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Mark quietly closed the door of the house, being careful so as not to wake Ella, and then he smiled and grabbed Elizabeth’s hand.
“I’ve never gone for a nighttime walk on the beach before,” Elizabeth said, smiling back. “I feel like we’re sneaking out behind our parents’ backs. Although…I guess there’s one problem with that. We’re actually keeping secrets from Rachel and Ella doesn’t know any better.”
This was the lightest either she or Mark was feeling in over a year, both as individuals and a couple. Last year, it felt like everything and the kitchen sink was thrown in their direction: a surprise pregnancy, a brain tumor diagnosis for Mark, early contractions for Elizabeth (she was still thankful that Chen had managed to stop her labor and Ella was born with no health issues), and then the arrival of Rachel after she kept clashing with Jen. Of course, that was followed by Ella ingesting Rachel’s ecstasy and Elizabeth opting to move out, causing marital strain between her and Mark.
She was happy she had gone back to him, though. Not long after she did, he got the news that he was cancer-free, defying impossible odds. She was hoping that he would stay that way for at least another year so he could see Ella turn two, and hopefully things would keep improving at home. For now, though, they were on a family vacation in Hawaii that he planned while in treatment, vowing to take his wife and daughters to the place where he had a lot of family memories of his own.
They had been in Hawaii for three days now, and Elizabeth felt like the two of them needed some couple time. So, after Ella had gone to bed, they’d left Rachel in charge and let her know they were going for a walk on the beach, where there was a nighttime barbecue and dance with a live band. The music didn’t sound loud enough to possibly wake up Ella, at least.
“Kids don’t have to know everything,” Mark said. “I’m so happy we’re finally getting some time away from them. Is it just me, or have the last few days felt really long and short at the same time? I mean, vacation is going too quickly in a way, but at the same time, every day can feel a bit packed when you have a baby with you.”
“Listen, I’ll take ten days going too fast if it means that once we go home, I’ll have many more days and months to spend with you and make memories.” Elizabeth said. “And you know…one thing that has really impressed me about this trip is seeing just how much Rachel changes when she’s around Ella. I never thought I’d forgive her, but I had to put my feelings aside and realize just how important it was to be home with you again. You almost died, and I can’t keep Ella from you forever when we don’t know what tomorrow could bring.”
“I agree with you on that. At first, I was worried about how this would go, being that Rachel was so quick to retreat into a sullen teenager who rolled her eyes when she saw she didn’t have a TV in her room.”
“And then the look she gave you when you were trying to share family photo albums and take her for a drive so she could see all the places on the island that were so significant to you. We know that phrase, if looks could kill.”
“Never mind the tumor; I’m surprised that didn’t take me.” They both laughed.
They arrived at the beach, and Mark immediately started heading toward the food. “You want a late-night snack?” he asked. “Looks like we have some fruit salad, chicken kabobs, chips and dip…I’m going to load up as much as possible, but I know you’re more of a light eater.”
“Oh, this pineapple chicken looks good,” she replied. “I’ll take a little bit of that and some pasta salad. Why not; we’re on vacation, after all.” They each took their food and sat down on a nearby picnic table.
“It’s hard for me to believe Ella is already one,” Elizabeth said with a sigh. “And that she took her first steps here. I mean, she was working on it at home, but I feel like the fact that she did it on the beach makes it even more special, if only because we were all here to see it.”
“My advice to you as someone who’s already done this once is to enjoy it while you can. Not that there’s not a lot to love down the road, of course, but take time now to bask in the fact that she can’t talk back or tell you she’s not going to do her chores, or slam the door to her room. I guess I’m getting ahead of myself.”
“I can understand why you’d warn me. Do you ever worry that Rachel is growing up too fast?”
“Sometimes, yes. I know eventually kids have to grow up and find their own way, but I was hoping she wouldn’t want to now, if that makes sense. At the same time, I feel like the best way to learn is to make mistakes and piss people off sometimes. This is a phase she’s going through, and I just tell myself it will pass. In addition to being good with Ella, she gets good grades, so I’ll give her that.”
A slow song started to play, and Mark smiled. “Do you want to dance?” he asked, putting down his plastic cup of boxed wine.
“I’ll never turn down that invitation.”
