Soul Mates

It was June 11 again. True to time honored habit, Lucky stopped by the store to get 2 Pepsi's and Reese's Peanut Butter Cup to share with his Becky on this their 40th anniversary. Lucky liked this store because they played classic rock on the overhead for the patrons. While he was making mental notes on what he needed for the anniversary celebration, their song came on. Lucky gently sways to the rhythm and hums along to Brandy, by the band Looking Glass. Lucky's thoughts drift back to their first anniversary ' the one that set the tradition for all the ones to follow.

Becky grins and proudly places a dish of mac and cheese and some carrots on the table next to the 2 Pepsi's and Reese's PB cups. Becky proudly announces: 'Ta-da.'

Lucky laughingly asks. 'Is this the gourmet meal you promised?'

'Uh-huh.' Her giggling was infectious. It was only interrupted by the newborn's insistent wailing. Becky excused herself with a happy 'duty calls.'

Lucky heard Becky sing 'Mandy, you're a fine girl' to quiet the baby. Lucky shakes his head, Becky loved to change the lyrics on songs to fit whatever situation she found herself in. Lucky had moved to the doorway to watch the new mommy interact with her newborn. He chided her, 'The lyrics are 'Brandy, you're a fine girl'.'

'Uh-huh', Becky continues to hum a few bars, glances up with an impish grin and sings 'Mandy, you're a fine girl'.

Lucky cut in to finish the song with 'you're my wife, my lover, my lady.'

'I like your lyrics better,' she whispers with a wink.

Lucky dropped his purchase on the passenger seat side. He cleared his throat and sat in his truck resting his elbow on the window and holding his bearded chin in his hand as if in deep thought. He wondered if he had enough time to take a trip down memory lane. Mandy got him one of these contraptions a several years ago so that she could keep tabs on her parents. Whenever he offered to pay for it, she reminded him that they barely used any minutes, and never the dataplan, so it was no big deal to add them to her plan. He left a message that he was going on a few errands and would not be back home for a while. She was pretty good about calling back, but his little girl was so busy with her new promotion, her own family and life, he hoped she remembered what day it was.

He snapped the phone shut with renewed resolve to recall those beautiful memories. The old high school was now turned into a community center, but it still looked the same on the outside. He leaned against the hood of his truck and gazed at the second story corner window that would have been Ms. Rosen's 12th grade social studies class. A smile floats across his face as he remembers meeting Becky for the first time.

On the first day of class, Ms. Rosen's experiment on team building was to go around and everybody introduce themselves.

Lucky strategically positioned himself so that he could meet the pretty redhead: 'Hi, I'm David Lucasia, my friends call me Lucky.'

'Why?'

'Excuse me?'

'Why do your friends call you Lucky?'

'That's the only way my friends in Kindergarten could pronounce it. It just stuck after that.'

'Nice to meet you, Lucky. The name's Becky.'

He could have sworn she winked at him, but the next kid was in front of him introducing himself and the moment passed.

Lucky had not wasted any time. Before he could think about it, he had asked her out. Lucky came from a large family and his folks needed his help to meet expenses. He did not mind, he never needed much. But now he kinda wished he had kept a little more back with prices the way they were, (10 cent each for candy bars and pops). He hoped Becky would not mind that all he could afford after bus fare was a Reese's Peanut Butter cup to share and a couple Pepsi's.

Lucky was so happy that Becky did not mind free stuff. Every once in a while they would go to school dances or other events, but they still preferred going fishing off the dock at her folks' place the most. Lucky had to go there.

Lucky put the car in park and was completely floored at how beat up the old house looked from being long vacant. It was so sad that no one wanted to raise their family in that house. Lucky made the long cane-assisted way down to the dock where he first proposed to Becky.

Lucky started the conversation off with, 'I joined Army ROTC.'

'Why?'

'It's the only way I can afford college. I'm doing this for you. Do you know what I'm asking?'

Becky would not look at him. Instead she said, 'Sorta. You know what they do to soldiers in Vietnam? I've heard the stories. They can't all be lies and propaganda.'

