And Then I Saw Her

AND THEN I SAW HER

My attempt at a 750 word story starts after the ****

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I walked into school on that first fateful day of high school. A few mates had gathered and we were shooting the shit about what we had done during the holidays.

And then I saw her!

From that moment on, I knew she was the only one for me. My mates wondered why I zoned out until they saw where I was looking. I have to admit she wasn't model material, but she grabbed my attention like no other girl had.

I was never going to be on the cover of GQ magazine, but I was a couple of rungs above Quasimodo. It took me 3 days to get the courage to speak with her, but when I did, neither of us wanted shut up. Sandy and I, Rick, were inseparable from then on.

We both knew it would just be the two of us until the end of eternity. So did everyone else. Our parents called it an obsession, puppy love. They tried to limit our time together, but we always found a way.

Of course we did the junior and senior dances together.

A week after we finished high school, we were on our honeymoon. Our grand plan was for both of us to work until Sandy fell pregnant, then when the baby was born, she would stay home and I would be the traditional breadwinner.

Two years later, Sandy gave birth to twin girls. Ellen and Alice, named after their grandmothers, entered the world 4 minutes apart. I didn't believe the world could get any better. Their first words. Their first steps. Birthdays. I made sure I was a part of everything. I also made sure Sandy never felt left out.

Early on, I started a diary so I would never forget anything important. Our first date. Our first kiss, etc, etc. It was about a month after the girls turned 3 that I first noticed something was amiss. Sandy had gone shopping while I watched the girls. It was something that usually took her an hour, but took over 3 hours today. When I asked what took so long, she brushed it off with out really explaining anything.

We had always been totally honest with each other, but now something had changed. I had no proof of course, but it's a feeling you get when someone you know well is no being totally honest with you. Over the next 6 months, there were more and more instances of unexplained events. Her denials and short temper with me got worse.

I spoke with both our parents. They had no advice that guided me. After 11 months I was at my wits end. It was bad enough that our parents saw her treatment of me and suggested I take the girls and move out. I didn't like the thoughts I had, but I so dearly loved the woman I married, I had to know. I had saved nearly $12k in my 10 year anniversary account. It was going to be a surprise, but I wasn't sure we would make it to 10 years now.

It was an uphill battle, but with the help of our parents, without whom I wouldn't have made it this far, some very close friends, some expert help and more than just a few 'over exaggerations', I was able to help things along enough, that my $12,000 covered the expenses for the extensive report that I had sitting in front of me.

I sat at the head of our dining room table. My parents were to my left. Sandy's parents were to my right. The girls were with my older sister, Evie, and her 3 children. Evie had volunteered to keep them overnight if needed. We had sent Sandy shopping with her sister-in-law, Dawn. The four parents looked toward me in expectation, while I downed the first alcoholic drink I had since our wedding.

I felt the burn all the way to my stomach and waited for it to settle. Yes, I was stalling because I knew what that report would tell me. It would tell me that my marriage, and my life as I knew it was over. Gone. All the hopes and dreams Sandy and I shared would never come to fruition.

I couldn't put it off any longer. Picking up the knife, I sliced the envelope open, allowing the pages to slide to the table. I only read the cover page, and there were the words I dreaded...

"Early on-set dementia"