Love Songs

“I wish you didn’t have to go,” she turned to face her boyfriend of seven months, Noah, running her hands over his shaved head.
“Don’t worry,” he whispered into the crook of her neck in that husky voice of his, “I’ll be back soon.”

Arlene sat curled in her bed. Her red rimmed eyes stared at the bags on the floor. She couldn’t bring herself to open it. She barely bring herself to carry it when she had to pick it up at the air port.

“Are you sure you have to stay the whole two weeks?” Arlene held tightly onto Noah as they stood in front of the terminal.
“Yes, I do, but I promise you it won’t be that long.”
“Alright, tell your family I said ‘hello’ and tell your sister ‘congrats’ on her baby.” The loudspeaker over head announced that Noah’s plane had arrived. Arlene hugged him tighter, burying her head in his chest.
“I love you.”
Arlene stiffened at those words. “I love yous” were not something they said very often. She wasn’t sure it was in her dictionary and it certainly wasn’t in Noah’s.
“Did you hear me?”
“Yeah I did, I love you too.”
He brought her face up to his a grin across his face, “You don’t know how happy that made me.” He kissed the top of her head and grabbed his bag, “It’s only two weeks.”
Arlene nodded and watched him walk to the plane
It’s only two weeks, She reminded herself, just two weeks.

She needed something to get her mind off the bag. Something to get her mind off what happened. The horrible turn of events that would scar her life forever. She turned off the TV. Bad choice. Every channel was talking about it. The plane crash. The crash with no survivors. The crash that killed Noah.

Arlene stepped freshly out the shower, tucking her wet dirty blonde hair behind her ears. She could hear her cell phone blaring from the other room and she quickly walked across the hall to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Yes, Can I speak to a Miss Arlene Hopkins?”
Arlene checked the number. It wasn’t a bill collector.
“This is Arlene.”
The woman on the other end sniffled, “This is Bonnie, Noah’s mother,” more sniffling and a sob, “The plane he was on, it-it crashed.” She finally broke down crying into the phone.
Arlene clutched the phone tightly, “But Noah wasn’t suppose, to be back for another three days,”
“I know, but he wanted to surprise you. He was going to propose. He came all this way to get his Grandmother’s ring.”
Arlene chocked back a sob, “But he can’t be dead. He said he’d be back.”
She hung up abruptly and turned on the TV, convincing herself it was some kind of cruel joke. It wasn’t.

Arlene turned off the TV. She couldn’t stand to see the images anymore. Her attention turned back to the bag. The few things that weren’t destroyed on the plane. She wiped her eyes and took a step towards the bag. Her hands shook as she unzipped it. A few articles of Noah’s clothing, a small ring sized box, and a c.d. with the words Play ME! She took the disk and placed it in her computer. She sat on the floor hugging one of Noah’s shirts’s as his husky voice filled the room.
“Ok. Hey Arlene, It’s me. This is really awkward for me,” Arlene felt tears roll down her cheeks as he let out a nervous chuckle,” I just wanted to tell you how much I love you. Every part of you. I love waking up to you in the morning and you being the last thing I see before I close my eyes. So here’s this song kind of telling you how I feel.” Arlene was full on sobbing by now. She wish she could turn back time and tell him until she could speak anymore.
“I love you, I love you, I love you.”