Sweethearts Part 1

Jack looked down at the poor woman laying in the hospital bed. All stricken with the cancer that had been eating away at her body for the better part of a year. Her once beautiful, angelic face was almost unrecognizable. He saw the whiteness in her hair and the ghost pallor of her face. He just knew death was close for his wife. She was in and out of consciousness, but, when she was lucid, he thought she must have known death was near also. He was glad that the children were away for the night. He wanted to be alone with her. But, for right now, he just wanted to remember..... His mind took him back to when they were kids. Jack could remember the day when they met. He was 9. Claire was 7. It was in the schoolyard and for some reason the girls were chasing the boys trying to kiss them. Jack , at 9, was more interested in baseball than girls. But, for some strange reason he thought if this Claire girl wanted to trip him and kiss him, well, that wouldn't be bad. Looking back at that moment in later years, they both would say that moment was their first date. And, it happened: Jack had fallen--- maybe, a little more easily than he would have--- and, Claire said, ''Hi, my name is Claire and I claim you!'' With that, she planted a solid kiss right on his lips! Later, Jack would say it was the best kiss of his life.... Soon, they became friends. They were still young, so, there was no hanky panky going on, just a young boy and girl bonded in childhood. They discovered they lived close to each other, so, soon he was marching to her house almost everyday to play games after school. Their mothers got along well enough, as a matter of fact, both families cared deeply for each other. As Jack and Claire grew older and taller, there was quiet, behind the hand talk among the parents that these two might someday marry. It was done in whispers. Of course, they shouldn't hear the speculation.The parents didn't want to embarass the kids.... As teenagers, the stirrings of young adulthood soon arrived. Jack began to notice other young girls and Claire spotted the guys she liked. At first, they tried to express to each other these new feelings. For some reason, they failed to do so successfully. To tell Claire that he thought the girl in his class was cute seemed awkward for him. Claire shared the same feeling. That is when they both decided to try this new thing teenagers did called dating.... Oh, their first official ''date'' was awful funny!!! Jack made a big show about picking Claire up at her house to go to the movies. They had to be around 17 and 15 then. Jack borrowed his Dad's car and drove over to Claire's. Her mom answered the door with an almost knowing smile. Jack politely asked for Claire. Claire then emerged walking down the stairs. It was at the moment, seeing her all dressed up and looking more mature than he ever had seen her, that Jack fell in life with her. Never in his years of knowing her did that thought ever occur to him, but, now, he knew someday she would be his wife... From that moment on, they were together. After graduating school, Jack stayed close to home and got a job in an insurance company. Claire graduated a few years later and became a secretary. Both knew that they could have each gone away and started another life, as many of their friends did, but, they both knew the life they wanted: it was with each other.... They were married in in 1965. Jack was 22 and Claire 20. The day of the wedding dawned gloomy and rainy. Some people would have thought it was a bad omen for the marriage, but, not them. They were in love, the very embodiment of the term ''Childhood Sweethearts''. Jack was standing at the altar , waiting for her. Claire was brought down the aisle by her father. When her hand was given to him, he felt the feeling surge through his body. He knew he loved this woman with every fiber of his soul. Looking into her eyes during the ceremony, he saw the endless love that she had for him returning his gaze. It might have been gloomy outside , but, inside, it was filled with the golden sunshine of two people in love. They said their vows. They kissed. And, then their life together began... They bought a house near their families and filled that house with three children. Jack stayed with the insurance company until retirement and Claire was a stay at home mom-- the world's toughest job. They had their ups and downs like any couple. Moments of what might have been came through once in a while, but, very rarely. They both loved and liked each other. And, they adored their children. As a gift to each other and the children, Jack scrapped together enough money to buy a weekend cottage by a lake an hour away, up north....