I did remember her when I woke up, or for the weeks that followed, about the fact that she could have just gotten up and left my ass.539Please respect copyright.PENANAarYWNk8U1h
But Evetta stayed.539Please respect copyright.PENANAobP5q4yLgr
And for that, I will forever be grateful.539Please respect copyright.PENANAzLlRxSo2tR
"Thank you," I mumble into her neck, and she pulls back and gives me a questioning look.539Please respect copyright.PENANAElNJ7mdb5m
"For what?" she asks, looking and sounding puzzled.539Please respect copyright.PENANAUVIwswaIKU
539Please respect copyright.PENANA08gwMlWviK
539Please respect copyright.PENANAETs4g93LRa
"For not leaving," I clarify.539Please respect copyright.PENANArToip3FlFU
539Please respect copyright.PENANA08sRMMIuvF
539Please respect copyright.PENANAEWteGi623Y
She looks straight into my eyes, then drops her gazes and sighs.539Please respect copyright.PENANA1cJwuhKNPZ
539Please respect copyright.PENANAHuks6d7GDL
539Please respect copyright.PENANAyqSyvJLrC3
"I love you more than you could ever know," she whispers.539Please respect copyright.PENANAHHTzmdq5gk
539Please respect copyright.PENANAiBYtwJIKpl
539Please respect copyright.PENANANvE490W8zf
"If it's anywhere near as much as I love you, " I start, tilting her head up so that she will look at me.539Please respect copyright.PENANAtsBubUOdA0
539Please respect copyright.PENANAc3uLkOQjtk
539Please respect copyright.PENANAX4b6pw9U5d
"—then I think I have a pretty good idea," I finish.539Please respect copyright.PENANAZicFSNyMSM
539Please respect copyright.PENANAEfYQrfnjUC
539Please respect copyright.PENANAxQYYVrlcH6
I kiss her, and she moans into my mouth, not expecting it.539Please respect copyright.PENANAViCNaH1RV4
539Please respect copyright.PENANAMDfZoBevuZ
539Please respect copyright.PENANAZDbPaRnJRU
"Don't do that," I grunt, pulling away from her.539Please respect copyright.PENANAfRGwHJj22z
539Please respect copyright.PENANAhMPQ1XFqIM
539Please respect copyright.PENANAOZ3DCbOKyJ
"Sorry," she says, not sounding sorry at all. The bird which is on her lap gives a loud shriek, as if trying to revert the attention back onto herself.539Please respect copyright.PENANA8WKVjd5HHE
539Please respect copyright.PENANAEYTLTBru7M
539Please respect copyright.PENANAY7MzZ5pIVJ
"I think Jade is jealous," Evetta says with a chuckle.539Please respect copyright.PENANAGLfTIP4v0j
539Please respect copyright.PENANAksRXT5Q4ns
539Please respect copyright.PENANAddJsjh6QvW
"Well, shell just have to learn to live with it," I reply seriously.539Please respect copyright.PENANA9ZOnDwRcLu
539Please respect copyright.PENANAlrRJvYbZ3u
539Please respect copyright.PENANA8Pxt5Ebo04
She laughs, probably not realising just how serious I am. There is no way that I'm going to allow a damn bird to get between us.539Please respect copyright.PENANAN0VmdWwvAH
539Please respect copyright.PENANAh855d06npu
539Please respect copyright.PENANA9GfyYg76g3
"So... about that wedding," I start.539Please respect copyright.PENANACOo3T3FyIK
539Please respect copyright.PENANAtgu0yZDiXS
539Please respect copyright.PENANA92kJJnUO26
"I was thinking we should have it at my mother's house," she replies.539Please respect copyright.PENANAahDF4MOWRC
539Please respect copyright.PENANAAXtKuxk6GT
539Please respect copyright.PENANALIxxKJPhzo
"Really?" 539Please respect copyright.PENANAPxYAC6TknO
539Please respect copyright.PENANAFodj0XKjgQ
539Please respect copyright.PENANAETg2E7mp7a
"Yeah. Not like I want many people there, anyway," she states.539Please respect copyright.PENANApQdvLtEyQq
539Please respect copyright.PENANAaUmsuaWRok
539Please respect copyright.PENANAUbzzOSwBzq
"Who would be there?"539Please respect copyright.PENANAph4kVEFWuy
539Please respect copyright.PENANAHNg9jDQUDf
539Please respect copyright.PENANAWDdlSVbxcu
"My friends and close family," she says, putting emphasis on the word 'close' and bringing back some embarrassing memories. I just hope that Evetta doesn't use her borderline mindreading powers on me and bring it up.539Please respect copyright.PENANAfWH57T0x9c
539Please respect copyright.PENANAW7HMZCpDIu
539Please respect copyright.PENANAB3kI9uNEh0
