Does Love Still Exist

The meeting of theirs eyes is nothing less than a phenomenon. For a brief moment time stands still, as if they had never met before and knew they had just experienced that amazingly and rare moment when an individual knows they have met their true soul mate. He digs into his pocket for the money to pay for his bottle of water. She rings it up on the register. Smiling at each other, they exchange a few soft, quiet words and reluctantly he turns to leave, as his job beckons him. She shyly puts the change in her pocket and gleefully whispers “I get to keep the change.” Watching him leave, her eyes start to return to normal, the sparkle still there, but not like the North Star that they were moments ago. The bell on the door announces his departure, and the room returns to its original state of complacency, as if a cloud moved in.
Hours later, he returns at the end of his shift, which just happens to be when hers ends, to escort her home. The cloud leaves and the room is once again filled with a bright glow. In a manner only a respectful gentleman does, he steps forward in front of her to open the door. (I didn’t know men still opened the door for a lady.) His eyes never leave her as he watches to ensure her passage through the threshold from a room filled with chaos into his world filled with pure love, is accomplished safely. Gently he takes her hand in his and they walk, side by side. Both their worlds are transformed, and they enter their own paradise they have created together. An atheist would believe in God at this moment, as the scene is nothing short of a miracle.
Being void of this kind of love (as the majority of society is), I frequently tease them in a kind manner. I mean no harm, and I believe they know it: “Love Birds.” “They are still on their honeymoon.” Perhaps they are? It is my belief that they will be for the rest of their days.
Last night he patiently sat on the picnic bench, the strong Texas wind failing miserably to blow him away. A tree branch falls just inches away from his feet, he doesn’t flinch. I doubt wild horses could drag him away as his goal must be achieved. He waits for his true love to complete her work duties so they can return to the sanctuary of each others company. A dedication some might call smothering, but I call it devotion.
The other day, as I sat on my itsy bitsy stool outside, smoking another cigarette and contemplating the next paragraph (should be chapter) in the book I am writing, I watched them strolling through the campground park. Hand in hand, step to step, peacefully. Looking at them, a person would have no idea of the pain they both have experienced in their former lives. The serenity of this moment did not come easy and was earned by both. The tears of loss and the heartache of loneliness are now in their past.
Witnessing the rarity of true love, dedication and the miraculous warmth that is obviously the un-breakable bond that has joined these two, I know I my cynical opinion of relationships is now tainted with the realization that true love, REAL love, can exist in this world.
It has been an honor getting to know them
and I will always have fond memories of Sid and Colleen.