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The sun came up over the peak of the highest mountain in the valley. The very tip of the highest mount, bathed in sunlight from the rising sun, danced in the glow of heat. A bit of snow, covering the tops of the highest peaks, seemed to shrink from the bright rays of the sun. At a glance, the silhouette of the sun created an infinite number of w's and v's out of the mountain-tops.
From the top of the next highest summit, John thought he could leap to the next ridge, and possibly complete the journey he had started eleven days ago. Actually, the journey had begun sixteen months ago, but that can wait. As the sun pushed back the shades of night, exposing the land to another new day, he blessed himself and prayed silently to God, thanking Him that he was still here to see this day.
It was very unfortunate when he thought about how many days he had taken for granted, but he tried his best not to dwell on that. Instead, he tried to focus on the days that he had been overjoyed to be alive. The day that repeatedly came to mind was the day he met Amber.
John could remember that day as if it were yesterday. It was Tuesday, November 18th, 1992. He had been a sophomore at Colorado State. As a finance major, he had started to discover how difficult mid-terms were when you went out drinking instead of studying. Because of the athletic scholarship that was financing his tuition, John needed at least a 3.0G.P.A., to stay in school. Don Summers, the coach of the baseball team, valued his star pitcher, and suggested that John take a tutor to help ease the difficulties of finance. It was more of an order than a suggestion. The next day, John was off to the library to meet his tutor.
It was one of those mornings were all the forces of nature and life teamed up against a person to make it so they were late for whatever it was that they were struggling to be on time for. First, it had been a rainy night so John had slept with his window open, hoping that the sound of the falling raindrops would help propel him into a near catatonic slumber. He loved the sound of rain, or a distant thunderstorm, when he was sleeping. But, leaving the window open had brought with it a cold breeze. That cold breeze woke John's roommate, which brought about the next obstacle. Second, John's roommate and catcher, had decided that it would be funny if John missed his tutoring session, and turned off the alarm clock. So, instead of the 8:15 bringing about the annoying "urrr-urrr" from the radio, it issued silence. Somehow, John's body clock had catapulted him from sleep at 8:04, and he had taken the quickest shower of his life. But, he still had no chance of making the library on time.
The final obstacle that John encountered on the way to the library, was a broken down bus. The bus hadn't started broken down, but it seemed to die when it had reached the farthest pick up spot away from the school. It had been 8:17 then and John was late. He wasn't late enough where he would need to apologize, but he prided himself on punctuality. The bus died at the stop, and within two minutes, John was sprinting across campus, backpack over his shoulders, hair still wet from his shower nine minutes ago, and a frustrated look on his face.
At 8:28, John entered the library and was amazed that out all the people that were there, studying for midterms, it had been easy to find the lone girl sitting at a table with an angry scowl on her face, repeatedly checking her watch. She was the most beautiful woman that John had ever seen. When he had heard that her name was Amber, he assumed blonde hair, but he was surprised to see that she had brown hair with auburn highlights. Her hair seemed to shine and glimmer off the light above her table. Except for the wicked look of anger that had almost contorted her mouth, her face was exceptionally lovely. She had bright green eyes that looked as sincere and trustworthy as any he had ever seen. She had a small and cute nose that was perfect for her face. She had the nicest mouth. Even though one of her front teeth was slightly askew, it only seemed to add to her beauty.
In fact, her beautiful mouth was unleashing a slew of annoyed comments, all directed at John and his tardiness.
"Do you think that I don't have better things to do with my Tuesday mornings?"
John was so in awe at her beauty, he hadn't been listening to anything she had said. He felt like a fool because, while she sat impatiently, waiting for an answer to her query, he stood in front of her with a look of total incompetence etched across his face. He stammered and stuttered for a moment before the words flew off his tongue. He was surprised at how articulate he was, under the circumstances. He said, "I'm sorry".
Amber shook her head and smiled at his embarrassment. "It's okay, I just wasn't sure if you were going to show."
She stopped talking, and pushed some of her books aside, clearing a space for John. Their first date was one week later. They went out for pizza, and then a movie, and then a four- hour conversation on a wooden bench in front of her dorm. The weather was cold in November, in Colorado, but neither seemed to care. The conversation engulfed both, making the time disappear like sand at the top of an hourglass. When a cold breeze shook Amber, John removed his coat and gently laid it over he shoulders as he continued to talk about his mother, a nurse, home maker and the strongest women he had ever met. Amber was amazed at his tenderness and the warmth he exhibited towards his family. He never broke stride during his story as he put his coat over her shoulders. Instead, it appeared a natural response to her shiver. He seemed the type of man to do anything to make a loved one happy or comfortable. Amber was quite certain that she loved him after that first night, but John was two steps ahead. He was sure he loved her the moment he first saw her.
