By Pete Weber
A full glass of white Moscato wine sits on the table, barely touched. I am completely sober. I am a completely different person. I never imagined that my heart could have been reawakened as it has. The love and support she has provided me has been unconditional, and it has broken the shackles of my depression.
“What are you looking at?”
She smiles because she caught me slipping away. Sometimes I get lost in her, thinking how lucky I am that we met. Every so often, she catches me looking at her, and she smirks and accuses me of being up to something.
“I love you. ¡Te quiero mi amor!”
I slip in the Spanish, trying to be extra romantic as we spend a date night together. It is her birthday dinner. We are in Niagara Falls; I am head over loafers; this woman is amazing.
“I’m happy. I love you, and I’m glad you’re not grumpy anymore,” she says with a playful smile. I can feel her radiant love. I am happy. “¡Yo también!”
I am killing it.
Peter Parker is gone; I am in complete control. I have not been drunk in a year. I am applying to grad school, and I am genuinely happy.
It has been a year since we met, a year since she first rejected me after I awkwardly took a selfie on her birthday. We bumped into each other a week later at “The Brew.” I was there to play pool, and she was grabbing a drink after the Bob Dylan concert at Penn State. I can remember it clearly as we sit here laughing.
“You!” she yelled as I approached her. I saw her walk up to the bar, and she stood out with her bright red lipstick and captivating demeanor. She was a woman, and there was something about her. I could not stop looking. I felt confident. “It’s you! You were in my picture!”
It has been magic ever since.
We paid the bill and thanked the owner for a wonderful dinner. It was delightful. I still needed to work on my irritability, but a year with her in the worst pandemic since 1919 taught me about love again. I am a believer. I found the “Peter Pan” in me rather than the “Peter Parker.”
I grab my phone and set my alarm because tomorrow I will wake up early and make sure to get to the aquarium. She loved aquariums.
“We should invite your mom to thanksgiving.”
“That’s a good idea!” We are a family.
I am happy; we are happy. We were going to host Thanksgiving.
“Do you want to get a Christmas Tree?”
“Yes!!” she jumps with excitement, and I grab her and give her a peck on the cheek.
Life is beautiful.
Pete Weber is from Allentown, PA. He joined the Navy in 2011 and served as a nuclear electrician for six years. It was a great learning experience for Pete and gave him the opportunity to explore the world in a way he had never imagined. Now, Pete is a senior at Penn State University, earning his Bachelor’s degree in psychology with minors in neuroscience and biology. In the fall, Pete will be attending Mississippi State University for his Ph.D. in cognitive science. Beyond his studies, Pete enjoys writing fiction, especially in the horror/thriller genre. All of Pete’s writing is greatly influenced by his family, friends, and experiences around the world.