Part 5

"Grandpa, that's the old woman." the young man said referring to the old woman who had just sat down on the bench.

The grandfather just nodded his head and got out of the car. The young man stayed behind, knowing that for some reason this was something his grandfather had to do himself.

He shut the car door behind him and just stood there for a few minutes. He had a pit of nervousness in his stomach, his hands were slightly shaking, and he had too many jumbled thoughts running through his head all at one time. Though fourty years had passed since he saw her last, and was supposed to meet her here that night, it seemed like it was only yesterday. All the memories came flooding back to him. He could still smell her perfume, still feel her touch, and still see her beautiful smile. There wasn't a day that had gone by that he had not secretly thought of her.

He had often wondered through the years what he would say if he ever ran into her again. He had no idea what to say to her though. He had never gotten past just seeing her. What could he say to her? He knew how badly he had hurt her. There was no way he could ever apologize for all the pain he had ever caused. What was he looking to accomplish by meeting her here now, fourty years late. Perhaps he needed closure, perhaps he needed to tell her he was sorry, perhaps he needed to tell her he never stopped loving her. He didn't know, and sighed to himself. He hoped the right words would come across his lips once he got the courage up to walk over to her.

He still stood, frozen in place. He held in his hands, the gift she was to give to him fourty years ago, the gift of unconditional love as she had called it, and he held in his heart, the gift he was going to give to her that night so long ago. His gift to her had been, that night he was going to ask his best friend, the forever love of his life, and his soulmate to marry him. Tears welled up in his eyes as he remembered.

As he stood there, watching her from afar, he could not believe how it seemed as though no time had passed. Love was like that he guessed. Love withstands all time.

With that thought, he summoned up his courage, clenched tightly the gift in his hands, took a deep breath, and started walking, over to her. The point in his dreams he could never get passed was finally here.

His heart was pounding now. He felt as though he was in some sort of dream, that at any moment his love of his life would be yanked cruely from his life again.

Before he knew it, he was there, just a few steps from where she sat. She seemed unaware of him behind her. He could see was in her own thoughts, staring up at the stars. As he stepped forward and saw the side of her face, he could see silent tears falling down her cheeks. His heart broke. He knew he put those tears there.

He stopped at the side of the bench, only a foot away from her, she turned her head and looked up at him. Through her tears, she instantly recognized him. She could never forget those beautiful eyes. Fourty years melted away in front of her eyes. All she saw was her Harm, her Flyboy.

Both of them were motionless, neither one saying a word, but instead soaking in the realization that they both really there. Their eyes fixed on each other.

Harm was the first to move. He kneeled down in front of her and reached up, and with his thumb, brushed away her tears, just as he had done all those years ago. She reached out and grabbed a hold of his hand and held it to her face. No words needed to be spoken yet. They just stared into each others eyes, and held tight to each others hand, afraid at any second they would wake from a dream.

Then he did it. He flashed her his flyboy grin. As if her heart could melt anymore, it did.

He realized that in their hearts, no time had passed. Time was only an illusion and the love they shared was real. It really had lasted their lifetime, and he could see that in her eyes. There seemed, at that time, no need or reason to explain anything.

He finally found the words to speak to her, because to him, it was December 23rd, 2004, fourty years earlier. With that knowledge the words began to come to him.

Still kneeling in front of her, he picked up the gift that had been for him. Old and worn, but just as special as it had been fourty years ago.

"I believe this gift you planned to give to me." He smiled at her tenderly, and held the gift out to her.

She gulped back sobs, trying to get a hold of herself so she too could speak.

He held the gift in one hand, and took both her hands to hold in the other one of his.

"Yes, yes Harm." she managed to get out between her sobs. "It is a gift of unconditional love. Please open it."

His hands were shaking as he untied the golden ribbon. He slid off the tag that read "To my Flyboy, Love Your Marine", and gently put the tag in his coat pocket. He then unwrapped the red tissue paper to reveal a framed photo. The photo was of them, Harm and Mac, taken fourty years earlier. It was taken outside, on a sunny day, with Harms arm around Mac's shoulders, hugging her tightly, as they both stood in front of his old airplane, Sarah, just before they took their last ride together in it.

Tears began escaping Harms eyes as he stared at the photo. She was right. It was a gift of unconditional love. The both of them together, unconditionally and forever in their hearts. He realized that they had never really been apart in their hearts, and that is why it seemed to them both that no time had passed.

He looked up at her. Tears streaming down his face now.

"Thank you, Mac." was all he could say, but she knew how much was unsaid in those words.

She brushed away his tears this time. He gathered himself together so he could speak.

"I..I had a gift for you that night also." he said as he gathered both her hands in his and looked into her eyes.

"I guess it is long gone by now." she said sadly.

He sighed, then smiled at her.

"No, Mac. My gift I had for you never went anywhere. I have carried it in my heart for fourty years."

Tears began escaping her eyes again.

"My question is, do you still want the gift I planned on giving you all those years ago, on a cold and starry night?"

She was sobbing again now and said,"Of course I do."

Never having left his position, he was still kneeling in front of her. He looked deep and lovingly into her eyes. He then gave her the gift that time had not changed.

"Mac, you are my best friend, the love of my life, and my soulmate. I love you dearly and forever, and if you will, I would love for you to be my wife. I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side, loving you."

Tears were now streaming down both their faces. All the pain and loneliness they had both felt all these years disappeared in that moment. All they felt was their love for each other.

"Yes, my Flyboy. There is nothing I would want more than to be your wife."

He stood up, and gently pulled Mac up with both their hands still locked together, and pulled her into a loving embrace. Both of them held on tightly to each other, sobbing in eachothers arms.

"I love you, Mac." Harm said through his tears.

"I love you too, Harm" she replied through her own tears.

They stood there in their embrace, on the cold December night, under a clear and starry sky. Time and their feelings were as they were fourty years ago. Nothing else in the world mattered now, just that they were finally together, in each others arms where they both had wanted to be all their lives. They were both unaware that as they were holding each other, the new year and a new chapter in their lives together rang in.

Epilogue to follow :)