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Dec sat in his garden, the warm evening sun dancing on his skin, a gentle breeze occasionally ruffling his hair. A glass of cold, crisp Chardonnay held lightly in one hand, the other resting on his leg. Contentment washed over him as he relaxed and let his mind wander. His gaze roamed across the garden steering his thoughts towards how unbelievably lucky he was. Not bad for a poor Geordie boy who’d grown up in a home rich with love but with little else. A wry smile ghosted across his lips at the notion of what fate, being born a show off and, it had to be said, an awful lot of hard work had bought him. He had a job he loved every moment of and that he got to do with his best friend in the world. Ha! The entire nation loved them! Not only that but it paid well enough that he quietly, without fuss and ignoring protests, had been able to ensure his entire family were no longer just rich with love. Not that they would ever ask for anything, but he made sure they had everything. A pain of loss tore through him as he missed his Dad. Instantly stopping his thoughts in their tracks he gulped his wine in an effort to swallow the lump in his throat. With an increasing skill that had developed over time he changed the direction of his thoughts, locking the sadness and pain away again.
He took another gulp of wine and let his eyes continued their roaming; this time settling on his little dog Rocky snoozing in the shade of a cherry tree with his big mate Hurley. Again a hint of a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. Best friends, no doubt dreaming of playing tug and sniffing through the undergrowth together, as they had been doing earlier in the day.
His gaze wandered on, settling on the sight of Lisa, sitting cross-legged at the far end of the lawn, sun in her face, chatting and laughing with his own dearest love. The smile passed over his lips again. He had never for a moment wondered why Ant married Lisa; any man would be a fool not to marry her. Her smile lit up the darkest of rooms, the spark in her eyes brighter than any flame. Her beauty wasn’t skin deep, she was kind, loving and sweet but best of all she was funny and always up for a show off at parties and events they attended together, much to Ant’s mock horror. Dec adored Lisa, always had, always would, it was as simple as that.
His eyes moved to her companion just as they both laughed at something Lisa had said. Ok, he had to admit, that smile didn’t light up a room quite the way Lisa’s did but it did have an invisible connection to the contents of his underwear, which happily twitched every time it appeared. That would do for him. He remembered how as a young lad he’d wondered if true love existed and if he’d ever find it. Now he knew; now he was looking at the person he found it with. He hadn’t realised that it would be a bond so deep, strong and true that it would withstand anything and everything the world could throw at it. That he would spend his days knowing he was never alone, that he was more loved and that he in turn loved someone more that mere words could ever hope to explain. Of course love was not exclusive, he loved many people in many ways but this love was unique, exquisite, unbreakable, forever. Destiny. As if hearing his thoughts the subject of them turned to look at him then back to Lisa. The two of them stood and slowly began to walk up the garden towards Dec. He angled his head slightly to get a better view of those gorgeous tanned legs and trying to get a glimpse of the shorts clad rear he admired so often. The tip of his tongue peaked through the corner of his lips as he concentrated.
Suddenly a warm hand on his own snapped him back to reality. A gentle voice reminded him he was not sitting alone “Are you alright, Dec? You look miles away”. He turned, blinked and smiled at his wife. Eyes full of love he squeezed her fingers, raising her hand to his lips for a soft kiss. “Never been better, Pet”. Entwining their fingers he rested their hands in his lap and turned back to watch Lisa and Ant walking towards them.