To This Day

I gazed up sleepily into her eyes and she let out a small laugh as I cleared the cobwebs from my head.

Aaaaghh, I dozed off again, and she wasn't giving me a hard time about it. I was on duty last night and despite the malaise slowly overpowering my body, I urged myself to go out to a nearby coffee shop to get some reading done. Getting up, she said we'd better get a move on if we wanted to get home alive and not have me dozing off at the wheel.

I knew better than to argue.

While driving, flashes of the past few years go by.

I remember seeing her coming up to class with books clutched close to her chest, the early morning sunlight streaking down her shoulder-length hair, and that ever familiar twinkle of her eyes. She gives me a smile and moves into their room.

I remember hearing her humming softly and singing quietly in perfect tune.

I know of her quick wit as we shared a laugh over a joke no one else seemed to get.

I've always admired her for being smarter than I am as she often appeared to effortlessly answer questions on exams that she would never openly admit on knowing the answers.

I remember her quiet understanding about the upsides and the downsides of my life.

The flashes go by like the lamp lights outside the car window. She was quiet as we went home with sleep slowly setting in.

To this day, she is still the same smile that lifts my spirits.

To this day, she is still the laughter that picks me up when I am down.

To this day, she is the hand that reaches for me when I reach out for help.

In this instance, she is the angel that wakes me up at this nearby coffee shop and kept me from being sprawled across the floor, passed out in exhaustion.

To this day, she saves me every waking moment.

Happy birthday.