love is alive and well, even at wal-mart.
November 25th, 2008 § 1 Comment
i went on hiatus from promptuesdays the last couple weeks, because last week’s prompt was fiction (and i’ve tried writing fiction…i’m not so great at it), and the week before i posted about andy and leanne’s wedding. but this week i’m back, because a) i need the prompt today, and b) i LOVE this week’s prompt:
So this week, write on this:
Just look at the word. And write.
That’s all. (Oh were but it that simple, right?) (Or — “but were it that simple?”) (Is that even a phrase?) (Moral: DON’T OVERTHINK.)
oh yeah, and i only have 10 minutes to write this.
this word brought a clear image to mind of a cloudy day in cincinnati…i was in my car and getting ready to back out of a parking spot at wal-mart (yes, there was a time i used to shop at wal-mart…much like my republican phase, i don’t like to talk about this one either). as i slowly pulled out of the space, i noticed an old couple get out of their car and start walking towards the front of the store. i only saw the back of them, but their posture and slow progress towards the door led me to believe that they were likely in their 80s somewhere. then, seemingly without pause or a glance, they reached for each others’ hand as if it were automatic.
i had no idea what their story was, or if they had gotten married yesterday or 50 years ago, but i remember the very clear feeling of longing to have what they had – to know that when i’m 80 years old, i’ll have someone to hold my hand, regardless of the length of time that we’d been together, and because of everything we’d experienced together leading up to that moment.
I love when I see older couples do that. You wrote about it beautifully.