Fact or Fiction Friday - Andie

Last week's entry- TRUE. It happened in May 1995. See info on it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_8th_1995_Louisiana_Flood

Fact or Fiction Friday- Andie


A cool spring breeze blew off the lake and through the open windows as I started packing up the boxes early that morning. I had chosen a perfect day to play hooky from work. The weather was beautiful; an azure sky framed the sunlight, which shone against the tiny waves on the lake like diamonds. I could smell the scent of the gardenias starting to bloom from the tiny wooden garden box on the window.

I continued to pack box after box with trinkets, mementos, pictures. All of these items contained a memory of the nine years we had been together. Pictures from our freshman year of high school at our winter formal; a stuffed Tweety Bird from the senior carnival; plastic party mugs covered in graffiti of Greek letters and frat party themes; my cap, tassel and a picture of us at our graduation from State all went into the same box. Hot tears streamed over my flushed cheeks and chapped lips.
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It was all planned. A spring wedding at the end of March, glowing white calla lilies were to flank the church’s altar along with my six bridesmaids in a subdued shade of lavender. We were to be married by candlelight in that cathedral, four hundred guests to witness the closing of our nine year courtship and the beginning of our life together as husband and wife. It was three weeks before the big day. All of the showers and parties complete, a pile of gifts sat in the living room, waiting for repetitive thank you’s to be written on the ivory note cards embossed with the new monogram. I looked at the engagement photo, black and white, a small shadow obscuring part of my smile in the picture. Was that shadow a signal of what was to come?

Nine years we spent together, discovering what we thought was our true selves. What we had discovered was that we were completely different people wanting to lead completely different lives. It was although we were ignoring the inevitable.

I’ll never forget that perfect day in March when I called it off.