"Thinking 'bout Uncle George?" Evetta asks with a grin, causing my cheeks to redden. I will never forget the day that my mother's brother showed up at our house drunk and unannounced, and asked for a place to stay. Of course Evetta was staying there, and of course, he had to say something when he saw her.539Please respect copyright.PENANAhQMRSmiBnL
539Please respect copyright.PENANAWBwncvb6eP
539Please respect copyright.PENANAvGlIGA087F
"So Caleb, I never knew that you were into the darkies. I mean, they're good to shag, but not to keep."539Please respect copyright.PENANA42AMcoqqm5
539Please respect copyright.PENANAPzhEnJuCEO
539Please respect copyright.PENANA8NZ15q45Ob
Now, most people would get upset, right? But Evetta... Evetta just started laughing. She laughed so hard that she had to bend over and clutch her stomach.539Please respect copyright.PENANAgixibd5xeG
539Please respect copyright.PENANAJpVzecVZyS
539Please respect copyright.PENANAuEQdBAetKh
"What is it, girlie?" he asks.539Please respect copyright.PENANA3oEwHOq7jH
539Please respect copyright.PENANAiZHEpoKMRb
539Please respect copyright.PENANAyuA8snetZL
"You're a drunk, you smell like piss, you've probably never had a girlfriend, I doubt you've had sex with anyone who wasn't paid or on drugs in the past year... and you're giving relationship advice? You're like those catholic priests who tell people not to use condoms."539Please respect copyright.PENANAUFjlHjTli0
539Please respect copyright.PENANAWBVZgTgO4x
539Please respect copyright.PENANAh4BBvQVZAy
Needless to say Uncle George wasn't too pleased. He was even angrier when my parents kicked him out.539Please respect copyright.PENANAVmP2tOIMxI
539Please respect copyright.PENANAS4bJtJF40g
539Please respect copyright.PENANAdDrS1cNFQc
"Caleb, sometimes your mouth is really too big," he said.539Please respect copyright.PENANAVvrc1fIkHU
539Please respect copyright.PENANARgGySAoRzF
539Please respect copyright.PENANA24TIGFWhZn
"You don't have to do—"539Please respect copyright.PENANAn2kqFnvCmw
539Please respect copyright.PENANAyWrqKxLpWM
539Please respect copyright.PENANAr5lUUgRaH5
"Evetta, its fine," my mother reassured her.539Please respect copyright.PENANA84wquLlR8P
539Please respect copyright.PENANA4mUbKwj00K
539Please respect copyright.PENANApTvAG1v8rO
So with that, Uncle George was exiled.539Please respect copyright.PENANA9ZXrYno9uP
539Please respect copyright.PENANAPktFqlGXJg
539Please respect copyright.PENANAFsd1LxDLF5
"Please don't bring him up," I say to her.539Please respect copyright.PENANAQ1jydWn3ZU
539Please respect copyright.PENANAggxHVy9PrB
539Please respect copyright.PENANAT7vBLzpRxF
"She giggles, and puts her head against my chest.539Please respect copyright.PENANApHjjnFLrHc
539Please respect copyright.PENANAizNLb6Bbnk
539Please respect copyright.PENANAVECAuEuVca
"This is going to be amazing," she says, cuddling up to me with a huge smile on her face.539Please respect copyright.PENANAZmmxhsvBLC
539Please respect copyright.PENANAag3dkGM6GR
539Please respect copyright.PENANAKP07Zxc6Lu
"I love you, Evetta Maji."539Please respect copyright.PENANAriBYftGfoF
539Please respect copyright.PENANAZ3iQvjQm73
539Please respect copyright.PENANAYazM5GXnPg
"I love you too."539Please respect copyright.PENANAbnBj0UuUav
539Please respect copyright.PENANA6USZa0RawJ
539Please respect copyright.PENANAlxogsi5833
In this moment, with the most beautiful woman on earth giving me a heart warming smile, giving me all the love that I will ever need, I realise something — I'm truly happy. I'm at peace. All of the resentment towards the universe, the self-hatred... it's gone.539Please respect copyright.PENANAGJ67ndaUCj
539Please respect copyright.PENANABtjqREcpKY
539Please respect copyright.PENANAwVvEaBpUg4
"You look like you're having an epiphany, or something. What's up?" she asks me.539Please respect copyright.PENANAyR8xG2yQDR
539Please respect copyright.PENANAJq7w4lr9sM
539Please respect copyright.PENANA8dwBbz1E4S
"You just make me... happy. I'm not angry anymore," I reply. 539Please respect copyright.PENANAqy98sU8Pj0
539Please respect copyright.PENANAOeSczjXA77
539Please respect copyright.PENANASl3IIlnAUj
"I've realised," she states. 539Please respect copyright.PENANAkU1J8sWwqe
