The
End of Something Beautiful
Vincent
stood in the graveyard, alone. The snow crunched underneath his boots, a light
powder still falling to the ground in a steady rhythm. But the chill in the air
was only skin-deep. Nothing like the cold in his heart.
Vincent
and Miles had first met seven years ago. Vincent was working as a loan officer
at the local bank when Miles had come in to try and secure a loan for his new
small business. The two immediately hit it off and as soon as their
professional relationship ended, they started dating.
It
was one of those relationships that was perfect from the beginning. Every date
brought them closer together, leaving them desperate for more. Even Miles
telling Vincent that he had HIV was not enough to scare him off.
After
only a month, Vincent and Miles started introducing each other to friends and
family. Vincent’s family immediately loved Miles and took him in as their own.
Miles’s family was slightly less enthusiastic, but was tolerant since anyone
could see how happy Miles was. Everyone was just so happy to see two people who
had found such joy in each other.
After only six months into their relationship,
Miles moved into Vincent’s house. That had been a little rocky to start.
Vincent was very neat and organized, while Miles was much messier. They had
quite a few disagreements over how the house should look and who would do what
chores in the first few weeks of their cohabitation.
But
soon, the two had fallen into a rhythm. They had learned to compromise and soon
were back on friendly terms. Although, Vincent had to admit that the make-up
sex had been good while it lasted.
A
few years went by and everything stayed happy. Vincent and Miles were as happy
as they were in the beginning. Sure, they still had some disagreements, but
what couple doesn’t? They quickly fell into a very domestic lifestyle. Both men
had to admit that it was not something they thought would ever happen to them,
but they both loved the life that they had built.
When
gay marriage was legalized in their home state of New York, Miles had proposed
to Vincent. It was beautiful. He had converted their entire backyard into a romantic
paradise, with candles and flowers. The two had even celebrated their
engagement with passionate love-making under a star-filled sky. They had gotten
married a month later in the city of New York, making the two hour drive south
with family and friends. The ceremony was special, but nothing would ever
compare to their engagement, in Vincent’s mind. The wedding was more of a joint
celebration, with friends and family there to cheer them on. But the engagement
was theirs.
They
had one happy year of marriage before everything fell apart. Miles’s HIV meds
started to fail and he got sicker and sicker. Vincent stood by his husband’s
side day after day, holding his hand through the pain, kissing away the tears
on Miles’s face, talking with doctors, looking for new treatments. But, in the
end, it was not enough.
Vincent
looked down at the tombstone he had made for his husband.
Miles Stephan
Walker
December 8,
1979-January 28, 2013
Beloved husband,
son and friend
It
was simple. Too simple to describe what he had lost on that day. Vincent’s
heart lay in the ground under his feet. Miles had taken that with him.
Vincent
would go on. He would go back to work, where he first met his beloved. He would
live in the house that they bought together. But he would never live again. He
would merely survive, his broken heart preventing him from loving life the way
that he did when he had his Miles.
As
Vincent read the inscription again, tears rushing down his face, he thought
about all of the time he had lost. They could have had so many years together,
if it had not been for the horrible disease that had ravaged his love’s body.
But now that was all gone, a buried pile of broken dreams under the snow.
Unable
to look anymore, Vincent placed a kiss on his gloved hand before reverently
placing it on the tombstone in silent goodbye. Turning and walking back to his
car, Vincent continued to cry over his beautiful husband. He would be back
tomorrow to check on his love. This was his life now, spending everyday crying
over the end of something beautiful.
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