*    *    *    *

I was supposed to be looking for a birthday gift for my mother-in-law when I
spotted them.

They clung to each other, his arm around her shoulder and hers around his
waist, as they walked down the aisle in front of me. I'm not sure what it
was that made me follow them, but I did, completely forgetting the gift as
well as my husband who was roaming around the store somewhere.

Together and without words they filled their shopping basket. Shampoo, soap,
toothbrushes and toothpaste. Deodorant and razors, hair brushes and lotion,
all items one would need on daily basis for simple upkeep. Still several
feet behind, I followed them to men's clothing next and while pretending to
look at some dress shirts, watched as she helped him pick out some pants and
shirts. I watched his face as she flipped through the racks of t-shirts next
to him, his eyes never leaving her. He was a handsome man, his nose perhaps
a bit too large for his face, but handsome nonetheless. And he loved this
woman. The look could not be mistaken for anything else but true love and
devotion. But a sadness spilled out as well, just as evident as the love,
and my heart went out to this stranger I had never met.

The woman seemed to be satisfied with her choices and as she turned to put
the items in the basket, I finally got a look at her as well. She was
beautiful, her soft features complimenting his more rugged ones perfectly. I
could feel the love between them even from where I stood, the abstract
emotion suddenly becoming tangible. It was the most awe-inspiring sight I
had ever seen, especially right in the middle of a Wal-Mart in New Mexico.

But I felt a spasm in on the left side of my chest once again as I saw the
turmoil in her face, even as she smiled up at her companion. What had
happened to these two? My mind raced with possible answers, but none seemed
to fit the grandeur they carried so effortlessly.

She said something to him then, squeezing his hand with her own in quick
reassurance, then walked away towards the direction of the women's
department. I decided to stick with him and we both watched until she was
out of sight. He resumed his shopping with the selection of socks and
underwear, a few undershirts and finally some pajama bottoms.

We headed over to the women's section, my distance behind a safe ten feet or
so. I had been eyeing some things along the way and didn't realize that he
had stopped short in front of me. I ran into him hard with my own shopping
basket.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I apologized.

He didn't appear to hear or even see me, though, his eyes searching
frantically for the small redhead that had just left him minutes before. I
stepped back and saw him immediately break out into a sweat, fear glazing
over his eyes. I felt a little silly as my own heart began to race when I
couldn't spot her either. Suddenly, I felt brave.

"Are you alright, sir?" I asked, stepping up next to him.

He jumped at my voice and turned to me abruptly, his hands coming over to
grip my upper arms. I should have been a little frightened, I suppose.

"Have you seen a woman? Red hair and blue eyes?" he asked, his whole
demeanor in a sudden frenzy.

I looked around for her, not wanting to say no to him, and that was when I
spotted her.

"Is that her?"

He followed my eyes about halfway down the closest aisle and upon seeing
her, released his hold of me. But he didn't rush over to her as I had surely
thought he would. Instead, he mumbled a thank you and an apology and simply
watched her from a distance, just I had been doing with him.

He didn't seem to mind that I remained with him. His gaze never wavered as
she walked through the baby department, gently running her hands over the
soft blankets and tiny outfits. She picked up a blue teddy bear from a shelf
nearby and hugged it to her body, rocking gently by herself. I looked back
to the man next to me and was startled to see tears in his eyes.

"I think she needs you," I offered quietly.

He nodded, almost imperceptibly, and made his way over. I felt tears
stinging at my own eyes as he stood on front of her and placed two fingers
under her chin, lifting her head to look at him. Their eyes met in silent
conversation for several full minutes, tears now running down all three of
our faces. Finally he moved, taking the stuffed animal from her arms and
letting it fall to the floor as he wrapped his arms around her protectively.
She melded into his body easily and encircled his waist in a tight grip, her
body now shaking as she sobbed into his chest.

"Evie!"

I turned to see my husband approaching, a slightly irritated look on his
face.

"I've been looking all over for you," he informed me. "What do you think?"

He held up the most unattractive desk lamp I had ever seen in my life. But I
knew his mother would love it.

"It's perfect," I said and wiped the remaining moisture from my face.

"Are you alright?" he asked, placing the lamp in the cart and then his hand
gently on my shoulder.

I smiled gratefully and nodded my head. I looked over and saw that the
couple had stopped crying, but were still in each other's arms. The man
leaned down then and let his lips brush over the woman's lightly. She stood
on her tiptoes then and brought her arms up around his neck, pulling him
down a little further to deepen the kiss.

I looked again over to my husband, a look of worry on his sweet face. I
embraced him quickly and held on to him tight, his arms holding me just as
fiercely.

"I love you, Adam," I murmured.

"I love you, too, Honey," he said, pulling back just a little to look at me.
"Are you sure you're okay?"

I nodded again and placed a kiss on his cheek. With one more glance behind
me, I saw that the baby department now stood empty, the teddy bear laying on
the ground the only evidence that they had been there.

"Hey," Adam said, bringing my attention back. "Look what I got for
Charlotte."

He help out a gold chain to me, a small gold cross dangling from the end.

"It's beautiful," I told him. "But do you really think you should give that
to her now?"

"Well, I thought I'd save it for her high school graduation or something,"
he said.

"But that's ten years from now!" I laughed gently.

"I know," he grinned. "But it'll mean more if I have it saved after all
those years, don't you think?"

He was already beaming at the thought of his little girl's high school
graduation and I think I fell in love with him just a little more because of
it.

"Besides," he said, putting an arm around my shoulder as we walked to the
registers. "She's going to need a little divine protection from the big, bad
world when she's out in it all by herself. We better cherish these next ten
years with her. Because after that, who knows what'll happen and where
she'll go."

*    *    *    *
end

Author's notes: This story is dedicated to the memory of Evie Whiting, a
young woman who touched many, many lives, and whose own life was simply too
short. This is also for the family that she left behind, who will always
love and miss her.