Caleb and Stacia

Based Upon Actual Events

Once upon a time there was a boy who lived in a land far away. This boy had two friends who were to be wed. People came from far and wide to see the couple wed. Now it so happened that a girl from a land called Colorado came. But this wasn’t just another girl out for the wedding; this girl was to be the Maid of Honor and was to be escorted down the isle at the wedding by the best man. As it so happened, the boy was to be the best man.

The night before the couple was to be wed, the wedding party all came together by a beautiful lake. This was to be the first time the boy was to lay his eyes upon the girl, and when he saw her he could not believe her beauty. But you see, this wasn’t just another day for the boy; this was the boy’s 20th birthday and seeing beauty like this girl possessed on a day like that left the boy with an indescribable feeling. Over the next few days the boy and the girl talked a little here and a little there. The boy even got to hear the girl sing during the wedding, and he was mesmerized by the beauty of the girl’s voice. But as fate would have it, the wedding had to come to an end, the girl had to go back to her home in Colorado, and nothing was to come of the boy’s and the girl’s relationship.

But if this was where this fairy tale was to end, then it would not be a fairy tale at all, and so like any good fairy tale the story must continue, and so shall this one.

Over the next several months, the boy would think about the girl here and there. The time came for the wedded couple’s baby to be born. But before the baby was born, the wedded couple asked the boy and the girl, separately, if they would agree to be the godfather and godmother of their baby. The boy and the girl quickly and easily accepted this lifelong request. So once again, before the baby was to be born, the girl made the long journey from Colorado to the land of Iowa where this miraculous event was to happen. And that was when, at last, the boy saw the girl again. And what a beautiful sight she was.

That night the boy and the girl stayed up until the early morning waiting for a friend to arrive. While they waited, the boy talked and talked while the girl mostly listened. The following day, their godson was born, and he was the most handsome little boy either of them had ever seen. That night, the friend had to make the long journey back to a place called Maranatha, within the land of Wisconsin. But this journey was not a safe one for her to make on her own, so the boy and the girl went along to assist her on the long journey. During this trip, the boy and the girl learned many things about each other. They talked hour after hour. Eventually the trip had to come to an end, and the boy and the girl parted company for the time being. During the next two days, the boy and the girl learned many more new thing about each other.

The following day was the day that the girl was to make the long journey back to the land of Colorado. So the boy (knowing how the girl had grown attached to his stuffed animal, Midge) decided to get her a similar stuffed animal named Musher. After giving the girl the gift, the boy hugged the girl and drawing upon all of his strength, he told her goodbye. But the boy knew that his goodbye was different from the last, for this time the boy knew he would see the girl again.

And so this fairy tale continues, as the boy and the girl spent their nights conversing hour after hour, knowing that someday soon they would see each other again. Finally a few months later, the time came for the boy to make his own journey to the land of Colorado. Throughout the long journey the boy could hardly contain himself because he was so excited to see the girl. The moment finally came when the boy saw the girl again and yet again, her beauty took his breath away, for you see, the boy remembered the fact that the girl was incredibly beautiful, but when he saw her again, she was ten times more beautiful then ever he remembered.

So the boy spent the next four days dwelling in the same house as the girl and her family, getting to know everyone there. After four days, the boy and the girl made the short journey to the place where the boy had been born and where his parents still dwelt. It was here that the girl had her chance to spend some time getting to know the boy’s family and a few friends. But shortly, it came time for the boy to take the girl back to her parent’s dwelling place. Sadly, after only a couple of short days with her and her family once again, the time came for the boy to leave and go back to his parent’s dwelling before making the long journey back to the land of Iowa where he lived. As it so happened on the day the boy was to make the journey home, he decided to go and see the girl for one last day. Unknown to the girl and her family, the boy made the short journey down to her home. To the boy’s great pleasure, the girl and her family were all surprised and pleased to see him again. That day the boy spent one of the best days he could remember with the girl. Presently though, the time came for the boy to leave again, and though it was very difficult, the boy said goodbye and started the long journey back to the land of Iowa.

