“We’ll talk about this later,” Autumn tells Syd, and she groans once more.
I chuckle to myself before leaning in to give Autumn a quick kiss. After a few goodbyes, we’re on our way out the door. Syd is silent the whole way to her school, unmistakably lost in thought. It isn’t until we pull up to the front entrance that she snaps out of her trance.
She quickly tells me that she’ll see us later before hopping out of the car. Before she closes the door, she reminds me that she’s riding home with Lily this evening, and I nod before telling her that I love her.
Next, I head back towards downtown to drop the twins off. As usual, they try to convince me to let them skip, but I shut that down quickly. I had plans for just Autumn and me today, and we needed all the alone time we could get.
Don’t get me wrong, we loved our kids with all of our hearts, but between parent duties, many extracurricular activities a week, and full-time jobs, we rarely had time to relax if it wasn’t bedtime. So, when Autumn told me she had the day off, I decided to take one off as well so we could spend it relaxing and spending time together.
Upon arriving back at the house, I received a message to let me know that the first part of our day was waiting for us. I didn’t waste any time heading inside and letting Autumn know that we had places to be. I could tell that she wanted to ask a million questions, but she also knew that I wouldn’t give any hints away.
So, as usual, when I told her we had plans, she slipped on some shoes, grabbed her purse, and slipped in her phone and Kindle. Once we were all settled in the car again, I pulled out of the driveway and headed towards our first destination of the day.
“What’s this?” She asked after I handed her a yellow envelope. It had her name scribbled across the front in black ink.
“Open it and read it out loud.”
“Oh…Kay,” she replied skeptically. She ripped it open and began to read.
Hey, Sunflower. How are you?
I know it’s been a while since we got to have some alone time that didn’t involve us cuddling in each other's arms after the kids go to sleep (even though I know we both love that), so today I want to change that.
Of course, I won’t tell you what I had planned, but I will give you your first clue here:
You were mesmerized, and so was I. We couldn’t stop staring under those fluorescent lights. I hit six, and you said five. Our lives were changed that very first night.
She reads it once more, and then I hear her gasp right as I pull up to a red light. I turn to face her and see the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. She throws her arms around my neck and pulls me in for a kiss. Damn, this was only the first part, and she was alreadythisexcited? I couldn’t wait to see her reaction when we got to the final part.
“Ugh, Winter, you are so amazing,” she says once she settles back into her seat. “It’s like a little memory scavenger hunt, huh? Oooh, this is gonna be so fun!”
“I thought that it would be cute to visit different places that meant a lot to us, recreate fond memories, capture them with photos, and then make our own memory books to one day share with the kids,” I reply. “That’s not too cheesy, is it?”
“It’s perfect, baby,” she assures me, placing her left hand on the back of my neck. She rubs gently, and I relax at her touch. “So, I’m assuming that the first stop is the elevator in our old apartment building?”
“And you would be correct,” I nod as the light turns green.
Although I couldn’t see it, I already knew that she had the biggest smile on her face. It had been years since we last stepped foot inside the building, but since it was close to my job and the twins’ school, we passed by often. I knew Mr. Gary had retired a couple of years ago, but a few other staff members we knew were still there. However, I’d enlisted the help of my friend and tattoo artist Denny, whose family owned the building.
“Hey, Winter! Hi, Autumn!” They greeted us as soon as we were buzzed into the building. We exchanged hugs and greetings before following them down the hall.
When we made it to the elevator that started it all, I was hit by an overwhelming wave of emotions. It always felt so surreal to think about how our story had started in this very elevator. Neither of us thought that one encounter would spark the flame that would lead us to be happily married with three kids. I realized years ago that the universe had a way of pushing you on the path you’re meant to be, and I was grateful for it.
“Wow, why am I getting so emotional right now?” Autumn said as we stood in front of the open elevator. Denny had used a key to stop it for us, rendering it out of order for anyone else. “Our story really started right here.”
“And what an amazing story it has been, right?” I ask, moving behind her to wrap my arms around her waist. I rested my chin on her shoulder as we stood there in silence. Denny left us to go handle some other business, telling us to let them know when we were done.
We stood there in silence for a while longer before we finally moved to do what we came to do. The amount of laughter and joy that bubbled between us as we recreated our first memory together was unmatched. We’d been transported back to when we were in our late 20s, and still trying to figure shit out, but enjoying the ride.
After we were done with that stop, I called Denny back, and they delivered the next envelope to Autumn, who was just as excited as she was earlier. When we were back in the car and buckled up, she opened the envelope, pulled out the letter, and began to read.
If you’re reading this, then that means you’ve successfully found the first stop. Good job, Sunflower!
Now, here’s your next clue:
You were nervous, but so was I. Our first kiss was shared out of the public eye. I ran away, and you were confused. But the feelings were intense in that small room.
She immediately looked up at me with a smile, no doubt already knowing where this was going. I pulled out of the parking garage, heading around the corner to our next destination.
