Dearest Daisy

Dearest Daisy,

I have a lifetime of memories and yet they can all fit on paper. I have a life time of photographs and yet I can still remember each scene vividly, almost as vivid as the day I first met you. You were so young, so headstrong and with a will power that made me grow more infatuated with you. You had this presence and such a humor to all your words, you were something else. I was just this small town boy from Kansas making a big move to Washington D.C. I remember the look on your face when I had spoken my first Howdy and you your first Sup?

You could take a crowd with that big grin of yours, the way you held that small notebook in your hand with the pen behind your ear. The way you would smack your gum and say " What can I get ya Cowboy?" That same week I had asked you out to dinner and instead we ended up driving through Wendy's and ordering a weeks worth of fries and frosties. You would tell me of how you planned to become an author, how you wanted to get married, have six kids, and move to California. You had told me how much you loved the beach and the sand between your toes.

As the weeks became months I knew more than anything that I had fallen deeply in love with a city girl with a big heart, and an even bigger imagination to match it. You would take me to bloody gore movies instead of Romantic Comedy's because you thought There's nothing better than ripped flesh and tomato blood. I had thought to myself, how did I find a girl like you? A girl who ate Ramon Noodles like it was her job, a girl with such a passion for words, a girl who gave home to pennies on the streets because they weren't treated as fairly as quarters.

I Felt like the luckiest man in the world. The Luckiest, damned bastard in the entire world. You turned my view of life upside down. You made it possible to understand that life was just a story board, why not risk everything? You always told me that if dying was in our destiny, then why were we all so scared to step out of our boundaries? The boundaries of society, the boundaries of what others would think?

That night I said, What the hell. I bought us two plane tickets to California and off we went. I didn't know where we would stay or how we would live, but there there we were. Two twenty Two year old kids just trying to live life, whether it was a crazy one or not. I can still see the small house we had found, with the blue shutters and the yellow shingles. It looked as crazy as we were, and you loved it. You were always one for stepping out of the box, and there we stood. Two strangers living by their own rules under their own schedules.

Years later I remember the news. You flung yourself into my arms and grinned from ear to ear. I was so confused yet smiled. "I'm Pregnant.." You had whispered and I couldn't have been anymore happier. Our first child, our first pride and joy was on its way.
That same month we had gotten married. Just like that, Married! People would have thought we were crazy, living so comfortably from nothing to everything. But that's just who we were. We were simple people just making the most of life. Side by side we stood as we said our I do phrases with tears in our eyes.

April May Carson was born nine months later. Six pounds two ounces. She was beautiful, she had your hair, my eyes and your beautiful full lips. I remember the baby in your arms, my looking like a zombie with circles under my eyes and you a ball of energy after 15 hours in labor. I couldn't have asked for anything better.

Ten Years later and our last Child was born. We had moved out of that small house and into a larger one after my business had sky rocketed. Can You believe it Daisy, After years of living on the edge we were still blessed. I had found us a new home to help fit our children, all six of them. April may, Amber Roselin, Jashuaia, Lynn Hope, Harper Ann, and Antonio were our own, Just like you wanted. I wanted to give you everything, and everything I did give. And just as Much as I gave you, you gave back to me with your love, your strength, and your being.

You meant the entire world to me Daisy, I'd never been more inspired in life until the day I met you. I was raised on rules and structure and ended up in Daring and chances. I found myself, and I found you. You were so beautiful. I was thrilled when every single one of our children had your hair. Those long auburn locks of Red and Brown. They looked so much like you with their soft freckles and large hazel eyes. I was so in love with them, I could only thank god for the miracle he had sent me.

Then suddenly, it happened. I got that call from the office and I felt as If my entire body was being stabbed. I remember the rushing and panicking and frantic searching, room 211. There you were, lying there, lifeless. I didn't know what to think, what to do. I was so distraught tears were frozen, my throat was dry, and my hands shook violently. Oh why god, I had asked. Why you, why not me. Why not take my life. I saw you there for three days, eyes shut, heart beating softly, too softly. I touched the scratches lightly, kissed the bruises, damn I wished so badly that this would be nothing but a nightmare. But I was living that nightmare, and god I felt as If I was going to die.

I had no words to ask what had happened but I didn't need to ask. You were hit by a drunk driver that day. It had just been hours before I kissed you good morning, held you in my arms and drove off to work. You had been crossing the street and suddenly you were there, on that hospital bed. I had sent the kids off with the neighbors as I prayed day and night for you to just open your eyes.

Months later you had finally opened those beautiful crystal clear hazel eyes. I could feel the pounding in my chest become violent as tears of joy spilled from my eyes. Then you asked me Who are you? and my entire life had collapsed under the heartbreaking earthquake shaking my bones and drilling my brain. I couldn't take it anymore. I pleaded the doctors to assure me of your memory coming back, but it never did.

Tucking away the paper he folded his hands and rubbed her fingers. He looked her in the eyes and wiped his own. She stroked his cheek as she smiled at him, then looked at the six beautiful children before her.

" Jonah..." She whispered lightly as she smiled softly. She looked at each of her children. Smiling brightly back at her with tears in their own eyes. April had grown tall with darker hair now and darker green eyes. She was a spitting image of her mother. Amber and Lynn had both stood beside their mothers bed while smiling down at her as she looked to them. Jashuaia, exactly like his father, stood proud and lean as he cupped his father's shoulder into his large hands. Harper was the rarest one of them with lighter ginger hair and large freckles while she hugged her older brother. Antonio took it the hardest out of all of them, taking the longest time to heal. He smiled softly staring back at his mother with his large gray eyes.

" Dearest Daisy, We love you, all of us. I remember the day we took our vows and ran. Our children are so big now, look at them. Amber is getting married in the fall, Antonio has just received a scholarship to Yale and look at little Lynn. She's got a baby on the way."

Daisy stared at them all before smiling. It killed Jonah Inside. It killed him that in a matter of minutes she would forget. She would forget everything.

" I love you all, I really do. I wish I could remember this forever....I wish..."

He braced himself before letting out a shaky breath. Antonio put a hand to his father's arm before hugging him tightly. " let's go dad."

The children walked out of the room as Jonah held on for a bit longer.

" I promised you that as long as I lived I would always be here. Reading you this letter. I may be Eighty Seven now but just know darling, that forever and always, I will be here reading this to you and loving you. My dearest Daisy."