April 2nd, 2002 – With their interlocking hands and the girl’s head resting below the boy’s shoulder, the couple moved longingly across the boardwalk of the New York City Harbor. The small lights that were draped across the wooden poles of the pier were flickering like tiny fairies granting miracles in the distance. The moon was slowly rising upwards towards the sky and the stars were becoming more vibrant as the sun faded away. The wind was only at a slow breeze, but it was just enough for the girl to be chilly. When the boy noticed his girl shivering, he quickly took his jacket off and put it around her shoulders, desperate to keep her warm. Pulling the beanie farther down on her tiny head, the boy drew her in closer; almost as if he was trying to keep her from falling apart.
After a few more moments of walking in silence, the boy spoke.
“We could get married, y’know,” he said softly, gentle enough to soothe her tired ears. At first, the girl let out a small unexpected chuckle, taken back by the illogical words he spoke. She looked up at his warm eyes and smiled. “Aaron, you can’t be serious.”
Without any hesitation, he spoke again, “I’m as serious as ever, Beth.” He began hugging her closer to him. “We have everything but time and we both know it will happen eventually, so why not now?”
Abetha looked away for a couple of seconds while a million different thoughts raced through her head.
“Yeah, okay. Let’s do it.”
Aaron paused, shocked by the words she whispered. “Wait, really? I didn’t think you’d agree.” He quickly pulled away and stood in front of her, stopping her from walking down the pier. He was grinning into his cheeks and his eyes looked at her wild. His new fiance started to nod her head as she smiled and bit her bottom lip.
“You’re right. We have everything but time. I’m in love with you, Aaron, so let’s do it. Let’s get married. I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be here for but I’d like to die knowing that I’d been your wife.” Abetha spoke softly but with passion, meeting the eyes of her soulmate.
Aaron, careful not to crush her weak body, pulled Abetha into a giant embrace, closing his eyes as he listened to her breathing. The two stood there for several moments, uninterrupted by the traveling city around them. It was getting later and there was hardly anyone on the docks as the peaceful sounds of the Hudson River drifted into their minds.
Hand-in-hand again, the newly engaged couple continued down the harbor, slowly floating away from reality. After a few more minutes of listening to the sounds of the city, Abetha turned and smiled at Aaron, speaking to him quietly.
“You have to promise me something.”
Surprised by the lack of speaking just moments before, Aaron turned around and looked at her, confused. Abetha smiled for a moment and took a deep breath before starting.
“You have to promise me that you’ll be able to move on. I’m not going to be here much longer, and I need to know that you’ll find someone else and that you’ll be happy.”
She wiped a small tear away that slid down her cheek as she spoke. Once she looked back up at him again, she smiled.
Aaron could not comprehend the ache he felt in his heart. Swallowing his emotions, he kept his head high and cupped his girl’s face.
“I promise.”
May 10th, 2012 – It was sunny that day, the day that Abetha had passed ten years ago. Aaron felt like it should be pouring but eventually came to think that it was her way of letting him know that she was still there. Even after all this time, he could still see her soft smile and the hope in her eyes. As he looked down at her grave in the gloomy cemetery, he reminisced on all of the good times they had together, even though it was only for a short while.
As he did every year, Aaron brought a giant bouquet of lilacs, Abetha’s favorite flower. She always told him that it reminded her of the old farm she used to live on with her mother in Virginia. As he started to remember things that he had buried deep inside of him, he put the flowers down on the grave.
After taking a deep breath, Aaron began to slowly speak.
“I miss you more every day, but I know that you’re no longer in pain. I brought you lilacs- again. I hope you still like them. I know that you’re quick to change your mind.”
He paused for a minute, making sure to choose his next words carefully.
“I miss your smile and the way you throw your head back when you laugh and I miss the spark in your eyes when you’re so deeply passionate about something. But most of all, Abetha, I miss completely and entirely you. You were taken far too early from this world and you didn’t deserve it one bit. I would take your place in a heartbeat. I hope to be with you someday, even if it is in another lifetime.”
“Daddy, c’mon! We’re gonna be late to practice!”
Aaron turned his head to where he parked his car and out came his little monster running towards him with half of a shin guard on and the opposite leg shoe untied. The kid’s scruffy hair was a disaster and Aaron was pretty sure he had just pulled another tooth out.
“Okay buddy, let’s go,” he spoke gently, leading his son back to where he came from. As they walked back, hand-in-hand, Aaron turned around one more time to say goodbye.
Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this assignment I did for class; I sure had loads of fun writing it. This post is actually based off of an obituary that I had found on Legacy.com. Here’s the link to the specific post!
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/abetha-aayer-obituary?pid=142650154
It’s a pretty “open” obituary so I decided to interpret it in my own way. There aren’t a lot of details, but I thought it was just so sweet. It almost made me cry in class because “Aaron” in real life posts the same post every year on the date that she died. Isn’t that heartbreaking? I don’t know, but I felt like crying. Also, thank you to my lovely grandfather who actually came up with the title! I originally just had it as “Abetha & Aaron” but he slept on it and came up with “Everything But Time” for me which is just so devastating.
On a side note, I never directly stated in the text what Abetha passed away from, but I intended for it to be leukemia. You can interpret it however you like, but it’s sort of difficult describing those symptoms.
One more thing- the featured image I chose was actually a picture I took in Destin, Florida couple years ago. I’ve never been to New York, but I’d love to go. Anyway, I didn’t want you all thinking that was what I thought New York looked like. I just thought I’d choose it because it has a similar dock/harbor/pier vibe I was trying to go for in the first scene.
Anyway, I’ll see you guys later for hopefully something… happier.
