The Promise

It was a rainy Friday morning. James woke up and rapidly initiated the process which he went through every morning to get ready for school. James ate breakfast with his parents, who then took him to his school where he’d spend about five to six hours of his day. After school, his parents would pick him up and take him back home. Once at home, James ate dinner, did all of his homework, and played his brand new video game for precisely one hour. He then ate dinner with his mom, Linda, and studied the bible with his father, Matthew, who was a pastor. That was James’ weekly routine.

On weekends, there was no fixed routine. On Saturdays, there were no special events on the schedule. On most Sundays, James would go to his friends’ houses to play, and cause trouble to their parents. On Sunday nights, James' family would go to a restaurant called White Castle or to someone’s house. Most often, James’s family went to Mary's house, a friend of Matthew.

James loved going to Mary's house, not because Mary was nice or funny, but because his friend Alice lived in the house immediately beside Mary's. James would go there every time his family visited Mary, for he loved seeing Alice, his dearest friend. James' friendship with Alice was strong. They could be together for hours and hours, and not get tired of each other.

One day, James' family, instead of going to Mary's house, went to Alice's house. It was a huge house. It had two floors and a huge backyard full of tall trees, flowers, and beautiful stone work. The interior of the house was equipped with fine furniture and beautiful decorations all around the house. The backyard had a little house, equipped with many things including a fireplace, a grill, and a couple of couches. James' family sat down on one of the couches in this room with Alice’s family.

While the adults enjoyed the pleasure and comfort of a great barbecue and each other’s company, the kids went to the backyard to do what kids do best: play. However, they weren’t playing like regular kids. They were playing marriage. James was the groom, and Alice was the bride. And, as two innocent children looked at each other warmly, they started the ceremony, which would include all sorts of wedding items, such as a ring, and a veil, which was made out of grass and wood.

James looked deeply into Alice’s eyes. He could feel the blood rushing through his veins, his cheeks getting red, and his heart going faster and faster. That day, even as an innocent little kid, was the first time that James had ever fallen in love. He grabbed Alice's hand to put the ring on her finger, and as his hand touched hers, his heart was beating faster. It was a new sensation to grab her hand, to feel the warmth of his loved one. He then, after experiencing it all, said to her with a nervous but honest smile, ready to put that plastic ring on her finger, “Alice, do you take James as your husband forever?” Alice answered, looking directly into James’ deep blue eyes, “I do.” James then put the ring on her finger.

The same process occurred with Alice, as she loved James the same way. She blushed, looked deeply into James' eyes, and asked, “James, do you take Alice as your wife forever?” James answered with a smile that was bigger than his face itself, “Yes, I do!”

After those words were professed, James, by the heat of the moment, abruptly kissed her on the lips. Alice was shocked and red at the same time and so was James. The kiss was all part of an improvised act. No one saw it coming. Not even James.

As Alice felt the warm touch of James’ lips, she quickly reached a high state of happiness which lasted a good couple of days. James felt, as he thought to himself, “funny.” He was abundant in happiness, but he also felt really timid around her after the kiss.

In the end, they knew they were kids and that it was a feigned wedding, but they promised to each other that one day, no matter how much time later, they would have an unfeigned ceremony to seal their love which started early, but developed into a beautiful loving relationship. They’d part ways for seven years and then come back together again. Both of them were surprised by how much they’d changed since their last time together. But fate is fate, and love is unbreakable. They soon became boyfriend and girlfriend officially, and thus came the inevitable: the matrimonial union that sealed their love. The seal was, in the words of both James and Alice, “until death do us part.” And he kissed the bride.