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Twenty-five years.
A quarter of a century.
Funny how time flies, and all of a sudden you're nearly fifty years old. Looking back, you can see the crazy turn of events in your life like some kind of movie, detached and yet feeling every single emotion as if you were there in that moment.
***
Fresh out of college, you remembered the night you found your partner sleeping with your roommate. The white hot rage and cold grip of disbelief sent you fleeing into the rain, into the streets, into a bar in the middle of the night. As you meandered between sadness and anger, a bartender had given you a cold glass of orange juice, soda water, and a bit of ice, with a shot of grenadine.
"Here ya go, sweetheart. On the house."
You had looked up and drowned in eyes the color of volcanic springs, finding the same warmth and comfort in his kind gaze. Taking a cautious sip of the drink, you found it to be the perfect drink, not too sweet, and took your time savoring it.
"What brings you here tonight?" he had asked.
After a moment of silence, he held up his hand. "You don't need to tell me if you don't want to."
He leaned in close. "But I'm happy to listen, whenever yer ready."
His sweet smile undid you, and you poured out your heart. He seemed to nod along with your story, as a stranger would, but there was a steadily growing fire in his eyes. After a while, after a few interruptions from other customers ordering drinks, you had finished venting, nursing the last of your drink and debating what your next move should be.
"Alright folks, last call!" the bartender shouted. A few people came up and got one last drink before he started to clean up.
"Well, thank you for listening to me," you said, dropping a tip on the bar. "I really appreciate it."
"I didn't catch yer name."
You told him.
He smiled. "I'm Arthur. Could… could ya wait a bit? I'll walk you home."
You slumped. "I don't want to go home."
Arthur raised an eyebrow at you. "Where were you goin' to go, then?"
You shrugged. "Walk around until sunrise, I guess. Not feeling sleepy."
He tilted his head as he observed you. After a few moments, he shook his head. "If you don't mind, you can come sleep on my couch. You need some rest, darlin'."
"Um…" As sweet as he was, you had just met him.
Arthur pulled out a pen and scribbled something on the back of a bar coaster before giving it to you. "Here's my address. You send it to someone you trust, so they know where you are."
Touched by his offer and his understanding of your hesitation, you agreed. You texted his address to your best friend who lived a city away and told her that you were staying with a new friend and that you'd call her in the morning and tell her everything.
Then you waited until Arthur was done with his shift and followed him home.
***
That was years ago. He had helped you deal with the whole situation with your ex-significant other and ex-roommate. He stood outside as backup while you confronted the two of them and told them that you were leaving. Then you found yourself temporarily moving in with Arthur, bunking on his sleeper sofa for a couple of weeks while you searched for another place to live.
And then you slept in his bed. And your temporary move became permanent.
Life continued. You slept together, in the adult sense of the term. You got pregnant. You dated. You gave birth. He proposed. You got married. He finished college. You became the breadwinner while he worked part time and took care of your daughter.
Nothing went in the 'normal' order of things, but what was normal, anyway?
Looking at the photos of your wonderful daughter when she was a small child, you smiled as you heard the doorbell ring.
"Hey Mom!"
"Hi Avery!" You greeted her with a warm hug. She was twenty-three now, working hard during her first year out of college. You got to see her a couple times a month, and each visit made you smile, no matter how grumpy she might be.
Today the two of you were just hanging out, having tea and going through some of the old boxes in the attic, when she pulled out an old scrapbook.
"Wow, didn't know you did scrapbooking."
"I didn't, I only made one for my wedding."
Together the two of you looked through your silly notes and hand picked photos, telling her the story behind each one, and who each person was.
"Do you still have your wedding dress?" she asked after seeing the photos of you and Arthur, dressed up in a tuxedo that barely fit his broad shoulders.
"I do, somewhere."
After some time searching, you found it, brushed it off, and held it up to your body. "I don't think it'll fit, I've gotten a bit wider since I wore it."
"C'mon Mom, just try it!"
Smiling, the two of you went to your bedroom and you managed to shove yourself mostly into the dress. Except for the shoulders.
"I've gotten more buff," you joked as you pulled the dress off yourself. "You try it."
Avery took the dress, stared at it for a moment, and with your help, pulled it on. It looked like it fit, until she moved her arms.
The sound of a seam ripping made you both pause.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry–"
You patted her shoulder. "It's fine, sweetie. It's just a dress, it can be fixed. And you look beautiful in it."
Your daughter grinned, and you could see Arthur's eyes and smile on her face.
After she spun around a few times, she took it off and handed it back to you. Out of curiosity, you checked which seams had torn.
"It might fit you now," Avery joked.
"Sure, why not?"
You pulled it back on, and sure enough, the seams that had torn were the very ones stopping you from fitting your thicker arms through. You turned around and looked in the mirror. Twirling around a bit, you suddenly felt young again, remembering the first time you had tried this dress. Your two closest friends had been by your side, encouraging you to buy the dress because you were so pleased with it.
And you remembered the last time you had worn this dress, walking down the aisle with Arthur, hand in hand, the two of you grinning at each other as if there was nothing else in the world, just the two of you, happily in love.
"Let's take some photos outside!" Avery suggested, her eyes lighting up with enthusiasm.
Smiling at your daughter, you walked through your house and out to the small backyard that Arthur lovingly cared for, with a small waterfall and herb garden.
He was there, kneeling in the dirt, planting some new basil plants. He turned around at the sound of the back door opening.
"What're you two doin'–"
Arthur's words stopped abruptly as his jaw dropped. He hadn't seen you in that dress since the wedding, and for him, time stopped and all he saw was his beautiful lady, dressed in white, smiling like a goddess.
He quickly washed his hands with the garden hose, wiped them on his jeans, and came towards you.
"Beautiful, just like an angel," he said in awe.
You went to him, holding your hands out to him. He took them and brought them close to his heart before lifting your hands to his lips and kissing your fingers oh so so tenderly.
"Amazin', I feel the same as I did on our weddin' day, seein' you like this."
"I'm a little wider now…"
"That don't matter none," he said, leaning closer to you. His forehead touched yours and he looked into your eyes. "Yer always lovely."
"Awww!"
Avery's exclamation brought the two of you back to reality. She had her phone out and had been taking photos of the two of you, a giant grin on her face.
"I'll send these to you later, after I touch them up a bit," she said. "I, uh, got an errand to run. Bye Dad, bye Mom, I'll catch you later!"
She left, giving you a conspiratorial wink. You looked back at Arthur to find that his eyes hadn't left you for a single moment.
He was in his late fifties now, streaks of grey in his hair, giving him a sophisticated appearance. He smiled much more these days, finding happiness in tending his small garden and being outside in the sunlight. He was still strong, still broad shouldered, but he had filled out a little from your delicious home cooked meals.
And he still looked at you like you were his entire world.
"Should we go inside?" you asked with a mischievous smirk.
"I got mud on me," he said, although he didn't resist when you pulled him into the house.
"I'll get you all clean," you said. "Then we can get dirty."
"Darlin'," he said as if he was chastising you, yet he was chuckling softly as he let you lead the way.
***
That night, looking at the photos Avery had emailed, you realized how the two of you appeared, so deep in love. You both looked younger in her photos, and you wondered if it was because of the photo editing.
Showing Arthur, he just smiled and kissed your cheek, his whiskers scraping your skin lightly as he nuzzled you.
"See? Told you my feelin's fer you would never change." He pulled you into his arms and held you close.
"You'll always be my shinin' star."