The One Old Candle
Title: The One Old Candle
Media: Original Fiction
Challenge: Keep The Faith - Bon Jovi
Rating: G
Notes: I wrote this for the weekly music challenge at storytellersong.
The One Old Candle
The injustices of the world are a constant for each of us every day. It is finding a way to deal with those things that we cannot change, and keeping our eyes focused on what we believe in so that we don’t lose our way, so we don’t lose our faith.
That’s what I woke up thinking this morning and I couldn’t shake the thought as I worked at the docks, loading and unloading freight, like I did most days. The work at the docks was hard but it kept me honest, in shape, and put a roof over mine and Gina’s heads. That’s all that mattered.
Gina and I have been together now for almost two years. I fell in love with her the first moment I laid eyes on her. Her smile and the gleam in her eyes, told me she was the one. But lately, as things have gotten tougher, I’ve been feeling like I’m losing her, and I can’t let that happen.
I felt the sweat roll down my shoulder blades and trail down my back, as I picked up crate after crate to load on the platform. My mind wondered from the first kiss Gina and I had shared, to the time we had shared laughing over our first dinner together at the little flat we rented almost two years ago.
That night was special, our first night together, and we lit an old candle as we ate our tv dinners on a crate, similar to the ones I was moving now, which we had covered with red paper. Nothing mattered then, except being together.
She had pulled me from a life of anger and resentment and taught me what love was. I was a broken arrow, but she taught me how to lay down my guns and stop trying to fight battles that I couldn’t win. I still haven’t forgiven the world for what it’s done to me, but she showed me that there was something better, life was worth living.
Now, as I watch her at night while she sleeps, I notice she doesn’t have that peaceful look on her face, like she used to. She’s the one struggling now, she’s the one losing her way, and I know it’s hard not to feel like life isn’t worth it when we both work so hard and barely make ends meet, but as long as we have each other, we’ll be okay.
I walked home that night from work, feeling like Gina and I needed to talk, I needed to remind her what she had told me and taught me, so long ago. As I passed by the market, the old man was just putting the last of his flowers away until tomorrow, so I bought a red rose. Then I stopped and Chan Lu’s and picked up one order of chicken lo mein and some fried rice. I knew Gina wouldn’t be home from the diner yet, so I would surprise her.
When I got to our little flat, I went to the closet and pulled out the old crate, looked around until I found an old red towel, and sat two plates on it, lighting the one old candle we had used almost two years ago, and placed the red rose across her plate. Then I waited for her to get home.
About ten minutes later, I heard the familiar rattle of the door knob, and sat up straight on the small love seat, waiting for her to come in. The only light now, was that of the candle. The door slowly opened and I whispered, "welcome home baby," as I got up and crossed the room to greet her.
I took her overcoat and pulled her into my arms for a warm hug and soft kiss.
"Tommy, what is all this about? I can barely see," she said in a tired voice.
"I’m bringing you back to yesterday, back to a time when all we needed was each other, a time when nothing else mattered," I whispered against her cool lips.
I felt her breathe catch in her throat and pulled back to look at her. She had a tear trickling down her still beautiful cheek, and I reached up to wipe it away.
"Can you still remember how it felt to not worry about anything except loving each other?"
"Yes. I miss those days. But things are different now. Things are tougher now," she sighed, with longing in her voice.
"No, they aren’t. We still have each other and together we can make it. You and me just like when we started. We can’t let our love turn to hate. You’ve got to let it out and not keep it inside. Come on, let me fix you a plate," I said, pulling her gently over to our make shift table.
She reached down and picked up the rose, bringing it to her nose and closing her eyes as she inhaled. A slight smile turned her lips up just a bit, and I put the food on her plate. We sat there and ate our dinner, laughing quietly about the old times and when we had finished she looked at me, took my hand in hers, and said, "you’re right Tommy. As long as we have each other we can make it. The hell with the world, this is where we belong. You and me together forever."
Now that’s the Gina I know and love, I thought as I took her in my arms and led her to the small love seat where we sat down. She lay her head against my chest and I felt good knowing that she had easily seen what I was trying to show her.
It’s ashamed when people let the world pull them down, when there are so many little things in life to look forward to. I mean a single red rose, some cheap Chinese food, an old crate, an old candle, and a warm embrace may not seem like that much to some, but to others it’s the beginning of something beautiful.