And so it went again that the boy and the girl would spend their nights talking hour after hour in place of seeing each other and so after about a month, the boy decided to make one of the most important journeys he had yet made. He would voyage once again to the land of Colorado, just to surprise the girl. After many long and tiring hours of travel, the boy finally arrived at the girl’s dwelling place, and the girl was very pleased and surprised to see him. So for the next few days, the boy and the girl were practically inseparable. On the third day of the boy’s visit, the boy took the girl aside to talk with her. While talking with the girl he, with the blessing of the girl’s parents, poorly told her of his feelings for her and of his desire for a more serious relationship. While expected but still disappointing, the girl did not tell the boy yea or nay, but instead left the boy with no answer. So the night continued with the boy wondering what her answer would be.

The following day the boy was sitting on the couch with the girl, still wondering what her final answer would be. The time came for the girl to finish her work, so she had to leave. And with the words “By the way, yes” she was out the door and gone. A moment later, when the power and the meaning of those words finally hit him, the boy leaped from the couch and rushed to the door feeling like the luckiest person in the whole world. Now nothing could ruin the boy’s day, week, month, or year. And so it went for the next few days until, sorrowfully, the time came once again for the boy and the girl to part company, for it was time for the boy to return to the land of Iowa to finish up his remaining time there. Though it was difficult to leave, it was also a happy time, for their relationship was continuing to grow.

A few months later, the time came for the boy to return to his homeland of Colorado. Prior to his journey, the girl traveled out to the land of Iowa to assist the boy in his journey home. It was at this time that the boy finally told the girl for the first time that his feelings had changed toward her, and that he was now in love with her. And so they journeyed back home, and the relationship steadily progressed deeper and deeper until a year later another change was to take place.

The young man, for he was no longer a boy, but a man, decided that he had to live the rest of his life with the young woman and that he would not be happy until he had her hand in marriage. So on one warm sunny day, the young man took the girl to several beautiful spots that he had picked out. They started the day by journeying to a most dazzling waterfall that the young woman had never before seen. After spending a time there, they continued on their journey to a flat park under the mountains. It was at this place that they set out a picnic lunch to eat. From here they progressed on the journey, making a couple more stops along the way. Finally, late in the afternoon, the couple came to a little-known town known only as Grand Lake. Here the young man took the young lady’s hand and led her up a winding mountain path until it finally opened up to a cliff overlooking an absolutely stunning waterfall. After spending several moments enjoying the view, the young man turned to the young lady and gave her a wooden heart that he had carved himself. With a slightly puzzled look on her face, the young lady opened up the heart and read the words that had been carved on the inside. This is what she read:

The Question

There is a question waiting to be said,
Of some significance I really must say.
The question was born when two friends were wed,
But put on hold when we went our separate ways.
Some time later with a birth it was reborn
Growing and waiting for today to ask
This life changing question, I really must warn
Comes with a commitment and quite a big task,
As well as for you, this quite costly jewel,
That just might cause you to shout and to sing.
When I put you up on this pedestal,
Kneeling before you I give you this ring.
This love I feel for you, you just might see
Why I’m asking you, WILL YOU MARRY ME?

After the young lady had finished reading the poem, the young man pulled out a ring and asked for this fair maiden’s hand in Holy Matrimony. Without the slightest hesitation, the young lady gladly and readily accepted the ring and said yes.

Now this would be the point that I should say, “And they lived happily ever after” and would leave you thinking that this couple went on to live the perfect life where nothing ever goes wrong, but we all know that this never really happens. Now the couple did live happily, but they had their day’s when arguments would occur and things would go more wrong then right. But the two would fight through the tough times, always to find good times on the other side. And so the happy young couple did live not perfectly, but happily-ever-after.

THE END