Remembering the first few dates, and the immediate happiness and comfort that followed, were the thoughts that accompanied John on his climb to the top of the mountain. The breathing had become difficult at this altitude, but, some people were forced to breathe with one lung. Some people had the courage to continue their life after the doctors told them that their days were numbered.
John wiped a tear from his eyes, and reached for the next outcropping of rock, pulling himself a step higher. Today. I will reach the top of the mountain, today!
As John's foot found purchase on the stable but small group of rocks, his weight shifted to allow for him to pause and take a breath. He maneuvered his body to let his back lean against the underbelly of the cliff, and look out at the land beneath him. An eagle screeched loudly and soared by. The powerful bird made eye contact with John, seeming to wink and show his respect for any the man that had reached heights few other men could reach. The bird tipped its wing, leaning its body away from John, and flew away. John turned back to the mountain and resumed his climb. The bag on his shoulders had gotten lighter as the days passed, the food having been eaten and the canteens emptied, but the weight seemed to have doubled. A lack of oxygen could really make the simplest chores seem like total agony. But, some people fought through the agony and never let it beat them. Looking up at the sky, John was amazed at the sheer simplicity of the mountain and the climb. There was only one element involved in his life at this moment, survival. Where as normal life consisted of getting up on time for work, eating, fighting traffic and hoping your computers system was running quickly, a day on the mountain was without time. The only important matter was climbing higher and paying attention to your footing hold. It occurred to John, that the things in life that mattered, and were actually important, were simple.
With that, John climbed higher, and remembered the first year of his life after he and Amber were married.
They rented an apartment in Denver. John didn't want to think about their daily lives and work, because those were the hours where they were apart. The apartment was small, but it wasn't cramped. They spent most of their time in the living room, curled up on the couch, sometimes watching television, sometimes watching each other. John remembered how much love he felt for Amber when he watched her sleep. She was perfectly peaceful, her breathing slow and even, her eyes occasionally shifting under her lids. Conscious not to wake her, John would kiss her lightly on the cheek and touch that same spot immediately after. His love for her was monumental. Often, she would wake and, although she was still groggy from deep sleep, she would smile as she stretched. It was that look that John remembered most, seemingly unable to remove the image from his mind. Her back crooked, her neck stretched, and her head pointed straight, caught in the euphoric rapture of the post-nap stretch. She would smile at John, and, after the stretch was over, she would kiss his nose and say the only words she ever needed to say to John.
"I love you".
As the years passed, each day melted into the last, making the time seem continuous. Each day had one thing in common with the last, John and Amber's love for each other. Their love grew exponentially in the years of marriage, and a family seemed like the next logical step. Thinking back on it now, everyday seemed like it was linked to the last, except for the day at the doctor's office.
Always the careful couple, John and Amber decided that before they tried to have a baby, they would get checked out, a routine physical, and make sure they were both healthy. John wasn't worried about his health. He had been an athlete in college and had continued to exercise in the years following. Amber was also in good shape, twenty minutes on the treadmill five days a week had kept her figure slim and her body healthy.
They sat in the little room with the magazines, waiting for the doctor. It was called the waiting room, but John always thought of it as the "little room with the magazines". John remembered that they had been holding hands, and laughing about something, when the doctor entered the room, and sat next to them. That was when John knew that something was wrong. The doctor looked at the young couple, before returning his gaze to the charts.
Amber and John had stopped laughing, and looked at each other curiously, waiting for the doctor to speak his mind. The doctors gaze met John's first, his eyes seemed to bleed with sympathy for the young husband. He flipped through the chart again before pulling his chair closer and looking at Amber.
"I don't know how to say this, but, I think the first thing I need to do is tell you that we need to run more tests".
John felt a lump rising in his throat, possibly being pushed there by the turning of his stomach. Amber seemed unworried, thinking that whatever the doctor had though he had found, was a mistake that a simple series of tests would clear up.
John saw something in the doctor's eyes that told him that the tests would only solidify the bad news.
©2003 StoriesByEmail.com
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