'I won't have to go over there until I'm done with college.'

'I know that's what they told you.'

'It's what it said in the papers I signed.' He insisted, ' Do you know what I'm asking?'

'I don't want you to go to Vietnam.'

'Nobody wants to go. It's my duty to go if my country needs me. It's just the way it is.'

Becky was starting to get weepy, saying, 'I just had such a store of dreams that did not include you going off to a war.'

This discussion was not going the way Lucky had hoped and did not know how to say what was on his heart. He finally settled for 'Wear my ring.'

He anxiously watched a dozen emotions play across her face in a few moments. He was happy when he heard her say 'Okay.' Becky grinned in her sweet way and scooted over so she could rest her head on his shoulder.

Lucky turned and made his way up to the now run-down house where he and Becky spent the first months of their married life. It was necessary for her to stay with her parents while he was deployed. The only thing they asked is that he do the repairs until he was shipped out.

He focused on the porch and the memories flooded in.

Becky found him working on one of his repair efforts on the porch and interrupted his hammering by asking: 'What do you think of Amanda for a girl's name?'

Lucky stopped what he was doing, leaned his arm on his knee and said: 'I like it.'

'What do you want for a boy's name?'

'Won't need to pick a boy's name. It'll be a girl.'

Becky stood to her full 5'6' and demanded: 'Answer the question, David. What do you want for a boy's name?'

Lucky rose to his full 5'11' height and kind of grins. She meant business whenever she called him David. 'Whatever you pick will be fine.'

As she walks towards him and quietly told him, 'I'm leaning towards David Michael Lacasia, Jr.'

Lucky leaned in and said against her lips: 'That's fine -- it's still a girl'.

Lucky went back to the house that he bought for Becky after he retired from the military. It was a small place in the town where they grew up. They had been a lot of places in this country, but this town would always be home. While staring out the window over his kitchen sink, he reflected back over the years. Every year on June 11, wherever they were, they would have the 'gourmet' meal, and finish the night off with a romantic walk and 2 Pepsi's and a PB cup to share. Like an old newsreel, Lucky replayed those times in quick succession

When an infant, Becky draped a shawl around her shoulders to cradle Mandy during the honeymoon walk. When Mandy was a toddler, she would ride atop her daddy's shoulder with her tiny fist grabbing his hair and demand that he 'Giddyup'

When kicking caused chest bruises from the game of 'horsey', Mandy was moved to between the two. These walks ended in exhaustion because she would lift her feet off the ground and demand 'swing me'.

When Mandy had become an independent teenager, she declined the walks, and Lucky and Becky transitioned the family walk into a romantic moonlit arm-in-arm stroll.

Lucky was so blessed with a daughter who was a carbon copy of his Becky. His little girl was usually pretty good about spending time with her old man, but she was getting older herself and her three teenagers were making demands of their own.

Lucky tried to keep the tradition of the 'gourmet meal' and Special treat, but it was getting harder and harder to do that. He put his Pepsi down and went over to Becky's side of the table to caress the picture of Becky that was permanently stationed at the head of the table. Most nights he could handle Becky not winning the fight with cancer four years ago, tonight would not be one of those nights. He offered a prayer of thanks for a beautiful life with the woman whose photograph he cradled in his hands.

The cellphone chimes interrupted his melancholy. He reached into his pocket to pull out the cellphone to see who was calling.

'Hi, daddy, it's me.'

'Mandy!'

Mandy was just like her mom. On days like these, she was the only one who could make him smile.

'How you doing, daddy?'

'Good, good, just sitting here thinking about your mom. It's our anniversary, you know?'

'Yes, daddy, I remembered. Happy anniversary.'

'Yep, yep, just like old times.'

'Pepsi and PB cups?'

Lucky chuckled: 'Yep, yep.'



Word Count with title: 1644

Assignment: Pick up a discarded receipt at the grocery store. Imagine the receipt belongs to a fictional character. What does this person buy, and what can you tell about this person from what s/he buys? Write a short story or scene featuring this character.