The Hands of Time
by Cherie
AJ knelt down to run his hand over the cold marble,
a single tear running down his cheek. His fingers felt each groove
of the lettering, which read: Beloved daughter, wife and friend,
she flies among the angels now.
His thoughts took him back to the first moment
that he laid eyes on her. He was back in Orlando after their first
tour in Europe, visiting his old high school.
As he made his way to the Performing Arts Center, he could
hear a melodious voice coming from the auditorium. The room was
dark, save for a few beams lighting the stage.
"Bravo", he said, clapping loudly and
walking towards the stage. His voice startled her, and she strained
to see where it was coming from.
"That was beautiful", he told her, walking
up the steps and onto the stage.
"Thank you", she said shyly, a small
southern accent to her voice. "I didn't realize anyone else
was here."
"I'm just visiting", he told her. "I've
been out of the country for a while, so I thought I'd come back
and visit the old school and all."
"That's cool", she replied, nodding.
"What do you do?"
"Oh I'm in a vocal harmony group, the Backstreet
Boys." He smiled at the confused look on her face.
"We
haven't made it big in the States yet, but we will. Oh I'm AJ by
the way, nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you also, I'm Whitney",
she said, shaking his hand. The pair exchanged small talk for a
little while, then AJ offered to take her to an early dinner. She
readily accepted, and they headed to AJ's favorite, McDonald's.
From that day forward the two
were inseperable.
He adored her kind spririt, the fire in her eyes and the little
things she did just for him. She loved his wild spirit, his individuality
and all the wonderful things he did to make her feel special. She
stuck with him through the bad times too-- the constant touring
as the group gained recognition all over the world, and the one
drunken night
of passion shared with a nameless woman from the road. He tearfully
confessed to her, claiming it would never happen again.
It was when he was faced with losing her forever that he
knew he couldn't live without her. She began coming on the road
with him from
time to time, until she caught the eyes and ears of their tour manager,
and was quickly signed on as one of their opening acts.
Two years to the day after AJ and Whitney
met, the BSB were touring in Italy. AJ told Whitney to get dressed
up in her shimmery red dress, the one he loved to look at her in,
and meet him on the patio of the motel. She did so and he walked
up and greeted her with a single red rose and a kiss
on the cheek. He himself was wearing a black tuxedo with a silky
red shirt underneath. He took her hand and led her to the black
stretch limo which awaited them outside. He opened the door for
her, and she saw that the seats had
been strewn with red and white rose petals. The driver took them
to one of their favorite spots, a beautiful gazebo that overlooked
the ocean, which AJ had decorated with flowers, twinklng lights
and gauzy fabric that wrapped around the beams. Soft music played
in the background as they sat down to a candle-lit meal. After they
finished eating, the danced slowly around the gazebo, until their
song,
"Back
At One" came on. They stopped dancing and AJ placed a velvel
cushion on a nearby bench and motioned for Whitney to sit down.
As she did so, he got down on
one knee, took a velvet box from his pocket and began, "Whitney,
you have been a ray of light shining down on me since the day we
met. It's hard for me to remember what my life was like before I
knew you. I know in my heart that I want to spend the rest of my
life with you -- forever and a day. Sweetheart, my angel
from heaven, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife, and being
with me for the rest of my life?" Tears welled up in her eyes,
but she shook her head no.
"No AJ, I'll be with you for the rest of mine."
He smiled brightly and placed the diamond and platinum
ring on her finger, then stood and kissed her passionately.
Their wedding was just 6 months later, a beautiful
and extravagant affair, which all of their friends and family attended.
As she walked down the aisle in her flowing white gown, she had
never looked more beautiful.
Life continued as usual, touring and spending as
much time together as possible. After a while, Whitney noticed she
was getting tired very easily, and began feeling weak alot of the
time. Eventually AJ convinced her to go to a doctor to find out
what was wrong.
The prognosis was grim -- she had a tumor in her
brain that was spreading rapidly. They both cried as the doctor
told them the news, and AJ hugged her Whitney tightly and told her,"We're
going to fight this-- you're gonna be ok." He
got her the best doctors and specialists money could buy, but it
just wasn't enough. Her health continued to deteriorate, she was
growing weaker each day, and had trouble remembering certain things.
When the time came, Whitney wanted to spend her final days at home.
Their friends and family gathered once again, this event holding
a much more somber tone. They all took turns sitting up with her
as she drifted further and further away. On her final day, she beckoned
for AJ, who quickly came to sit beside her, gently taking her hand
in his.
"I know your time is close, love, and I want
you to know you will always be a part of me. You will always have
a sacred place in my heart. I know the time has come for you to
go and walk with our Lord, and you will be able to look out for
us from Heaven..." AJ couldn't talk any longer, as his voice
choked with emotion. She smiled at him softly, and he could feel
her squeeze his hand ever so lightly. He leaned up to kiss her cheek,
then climbed into the bed beside her and held her gently. "It's
alright sweetheart, you can let go now -- I love you..."
With that, she closed her eyes and took her final
breath.
At the funeral, AJ was a pillar of strength, at
least until everyone left the cemetery. He then knelt down and picked
up a handful of the fresh dirt, letting it sift through his fingers
and fall to the ground, which had become damp from his tears. He
stood and placed a single white rose on her head stone, then crossed
his chest and looked skyward.
"Goodbye my angel-- I love you always and
forever." As he walked away, he could hear her whisper on the
wind, "I love you too..."
-END
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