Understanding

NOTE: The Self Evolved suggested that I post this story which I wrote as a reading for our wedding, so it's a bit of a diversion from what I have been posting. Also, for those of you who couldn't tell already, I make some of this stuff up; most of it will be from here on out.

Understanding
The old man walked along the path slowly, deliberately. He felt the slight pain in his knees that had come to comfort him somewhat, like an old friend that assured him he was still alive. He looked beside him and saw his wife smiling as she inhaled the fragrance of the garden. Her smile made him forget the pain, forget he was alive. He felt as though he were in a dream, like he was watching events unfold before his eyes in slow motion. She brushed the gray hair from her face with a withered hand. As it fell back to her side he slowly, gently squeezed it in his own. The soft firmness made her heart leap slightly, just enough to make her look up and direct that wonderful smile toward him. She knew what he was thinking. She always had, she thought.

As the path curved, a small pond began to cast the sun’s golden reflection upon them. He couldn't help thinking that the glow wasn't from the sun really at all; it was just a part of his slowly developing dream. The pond was very calm and undisturbed, with a clear, upside down version of the fiery-colored trees lining the banks. They walked together to the edge of the pond and stood on a large mossy rock that jutted slightly into the water.

At first he looked into the water and saw the small fish swimming almost effortlessly by, one behind the other, but his eyes began to focus on his reflection. He saw himself as a young man again, standing dressed in black beside his soon-to-be wife dressed all in white. He noticed the smooth skin and vibrancy of their youth. It saddened him to realize how much time had passed since that day. All those wonderful years had gone by so quickly. The youth looked at his bride, as the words of the minister were faintly present in the background. The young man confidently replied to the minister’s question. “I do,” he said. An easy smile crept upon his wrinkled face that wiped away all the sadness.

He blinked to refocus as reality flowed back over him as ripples from a jumping fish rolled over the scene. Smiling with that same youthful confidence he’d just recalled, he looked to his wife.

“I meant it, you know?”

She turned around to face him, putting both hands in his.
“So did I,” she said, understanding everything.