Kim – And They Lived Happily Ever After

They met on a frosty December evening. They sat for hours, discussing anything and everything, overindulging in caffeine, imagining a life together. Years later, she would remember back to that night, so long ago. She could still see his worn Frye boot swung lazily on the booth, an oxford shirt rolled casually over his forearms, his penetrating grey-blue eyes. He was too handsome to be real. Too nice to last.

They married, and over time, he was still nice and still beautiful. They spent Sunday mornings listening to the Beatles, reading the paper, talking. They started a life, bought a home, spoiled a cat, waited for a baby. Friends came into their life, most stayed, some did not. They rejoiced in their friends’ babies, and they waited. People in their life died, several tragically. They moved.

And then a beautiful baby came. He was their world; a sweet, happy, lively, silly, rambunctious baby boy, with enough love for everyone, and tons of energy that spun their world around upside down and right side up again. They moved back.

This boy of theirs. Charming and sweet, with sufficient mischief to keep them running. A boy fascinated with bugs and birds, frogs and toads; a boy looking at the world with wonder.

And then one day, they sent their lovely, brilliant, beautiful, happy boy to school, where he grew to be a very sad, very angry, little boy. The other boys turned to baseball and soccer, while his teachers cultured obedient little boys who sat at their desks, studied math and science, and brought back educational projects designed to busy the entire family.

And so, one day in an act of desperation in their love for this boy, they decided to make haste to a faraway land. A place where people practiced love and tolerance. A place where little boys could learn about the world by traipsing through forests and meadows, digging for creatures. A place where people cared for each other. They bought a cute little house with a front porch swing. They’d sit outside on warm summer evenings, swaying to the sound of tree frogs, enjoying the moment together. Neighbors would walk by and wave. Boys ran about, indifferent to property lines. Children gathered together without taunting or teasing one another. Some played ball, others collected bugs, some stretched out on the cool evening grass, simply staring into space. No hurry, few worries. They worked enough, played enough, loved even more. Life was good.

The boy was happy. He had found his place. And they all lived happily ever after.