“Good. I’ve always wanted us to do another tango, but this isn’t that type of music, and even if it were I imagine it would be hard to do that dance in the sand. We’ll just have to settle for swaying.”
She put one arm around his back, and he put his right arm on her back as they linked their left hands.
“There’s something very romantic about this,” she said. “You know, I’ve always kind of wanted to slow dance on the beach. I just thought it was something that happened in the movies. Now that it’s real life and the weather is just perfect, I have to say this feels like everything I imagined it being.”
“Good. Because deciding to ask you to marry me was one of the best decisions I ever made.”
“How did you know I was the one for you anyway? Was it when we accidentally crashed a wedding after missing the trauma conference? The first kiss at the Ferris wheel? Or something else?”
“Our first kiss was when I knew we should commit to each other,” he replied. “But a lot of little things made me want to marry you. Like your spontaneity and how you don’t take things super personally. Even at the conference, you were disappointed to miss your presentation but then shared a laugh and a dance with me at the wedding reception. I loved all your little jokes about how long it would take for the guests to realize we didn’t belong there and to kick us out.”
“The bride did ask who I was when I was leaving to use the ladies’ room, but I brushed it off as being a friend of her cousin’s, and she totally believed me.” Elizabeth giggled. “I know from our own wedding that couples have to greet so many people at their reception that she probably figured she saw me and already forgot about it.”
“Oh, that was your excuse?” He raised his eyebrows and gave her a suspicious glance. “Well, you are creative. Unless you just want to say you’re a good liar.”
“It works for me.”
“If I had to pick just one thing, though,” he said. “It was your willingness to put up with my crappy apartment just to be with me. Even the morning of our huge fight, when I knew I had your ring and was ready to propose and you had no idea, I realized I had a damn good thing going if you were willing to keep coming over and put up with all the hassles.
“And now that we’re looking back on it, I have to admit that you were right. It was a dump. It worked well when Susan lived there and I was just visiting her, and even when I first moved in because it was really my first proper place after divorcing where I got comfortable on my own. But it did not age well. I’m happy we’re roommates in a much more modern and civilized environment.”
“Roommates? Even though we’re married?” She giggled again.
“That’s what we were at the time. But when did you know that I was the one for you?”
“Our first kiss. I knew that we shouldn’t get engaged that quickly, of course, but when you told me you didn’t want to miss out on any more time with me, even when we were all dressed up with no place to go, that was when I fell in love. We may have missed our boat, but we still had each other’s company. It showed me that’s what matters. Although, if I’m honest, I developed a crush on you when you joined me at the bar after my M&M when I was an intern. The fact that you took time to figure out where I was without it being creepy or stalker-ish, I appreciated that.”
“We all need someone to look after us sometimes. Just like you’ve looked after me over this last year-and-a-half.”
“And you helped me get through the second part of my pregnancy when I was on bed rest and stressed out. Oh, I don’t think I could have ever done it alone, and I’m so relieved you’ve been here through the crappy parts and the good ones. I would have done what I needed to do to take care of Ella had the worst-case scenario happened, but I’d probably feel like a failure.”
“Rest assured, if you think you’ve been inadequate, you haven’t. And you never will be in my mind.
“I can’t wait to have many more years with you, Elizabeth. A year ago, I was worried about dying and not getting to see Ella grow up. The words ‘cancer-free’ didn’t even seem to be a part of my vocabulary. And yet here we are. Celebrating the end of my treatment and spending time with Ella and Rachel. I really couldn’t think of a better family vacation. It’s just a bonus that we’re in Hawaii.”
“I’m happy you’re alive too,” she told him. “And I’ll say it again, but I’m relieved. No more chemo. No more trips to New York, unless it’s for tourism. And now that I've moved back in, I’ll never leave. That was one of the stupidest things I could have ever done. But from now on, we are in it together. For better or for worse, in sickness and in health. I just needed to remember what my vows said.”
“I would have never thought you’d forgotten.”
They held each other tight and kissed under the starry sky as he slowly spun her around the sand.
This was love. Maybe it wasn’t the best romance movie plot, but Elizabeth didn’t care. She had the love of her life, and she’d known all along that there was no one else she’d rather spend the rest of her life with. And happily, Mark felt exactly the same.