Just eight years old, she unpacks the freshly sharpened pencils, the new spiral, and the colorful markers from her light pink backpack proudly. She reads the sloppy signature of the boy who just sat down next to her, written in light blue on his name tag that stands tall on his desk. Carter. With a smile pasted on her face, she innocently introduces herself. “Hi Carter! My name is Caroline! Do you want to be friends?” His face turned a shade of pink as he looked down at his feet and mumbled an unconvinced, sure. When the bell rang for recess that day, she grabbed him by the arm and ran out the door to explore the new field. They came across the most beautiful flowers just beyond the fence guarding the woods. The little flowers were a greyish blue with small pink seeds in the middle. Caroline wanted one of those amazing flowers more than anything, but when she looked up at Carter with those pleading eyes, he just shrugged and walked away. The bell rang, and she followed his path back to the classroom. Day after day, Caroline would drag Carter across the field giggling and smiling. And day after day, she would follow him back to the classroom in silence. After too many failed attempts of trying to make Carter smile, Caroline packed up her little pink bag and carried her things to a new desk across the room where she stayed the rest of the year.
Just twelve years old, Caroline sat on her bed and admired her new red dress. She imagined how lovely it would look against the freshly painted walls of the middle school. She just couldn’t wait for her first day! The next morning she proudly pulled that bright red dress over her head and ran out the door to meet the bus. She sat in her first class of the day and watched people pour in and fill the seats surrounding her. A boy came in with sparkling blue eyes and soft features, and sat down next to her. He was wearing a navy shirt and light washed jeans. He looked at her and smiled at the ground, “Hi Caroline.” Her heart began to beat fast and she could feel her face transforming into a light shade of red. She looked up into his eyes that were shaded by his floppy, dirty blonde hair. Carter. She hadn’t talked to him since the first weeks of second grade so long ago. She didn’t know what to do, so she packed up her belongings and carried her things to a new desk across the room where she stayed the rest of the year. His blue eyes locked on her red dress as she walked away.
Just 16 years old, she walked through the double doors of the high school. The charms on her crimson bracelet jingled with every stride she took. She folded her arms and watched her feet beat down on the ground rhythmically. Her trance weakened and her head slowly rose to look up ahead. She immediately locked eyes with those familiar blue eyes belonging to a boy standing at the end of the hall. His floppy hair had been cut and he stared right into her dark eyes. As she turned to walk down the closest hallway, she could feel him following closely behind her. Her auburn hair glowed dark red in the light from the hallway window. She began to walk faster. He lightly grabbed her by the arm. “I have something for you.” He said. She stopped and watched him as he reached into his back pack. She started grinning when she saw a little bundle of greyish blue flowers that had little pink seeds in the middle. He outstretched his arm and offered a soft and warm smile. “I know I am a bit late.”
Just 18 years old, she walked down the hallway hand in hand with her boyfriend. He wore a royal blue button down that complimented her pink hair bow that adorned her reddish brown hair. They had come a long way since the second grade. They’re relationship had flourished ever since Carter had brought her that bundle of greyish blue flowers. Their relationship lacked flaw. She was still an outgoing little eight year old, and he still winced when she did something “too daring”, but they balanced each other out. They ran into their first problem senior year. College. He was going to University of South Carolina and she was going to a performing arts school in New York. Carter had some family in New York, but it was still a long way from their home towns in Georgia. They decided that they would go their separate ways. She was going to move to New York over the summer to get settled into her new dorm, so that year, at graduation, a journey ended. His eyes looked a miserable blue. Her pink cheeks were now a deathly pale white. The ceremony ended, and so did their relationship.
Just 20 years old, she was a typical college, performing arts student. She was free spirited and making the most out of the opportunities that were coming her way.
Just 20 years old, he was in the top of his class and having an amazing experience in a fraternity at South Carolina. But he couldn’t help but feel incomplete.
Just 24 years old, Caroline was a college graduate. She decided to continue living in New York in her newly furnished apartment. She was currently writing a new play, after her last one was a hit off Broadway. But her plot was weak, her characters lacked depth, and she didn’t know what was wrong with her. Normally, words melted off of her pen and on to the lined paper. Stumped, she decided to get up from her window sill and to travel across the street to a little, old timey coffee shop to break out of her writers’ block. She opened the massive wooden door and took two steps into the shop before she stumbled upon a line of flower petals sprinkled on the ground. They stretched across the floor to a booth in the back. The flower petals were a mixture of varied shades of blues, baby blue to navy. They were beautiful. They intrigued her. Her feet carried her body down the path as if she was hypnotized, and when she reached the booth, she was puzzled by the sight. There was an arrangement of light pink, hot pink, crimson, and red petals. To top off the quilt of leaves, there was a single greyish blue flower with pink little seeds in the middle. Caroline grinned; she didn’t know what to think. There was a letter folded once and attached to the stem, tied off with a dainty ribbon. Her hand trembled as she reached for the letter. She began to look around the shop looking for the punch line to this joke, but instead she saw a man behind her wearing a blue cardigan and knelling on one knee, holding a pearl colored, square box. One look into his eyes flooded her mind with visions of perfect moments of the past and new visions for her future. A crystal tear traveled down her face to signal her undoubted happiness and approval. He grinned letting his dimples show and whispered to her, “Marry me.”