Her name was Amber. I have loved her since the day I first saw her in high school. It was September, the first day of school and the weather was balmy. She was wearing the school’s uniform kilt and her shirt was a loosely tucked in. Her silky blond hair was framed her heart-shaped face in gentle curls and waves that made her blue eyes light up. I decided then that I wanted her for my future wife. I wanted to ask her out so much but decided that I had to get to know her better first. Some people called me a stalker but I think I was (and still am) hopelessly in love. She was perfect. Not a genius but smart enough to carry on a conversation, not super-model gorgeous but beautiful in her own way. I wanted her so badly. This year, I’m going to make her mine.
***
The middle of winter was always her favorite time of year. It because the snow gave everything a surreal and almost impossible feel to the world. It was as if a tree was not really a tree but a piece of art covered in glittering white masses of fluff. Winter also made her remember the day her husband asked her out which was their first date during their final year of high school. They had been good friends since the first year of high school when he told some creepy guy she had no interest in to leave her alone. From there they had a lot in common: the same movies, books and television shows. She did have to admit to herself that he enjoyed some genres more than she, and she would never want to play hockey. It had been a pleasant surprise when he asked her to dinner one cold Valentine’s Day. She had thought she would go through her entire high school career with only one creepy stalker following her with other boys only dating her because she was pretty. Winter also reminded her of when he proposed four years later. He was finishing his final term in business school and she was finishing her second choice in degrees once she found her original career choice as an English teacher would not work out well. This second choice had been nursing which she took up because of the ability to help people. Despite the tougher regime she loved her job. It had been after a long day of studying that he insisted on a walk in the park. At first she disagreed to the suggestion but not because of the weather. Walking through snow made her exuberant. But she had a project to finish that was due the next day. He persuaded her in the end and half-way through their walk around the man-made lake in the park he got down on one knee and presented her with a slim gold band with interlocking hearts. The ring was hallow where the two hearts joined, a jewel was supposed to be present there but he said he had no money for the diamond at the time (she could attest to that, schooling and basic survival without outside aide was expensive) but he knew the ring was the one for her. She said no diamond was needed as the ring was perfect without it. Two years later, he presented her with a single diamond that fit perfectly into the ring. It had been a gift on Valentine’s Day, a holiday that she had started to warm up to since they began dating. Every year he surprised her with gifts: roses, stuffed bears that proclaimed their love when squeezed, expensive chocolates that she loved but would never buy for herself and other such things. He hardly ever gave her jewelry unless it would mean something to them as a couple. She hoped this year would be no different, but only time would tell. Three days previous, he had been called into the office and was told he was flying to his company’s location in Texas. Depending on how well the meetings went, he might not make it back on time for Valentine’s Day. The telephone ringing brought her out of her thoughts and she rushed through the two-story bungalow to grab the slim portable phone. She took a deep breath and hit the “talk” button. “ Hello?” she questioned smoothly. “ I’ve missed you sweetie,”