539Please respect copyright.PENANAokSqaILTqW
539Please respect copyright.PENANAELrPsRxtqL
"So I'm the same old Caleb?" I ask her jokingly, but I can guess what she's going to say before she says it.539Please respect copyright.PENANAcfsPzrKmwi
539Please respect copyright.PENANAzfwAGTxV3C
539Please respect copyright.PENANAU9yVfRfWpu
"No, not the same... something this dramatic has to have a lasting impact on you. The core aspects of your personality are still there... but... it's as if you have a greater appreciation for life."539Please respect copyright.PENANAaEL5LRrMEy
539Please respect copyright.PENANAyaKlGsxpp9
539Please respect copyright.PENANA0g43HrnCBL
"So I wasn't grateful before?" I ask her.539Please respect copyright.PENANAhq5w1F3BiC
539Please respect copyright.PENANAPZ2mvP0Myc
539Please respect copyright.PENANASs0ayBkiFu
"That was just me not wanting to tell you that you're fucking whipped. Won't last forever though. Shut up and listen," she scolds when I open my mouth to interrupt her. "Being in love is fantastic. It's fun. It's the most amazing feeling ever. It's also the worst thing to depend on when trying to keep a relationship. Loving someone, and being in love with someone are two different things. I've seen it with my parents. Sometimes it's as if they're the only two people in the world; they can only see each other. Sometimes, they're completely pissed with each other, for days, even weeks... but every night, my father comes home with a fresh cupcake for my mother from Sugar and Spice, and my mother sets dinner for my father. And sometimes, there are no fireworks... but the sparks are still there. You feel me?"539Please respect copyright.PENANAtVDqNnEgCv
539Please respect copyright.PENANAJQUFrlECDf
539Please respect copyright.PENANAjRvwtwgnWj
"Yeah," I say, taking it all in. I've never thought of it that way.539Please respect copyright.PENANAo0BeTmgYzl
539Please respect copyright.PENANAsxrFXB9gdb
539Please respect copyright.PENANAJYsOOWUSa0
"Remember before the accident, how we had that huge fight over–"539Please respect copyright.PENANAICmE7L3zdu
539Please respect copyright.PENANAFj7DHqA2Yb
539Please respect copyright.PENANA1m0cta1NBQ
"—me telling you what to wear. Yeah."539Please respect copyright.PENANADDRSFEndDy
539Please respect copyright.PENANAyMZc6wlooZ
539Please respect copyright.PENANAbmr6vqJASr
"It took forever for us to get over it, but every night—"539Please respect copyright.PENANAFV2svX6lKO
539Please respect copyright.PENANAwkuStjrp8Z
539Please respect copyright.PENANADMDH2nhVXl
"—we would text each other. I remember."539Please respect copyright.PENANAaOqFCS5kpu
539Please respect copyright.PENANApnQT21Wy7O
539Please respect copyright.PENANACIxqOqbZFa
She smiles, and kisses my jaw.539Please respect copyright.PENANASwR60EgklM
539Please respect copyright.PENANA0qiEo6qqhR
539Please respect copyright.PENANADuCXGp5cLB
"That's when I realised how much I loved you, because at that moment, there were no fireworks—"539Please respect copyright.PENANAxHpEfi3ay9
539Please respect copyright.PENANAkHYftcETIH
539Please respect copyright.PENANAtPDhZYsRyD
"—but the sparks were still there." 539Please respect copyright.PENANAfZvC4IBXW6
539Please respect copyright.PENANAIPgj1DsdwI
539Please respect copyright.PENANAYRNSug1kWA
"And they always will be."539Please respect copyright.PENANAXkvIIsvPCw
539Please respect copyright.PENANAMh0DhYJftC
539Please respect copyright.PENANAjjRGEhqnTy
She doesn't know how true that is. I will never stop loving her. Not even when I'm pissed at her beyond words. Not even when she fùcks up. Not even when she hurls hurtful words at me as she pushes out my child, because let's be honest, Evetta is exactly the type of woman to do that shit in the moment.539Please respect copyright.PENANArWtHI0Ppuk
539Please respect copyright.PENANAthzKE1hNOF
539Please respect copyright.PENANAigxI2AX02j
I will always love this woman.539Please respect copyright.PENANAtUq7r7JsG7
539Please respect copyright.PENANAxJ2hUYnkIA
539Please respect copyright.PENANAdYsAwTH4xE
"Yes," I say reassuringly, "they will."539Please respect copyright.PENANAQehdzo5xSK
539Please respect copyright.PENANASU6gneI2ng
539Please respect copyright.PENANAEZlheDaxk6