I got this idea from another story with the premise of telling a lifetime in only 50 sentences. I loved the idea and tried it out for myself, though I didn't quite get to 50 and I might have cheated a few of the sentences with semi colons :p. I wanted to try it out on Arnold/Wanda first because I've neglected this pairing for awhile now and I really do love them.

Enjoy!

1. The rock in his dirty grasp slips onto the earth below as he mutters a quick 'hello' to the girl sitting on a yellow bike; her long black hair plays with the wind behind her ears as she rides away, and he thinks he'll never see her again.

2. The next time they meet, her hair has been cut short to just past her ears, and his own orange hair has grown out; they're both nervous and carrying their unfamiliar backpacks with a strange mixture of fear and excitement within their bellies.

3. She was never one to really share willingly, but when she asks him for a red crayon he gives it to her and tells her she could even keep it if she wanted because, despite appearances, he really did think she was alright.

4. The first time Wanda comes over to his house, his mother falls instantly for the girl's loud and adventurous personality, so unlike her son's, and even at that young age, Arnold can't help but suspect Mrs. Perlstein is already imagining the altar.

5. One chubby cheek is pressed against the grass as she lies next to him, talking about adventures she'd like to have, while he picks the petals off daisies and showers her with them with a smile that dents his own cheeks.

6. They're playing together in the sandbox: he's imagining he's in Egypt, digging for ancient object and unlocking the past that lays hidden in them, she's imagining she's a famous explorer, trapped in a pyramid with a live mummy, and they both think the other has the strangest interests.

7. They sit together on the same seat of the yellow school bus, both unaware of what's about to happen; when it does, he's never seen her happier, and he's never been more scared.

8. He wasn't able to chew the gum for more than four hours, he couldn't eat enough olives, and the pens couldn't fit in his pocket protector, so him and Wanda went to the park, and rode on the swings together instead, because he had already given her the ride of her life.

9. He watches her heart break as one of her best friends hops off the lilypad into the invisible depths below; she finally learns that sometimes it's for the best and for the first time, he feels proud of her.

10. He once decided he wanted to give Wanda one of his favorite rocks for Hanukkah, only when he first saw her the day he was going to give it to her, he panicked and told her it was for his mother.

11. The purple geode, glimmering brightly under the light on her desk, still greets him every time he enters her room.

12. At the end of the third grade he wonders what he's leaving behind, and also wonders if, despite his protests, he'd actually miss the field trips.

13. She sees his sadness mixed with confusion and smiles, taking him by the arm, and Arnold wonders about what lies ahead now.

14. She gives him his first middle school dance because he's too shy to ask the girl he's crushing on; dancing with his best friend feels wonderfully fun and comfortable.

15. She hates the cold, so it's no surprise she's the first one who wants to take off her skis and leave the mountain; when she snuggles into his side for warmth, he feels he could remain until his fingers froze off as long as she stayed with him.

16. White snowflakes are such a contrast to her dark hair, and he watchs them melt into oblivian as her warm smile melts his heart.

17. She shoves cold snow down the back of his shirt and his own snowball explodes all over her face and he is laughing so hard his sides ache.

18. He loves the way her eyes always remind him of the richest hot chocolate.

19. He gently takes her hand as the two of them hike through the forest together, so that he can show her the rabbit hole he found earlier that week, and she doesn't let go.

20. He contemplates kissing her for the first time under the blanket of darkness that engulfs the theatre after the ballet show is over, but it's hard to see, and he ends up pecking the red fabric of the seat instead.

21. He's most relaxed at home in his room and she acts more like herself when it's just them alone, sitting amidst the gems and souvenirs of his childhood.

22. Sometimes he wonders how someone like him could have possibly fallen in love with someone like her; sometimes he feels like he isn't the only one that wonders.

23. He hated it when she used him, he hated it when she blamed him for something that wasn't his fault, just because she has no one else to blame, and he hated himself for never telling her how he really felt about the flaws that came out so often.

24. He loses all self restraint in anger one day and everything he finds wrong about her slips out of his mouth in front of everyone she cares about; the look on her face makes all the anger inside fade in an instant and then all he wants to do is wish he never said anything at all.

25. They don't exchange a word for a week and his other friends feel as though he has to be constantly reminded for the horrible thing he did; Wanda finally comes to him on the seventh day, and tells him what he did wasn't so horrible after all: if someone had to tell her she needed to grow up, she'd rather it had been him.

26. Their first kiss is in the bedroom they both hold so many memories in: of laughter, of comfort, of anger, of learning, and of happiness.

27. He makes love to her for the first time on the warmest night of his eighteenth summer, on a blanket underneath the tree that had been planted ten years ago by themselves.

28. He remembers going to the old playground with her after prom: the merry-go-round took the hard earned curls out of her black hair, and put the orange curls back into his, but neither of them cared because all they wanted was the rush and thrill of kissing each other on the spinning surface.

29. Studying abroad in Eastern Europe for two years was the undoubtably the worst time of his life: he loved meeting so many interesting new people, he loved the amount of excavations he was allowed to do, he loved staying out late at night in the city and eating out in restaurants after midnight, he loved the amount of independence and freedom he had, and every day he could not help but wish that she was there beside him.

30. He loved how she made sure their reunion after two years of separation wouldn't be awkward by simply forgetting about their mutual breakup and kissing him the moment she answered her door to his knock.

31. The diamond ring from his late grandmother stays in his possession for only four years until he passes it onto the girl he wants to spend the rest of his life with.

32. It doesn't hit him until he feels the soft touch of her pale hands against his as they slide the ring symbolizing their union onto his index finger, and he vows never to take it off.

33. He lies in bed next to her on the first night of marriage, his arms encircled around her tiny frame, knowing this is the only place in the world he wants to be.

34. The first time he looks into his daughter's deep brown eyes, the exact same shape and shade as her mothers, he can't stop the tears, and wonders what he has done in his life to deserve the child in his arms.

35. He never thought he'd be working his dream in the Natural Earth and History Museum in downtown Walkerville; however, he finds that, no matter how happy he is working there, his joy can't be complete until he can go back home to be with his family.

36. Their three children leave them one by one until soon it's just him and her alone again, and he asks himself with a small smile, what sort of adventure will come next, because he knows there will always be one.

37. Her black hair slowly turns grey through the years, her skin begins to wrinkle and lose it's soft, cream complexion, she can't move as much anymore, and her physique begins to change, but he knows he'll always think of her as the most beautiful thing he's ever laid eyes on.

38. In his old age there are many things that he isn't able to do anymore, but he forgets any handicaps that might cross his path because he is happy just resting in his maroon armchair watching her doze in her bare feet on the couch across from him.

39. He lies in bed with her, like he has almost everyday since their wedding, and whispers the words through her grey hair and into her ears, even though she cannot hear him anymore.

40. She feels the warm breath against her skin and squeezes his hand because she does not need to hear his voice to know what he said; without a pause, he hears her reply in the worn and weak voice, "I love you too."

This was more fun that I thought it would be. I might try the same thing with Carlos/Dorothy Ann and some other pairings.

Reviews are nice :)