Larry Sparks stood on the deck and let the ocean breeze waft over his face, gentle as a lover's caress. His wife of less than 12 hours was sound asleep in the bedroom and his heart felt as if it was going to burst through his chest. He had loved Colette for so long, it seemed like forever and now she was finally his wife. Everyone had been so happy for him, his mother told him she knew it was inevitable and his sisters told him
they
thought he'd never find the one.
The truth be told, Larry had found the one many, many years ago and he himself had always believed it would never happen. The Spencers were their next door neighbors and the day Colette Spencer was born, Larry remembered it so clearly. It had rained all day until about 6 PM. Colette was born at 6:05; it was as if the sky had opened to herald her arrival.
Larry didn't care much, what 16-year old boy cares about babies? He was working on his Mustang convertible. A few years back, Larry had found his niche, fixing cars and selling them for cash. All of his buddies hung around and Larry never lacked for dates, because he always had a cool car.
One afternoon, a local bully, a little thug of around 8, was seen picking on Colette. The 4-year old girl couldn't do much about it until Larry walked over and the bully, one Max Williams ran off like a little rabbit. The thug was still a hoodlum and was in jail at the moment, Larry recalled momentarily.
Colette looked up at her savior with grateful blue eyes and a big smile and when Larry looked down at her sweet little face, he saw the face of the woman he would love for the rest of his life.
It made no sense, she was 4 and he was 20, but even then, he knew there was a connection. She seemed in awe of him and whenever he would come home from university or work, if Colette saw him, she would run over for a big hug and to be whirled around. Larry always felt that if he had her unconditional love, he had it all. He knew nothing would come of it, nothing more than a platonic friendship, but it would be deep and true and that he cherished.
As Colette grew older, it was easy to see that Larry's early assessment of his little friend was accurate. She was a beautiful girl and by 12, was already attracting attention. By high school, Colette Spencer was almost 5'9" with long, chestnut hair and an adorable derriere. Her body was blossoming and the boys hovered around hr like a pack of wolves. Colette could be a little minx and in warm weather, she wore short skirts or shorts and tiny tops to tease her admirers. Larry had heard her mother scold her several times, but Colette just tuned her out. When Larry visited his parents, he always made a point of saying hi to Colette and he still got the big hug.
Larry bought the house from his parents when he was 31, he didn't like the neighborhood where he had his apartment and with his sisters now married, his parents wanted something much smaller. They chose a condo and Larry went about re-modeling the house to suit his needs. He still had his job with Smithson & Sons and was a rising star in their litigation department, but he wanted to enjoy the satisfaction of working with his hands again. He got the garage set up so he could begin restoring old cars on the weekends.
Colette was glad to see him; she waved or spoke to him every day on her way home from school. When the nice weather came and she would swim in her family's pool, Larry found it hard to avert his eyes so that he could concentrate. The little pixie tended to wear very skimpy bikinis.
One day, he heard loud sobbing coming from next door. He knew Colette's parents were away for the afternoon, so he went over to check on Colette and found her sobbing in their living room. Once he managed to calm her down a bit, he learned the cause of his distress.
"Michael bailed on me for the Prom, it's the same weekend as a fishing trip he's going on with his buddies," Colette sniffed. "A fishing trip! Can you believe he's blowing me off to go on a
fishing trip?
"
Larry thought Michael was obviously mentally deficient; he would have given up a trip to the moon to take someone like Colette to the Prom. He knew it was a crazy idea, but he took her hand. "Colette, I know I'm older than you, but if you wouldn't mind an older man being your escort, I'd love to take you to your Prom," He told her.
Colette looked at him with those soulful eyes of hers and then hugged him tight. "
Mind?!
I'd love it; I'll be the envy of all of my friends. They're always telling me about the hot, older guy who lives next door. Mom and Dad won't mind, they like you a lot. Okay, so I guess I'll have to get a dress after all and get my hair done and oh yeah, new shoes and ..."
The Prom was a month away and Larry could barely wait. He knew it was only a one-time thing, but a night with Colette was something he knew he would long remember. Even through all the intervening years, no one had ever affected him the way she did. A night dancing with his dream girl would be something he'd look back on with fondness even in his 80's.
Larry was glad he liked to dance, many of the women he had dated over the years were impressed with his skills on the dance floor. He wanted Colette to have a good time, so he made sure to get his tuxedo pressed and he rented a limo for the night, plus arranged with a florist friend of his to make a nice corsage. Colette's parents thanked him the next day for doing this for their daughter; he told them it was his pleasure. They had no idea how happy he was and he tried to downplay his happiness in front of them.
When the big day came, Larry was almost nauseous, he was so nervous. He knew it was ridiculous, she was a pretty teenager and he was a man 16 years her senior, it was only a date of convenience. He was being nice and she really wanted to go to Prom, they were humoring each other. He didn't feel like that when he picked her up, she wore a strapless, cream-colored evening gown, her hair was beautiful and she looked so elegant. He couldn't breath, Colette was simply that stunning and his heart thumped in his chest. Larry knew he would always be in love with Colette; she was the love of his life and tonight only confirmed that further. There would always be an ache there for her, a hole that could not be filled. He silently cursed the fates that had them born 16 years apart.
"Look at YOU!" Colette gushed. "My friends are gonna want to dance with you, you gorgeous hunk of man!"
"Too bad, I'm all yours," Larry said as he took her arm. "May I say that I've never seen anyone as beautiful as you look tonight?"
"Oh, go on," Colette said, actually blushing. Her arm linked through his.
"I'm completely serious," Larry told her. "You're exquisite."
They had dinner at a local diner they both liked and Larry was sure people were talking about them, but he didn't care. All he could hear was Colette's happy voice and he hung on every word. She wanted to be an artist and paint and she had her parent's full support. College wasn't for her, she had talent and decided she had to pursue her dreams and nurture it.
"Kinda like you and your building cars, it's your passion," Colette told him. "Too bad we couldn't have taken the Jag, but the limo's a nice touch," She smiled.
"Next time, the Jag will be ready then," Larry said, and then realized he'd made a little Freudian slip. Colette didn't seem to notice it, though.
They arrived at the dance and everyone was buzzing, about the hot older guy, about Colette and Larry and lots of guys were staring at Colette's beauty. When the music started and they took to the floor, Colette was surprised by what she called "Larry's mad dance skills". After a few dances together, they seemed to relax and just flow together.
