A Picnic Tree By The Rapids

A young man and woman were sitting under a tree having a picnic, it was the first time they were able to do this in so long since he joined the military it was his last leave before being sent to war. She loved him but she didn't have an idea just how much but she didn't care the last thing she wanted to do was ruin this beautiful day by the river rapids where they had chosen for this wonderful day. "George I am going to miss you do you have to go?" She said it teasingly but in her heart she meant those words. He raised up from laying on the ground, she thought of how handsome he looked in his uniform. "Now Sherrie you know I have to go and I can't avoid it, besides I will be alright you know the Marines are the best in the world I'll be back." Sherrie still nervous excepted what he said but continued to reached up to him and kiss him as if this would be the last time they ever met. George was nervous he had been thinking of this day ever since his leave and now it was the perfect time, "Sherrie I have something ask you but take in mind I have one condition on this question before I ask it, just understand that." Sherrie was puzzled and had to ask "What condition George?" George knew she would ask that and continued, "Sherrie will you marry me?" He reached his hand out of his pocket and inside the box was a simple gold wedding band. Sherrie completely surprised by this she automatically said "YES OF COURSE I WILL." George then kissed her and told her, "Remember I have a condition?" Sherrie's excitement melted away she was thinking about a wedding before he left for the war. "I don't want to marry you yet with me going off to war it is possible that I won't be returning." Sherrie thought this was horrible, she was crushed and began crying and shouting, "I won't do it and if that is your condition take your ring back you don't love me." George thought this would happen so he just politely said "Very well let's load up the car and go back home." Sherrie more hurt than anything agreed, when they got in front of her house and was just about to drop her off he got out of the car and Sherrie popped back at him, "Don't walk me up to the door George McIntire just stay right where you are." George didn't listen got into his trunk and pulled out a yellow ribbon and walked over to her anyways through her yells and hurtful remarks, "Listen and listen well I am going to war I may die and I won't have that on my conscience of making you a young widow but when I get back and you have this tied around the tree I'll know you still want me in your life." Sherrie took the ribbon still crying but hurt that he won't marry her just simply said "George stay alive but don't look for me when you come back here do you understand." George nodded his head turned and left he spent the rest of the evening explaining why Sherrie wouldn't be joining his family to dinner and he was told a hundred times that he was doing wrong but he wouldn't budge on it. George left the next morning on the bus back to base and from there he went to war, two years past in a Korean jungle fighting the whole time not once was he injured or wounded, and when his unit was told they were going home he mailed a letter to Sherrie telling her he was on his way home and he wouldn't bother but he would drive past the tree in her front yard. He finally got home two months later and he saw his family and his friends and when he had only a few seconds to himself he drove down her street and past her yard, and he saw no ribbon on the tree, she had kept to her word she wouldn't marry him. He decided he would go to the river and look at the rapids and think of the mistake he had made two years ago and perhaps try and find a way to find a new balance in his life now that war had changed him and the his love wouldn't have him. He drove up to the river and turned around the bend and from there he took the long road down to that beautiful stretch of river to his surprise he saw a car already parked in the same place where he would so he parked in a different spot and go out out and started walking to the river. The tree under which he and Sherrie would have a picnic already had a picnic under there and the tree had a yellow ribbon around it and there was Sherrie stand next to the tree. "I have something to ask you and I have only one condition." Sherrie said to George but George knowing where she was going with this wouldn't let her emasculate him especially after fighting a war where he was forced to killed in order to live just said "No". Sherrie was angry and disappointed to the point where she grabbed the ribbon pulled it off the tree kicked over the open champagne bottle and began storming off to her car. When she was just about to pass him he grabbed her arm and he swung her around but she slapped him just as he did, undaunted he kissed her which got her attention and asked her "Sherrie Moultry will you marry me tonight, next week, next month or next year with no conditions as long as your my wife?" Sherrie didn't know what had just happened but she wasn't going to let this pass by twice in her life two years had nearly killed her without any word from him at all and her heart couldn't take anymore of being without him so she answered in the only way her heart would allow her to. "Yes of course I will I love you so much and it hurts to be away from you, next month the church is open and I've already spoken to everyone I know.." But she was cut off in mid sentence with another kiss from George, he raised up and looked at her, "That was all I wanted."