“I love you the more in that I believe you had liked me for my own sake and for nothing else.” –  John Keats

Some time ago I was feeling creative, so I asked the Facebook world to help me in writing a short story. In order to write that story I wanted a few things, below are the items I was after for my story and the people who suggested them:

• Style – Romance (Trishan)
• Location – Grand Canyon (Kerry)
• Objects – Beer can (Simon), Lava Lamp (Bacon), Mini Cooper (Pat)
• Quote – “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing” Homer Simpson (Leah)
• 2 Women’s Names – Melissa (Mel) & Sam (Sam)
• 2 Men’s Names – Guy (Edith) & Cameron (Jenny)

This was supposed to be a project that would take me a day or so, well, after about 5 months I’ve finally got around to finishing it!

So now, with further ado, I give you “Desert Dreams”, enjoy.

 

DESERT DREAMS – by Daryl Westley

Cameron found it hard to believe that it had taken 10 years to get to this point. 10 years of ups and downs, mostly ups, but like all couples, they had their downs. Yet he was here, with Mel, finally about to make honest people of each other.

Those 10 years seemed to fly by in Cameron’s mind now.

The moment they met in Tusayan, waiting to head out to the Grand Canyon, they just clicked. They were both out there by themselves and ended up spending most of the trip together. These two were the old cliché of two peas in a pod. Spending almost every waking moment with each other and most non-waking moments as well.

Mel looked so beautiful in her wedding gown. It had been the source of great amusement between her and her best friend Sam. Searching for it had become an endless saga. Nothing Sam suggested Mel liked, there seemed to be no way of keeping Mel happy. Until they both saw this dress hanging in the store window. They knew each other so well that they didn’t have to say anything. They just looked at each other and smiled. This was the one.

Off course men being men, Cameron and his best friend Guy had no issues picking out suits. Mainly because Mel had organised everything. She had called the suit place after inspecting countless bridal magazines, told the clerk to expect her husband-to-be and gang of merry men at 10am. The boys turned up at 10am, were told what suits they were getting, tried them on and in 15 minutes were out the door.

Mel’s Hen’s Night had been a huge affair. All of her friends celebrating the end of her single life as if the world would end tomorrow. She had an amazing time even if the night did end with Mel face down in the hotel room toilet and 2 of her friends holding her hair back. Plastic cups, littered around the floor and a broken lava lamp were a testament to a great night.

On the flip side of the coin, Cameron’s Buck’s Night was a little more sedate. A round of golf during the day and a quiet night of poker and cigars with the boys. Cameron wasn’t keen on getting drunk and being molested by strippers. He was in love with one amazing woman, a woman that occupied every thought he had. He friends knew this and respected his wishes. He still had a great send off and loved his friends even more for this.

Mel really threw herself in to the wedding planning. Having Sam around to help was instrumental in keeping things on track and within budget. Without Sam this wedding could have turned in to something bigger than a Royal wedding.  They both really enjoyed the cake testing, finally settling on a chocolate sponge cake with white frosting after Mel had eaten almost a whole cake. “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing!” said Mel, with cake everywhere.

While Cameron didn’t have much to do with organising the wedding, that didn’t stop him from being anxious and nervous. He wasn’t sure why, he knew he loved this woman and he knew he wanted to marry her, still the butterflies came regularly. He would stare empty beer can after empty beer can nervous, days before. And for no real reason.

All of those butterflies had gone now though. Now that the moment was here. Instead the butterflies had been replaced with terror and disbelief. Everything had changed instantly. The moment the runaway Mini Cooper came screaming around the bend ultimately collecting Mel as she exited the limousine.

She was hit with a force so hard it flung her metres into the air. Everything happened so fast yet everything seemed to be in slow motion for Cameron.

Now with sirens wailing in the distance and emergency vehicle lights bouncing off the surrounding buildings, he sat there, with Mel, holding her tight. The blood slowly making its way through her dress.

This woman, this beautiful woman, looked desperately in to Cameron’s eyes, she gripped his arm tight and with a final desperate gasp mouthed, “I love you”.

As the life faded from her eyes, Cameron simply said, “I know”.