Reggie Carpenter’s Love Story
I fell in love for the first time when I was nine years old. Of course, back then, I didn’t really know what “love” was about. I was merely a lanky boy with a goofy grin. Girls made me nervous, but there was one that stood out from all the rest. Her name was Amy Parker, and there was something about the way she smiled at me that made my own smile extra big. But Amy wasn’t perfect. She had a hyena-pitched voice that got on my last nerve, and her pink glasses were huge, but in my heart, I knew that the freckle-faced blue-eyed girl was something special.It wasn’t Amy Parker that made me believe in true love, though. I learned that from a simple story my grandfather, Reggie Carpenter, told me when I was only nine years old. Even though my grandfather is long gone now, his true love story still sticks with me today. And as I sit here with a little black box in my hands, preparing to ask Amy Parker to be my wife, I am reminded of being nine years old and listening to the story…
“True love is simple,” my grandfather said as he tapped me gently on the head. “You just can’t go and make it complicated – that’s the key.”
“Your grandmother sure was beautiful, but she was stubborn, too. We met when we were nine years old, and oh boy, she really hated me at first.”
“Girls can be mean like that,” I said.
My grandfather shook his head in agreement.
“But despite how she felt about me at first, Claire and I eventually became best friends,” he said. “She was the only person that I felt like I could really talk to about things.”
“What things?” I asked.
“Oh, you know, the important things,” my grandfather said. “Life related things.”
I nodded and let him continue his story.
“I watched your grandmother date Dumbo and Crooked Eye, and I just sat by and hoped that she was happy,” he said.
“Dumbo and Crooked Eye?” I asked with a laugh.
My grandfather chuckled.
“That’s what I called them,” he said. “Their names aren’t important; they weren’t good enough for her anyway.”
“I also dated a few different girls back then,” my grandfather said as he cocked his head to the side.
“Hhhmm,” he said. “I can’t seem to remember their names either, but regardless, the girls that I dated were sweet, but they were nothing compared to your grandmother.”
“Claire was different. There was something special about her that I can’t describe. The woman drove me absolutely mad now and then, but for the most part, she was caring and gentle, and she accepted me for me, despite all of my imperfections.”
“So that’s how you knew you were in love?” I asked, my eyes big with anticipation for an answer.
“Yep,” my grandfather said. “I mean, it took a while for it to actually dawn on me, but I told you it was simple.”
“But how did you tell her that you loved her?” I asked.
“Now that … well, that took some time,” my grandfather said with a sigh. “I guess you could say that it took me thirteen years to get up the courage to tell that woman I loved her.”
“Wow,” I said. “So how’d you tell her?”
“I can remember it was lightly raining one night when I was driving her home from a movie or something. It was probably late July or early August, and we stood on her mosquito infested front porch for a while and talked about this and that.”
“And? And?” I asked.
“Hold your horses, boy,” my grandfather said. “I’m getting there.”
“As Claire and I were talking, I can remember looking in her eyes and thinking about how much I loved her. I mean, I knew that I loved her for quite some time, but for some reason that night the feeling was strong, and I knew that I couldn’t live another moment without asking her to be mine.”
A gleeful feeling rushed through me as I listened intently.
“I continued to look in her eyes, and I said, ‘I know this may be too forward, but I can’t wait anymore. I love you, Claire. Will you please be mine?’”
“What did she say?” I asked.
My grandfather chuckled with joy.
“She reached her arms up and embraced me tightly,” he said. “Then she whispered in my ear, ‘Yes, Reggie. I thought you would never ask. I love you, too.’”
“That simple?” I asked, and my grandfather patted me on the head again.
“Yes, Austin,” he said. “That simple.”
As I recalled the simple story, I couldn’t help but smile.
Thank you, Reggie, I said silently. You prepared me well for today.
With the little black box in my hand, I left my apartment to go see Amy Parker. I hid the box in my pocket for the perfect moment to arise.
I was a nervous wreck as we ate dinner at a tiny Asian restaurant in town. My heart was racing, my palms were sweaty, and I’m sure Amy was wondering what was wrong with me.
As we took a walk and watched the sun sink down at a nearby park, Amy looked me in the eyes, and I knew that I couldn’t love someone more. I didn’t want to wait another moment. I had to ask her to be mine forever.
So I pulled the little box out of my pocket, got down on one knee, and I said, “I know this may be too forward, but I can’t wait anymore. I love you, Amy. Will you please be mine forever?”
Amy’s blue eyes twinkled, and she wrapped her arms around me in a tight embrace.
She then whispered in my ear, “Yes, Austin. I thought you would never ask. I love you, too.”
I kissed Amy gently, and a big goofy grin formed on my face.
You were right, Reggie, I thought as I looked up at the sky. True love can be simple.
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