She was always my perfect Rose. When she first stepped into our congregation I was playing Amazing Grace on the organ. As her eyes met mine I hit a wrong chord! I felt butterflies dance in my stomach. Once the song was over, a demure glance from her direction let me know that the feeling that I just discovered was hardly one sided. After church everyone went around shaking hands. It seemed to take forever to get around to see her. The choir director was lecturing me on the wrong note I had played. I couldn't even hear her words. I was gazing at the beautiful angel who stood less than 10 feet from me. She stood there shaking the minister's hand and congratulating him on such a fine sermon. After I pried my self away from our choir director, I walked directly over to the minister who introduced us. The only two things I can remember about that conversation is that the minister said her name was Rose and as we shook hands I had completely and utterly fallen in love.
After nearly a month of coy looks and a gentle push by several "matchmakers" in the church, we eventually went out on our first date. I had never went roller skating before. She was great at it! I still recall, the image of me falling down so hard and her laughing even harder! She told me later that the very moment she fell in love with me is when they played the song "Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole. We rolled along the rink holding hands. I had fallen in love with once glance. She fell inl love as we rolled in a perfect circle. By the second course of his song, we had fingers interlocked and our hearts were one.
A few months after that, we had gotten married in the same church that we'd met. Rose and I had our first and only child nearly 2 years after we were married. He looks just like me, but his true nature is more like his mother's. He has a loving heart and always thinks of others first. I found out very early in our marriage that Rose can really sing! When she was rocking our son Alex to sleep for the first time she sang a lullabye that would put any singer to shame. I was so gratetful to God for giving me the gift of this beautiful family.
One day, as I worked as a security guard at a industrial plant, my boss told me I had an emergency phone call. My wife's sister called and said there was an emergency and my wife was at the hospital. I can't even remember how I got there. The only thing I can tell you is that one minute I was in my manager's office and the next I was standing by my wife's bed. The doctor was saying a bunch of medical lingo that meant nothing to me. He put his hand on my shoulder saying there was nothing they could do. I looked down at my beautiful wife and saw this tiny smile on her face. It was as if she'd seen death and not run from it. She had always been so brave. I fell across her body and sobbed as if there were no tomorrow. I knew from the bottom of my heart that there was a hell. I had suddenly found myself flung into it.
Her funeral was the definition of gradeur. There were over 1,000 guests who attended. I can't to this day, remember one face of the guests who came by offering words of comfort. There are only two things I do remember about the funeral. The first thing is that despite death's touch, my wife's beauty remained. The second thing was when my son sang a tribute to his mother. He allowed the pain and raw emotions to come through his voice. I knew my son could sing, but this was lamenting of the highest order. After he'd finished, everyone in the church (including myself) gave a standing ovation. I stepped forward and hugged my only living treasure of Rose. For a moment the only thing that existed was the love between a father and his son.
Rose has been gone for nearly two years now. Although family and friends encourage me to get back out there, I don't feel the need or desire. I had the perfect wife, mother and best friend. Those are things you find around the corner every day. I spend most of my days looking at pictures and reliving various points of our lives together. Is this healthy? Probably not, but it is therapeutic in its own way. I don't cry as often as I used to do. I smile a little more everyday and now when I think of Rose, it's with a smile, a laugh and inevitably with a sigh.
I became a widow before I was 40 years old. But if I had to live my life over again I would not change a single thing. Our love was precious and rare. It was a gift that I still hold to my heart. For the love, we shared, the life we created and the son I hold as my best friend, I am eternally grateful to my precious, perfect Rose.