Kyle

About Kyle.

He was in his twenties—handsome, dynamic, and dying. I was hired to be his occasional companion, relieving his work-at-home mom when she had appointments or just needed some alone time.

I’d known him, of course, before his illness. But not well. We moved in different circles. He was adventurous, out-going, and super smart. Preppy. And he’d always been surrounded by a throng of adoring, beautiful girls. While not unpopular, I was more reserved, occasionally shy, smart enough but given to tempestuous but questionable romantic choices.

However, thrown together as we were, we uncovered a kindred soul that linked us, avenues and ties we never would have found in better times, if life had moved in the normal progression and he had had years ahead of him instead of months.

It was not a movie romance, but it had its cinematic moments. One in particular.

I had taken him out for a drive and we’d been caught in a sudden downpour that evaporated as we headed back to his house. I was concentrating on the road ahead when he pointed out a double rainbow in the sky. I’d never have seen it if he hadn’t been my eyes.

Back at his house and stalked again by rain, we stayed in the car until we dared to make a run for it. More like a stumble for it. He was prone to seizures, his right arm was paralyzed, and he had to concentrate to walk, leaning on me for support. We made it to the doorway, where we could rest against a convenient wall.

With an unbelievable effort, he raised his unmovable arm with his left hand until it slid over me. We were face-to-face, cheek-to-cheek, breath-to-breath, and Kyle kissed me. It was a moment out of time, kindled in the start of forever.

We stood in the doorway, looking past the rain to the remnant of rainbows, a touch of sunlight, and the tops of trees. “You live in a beautiful place,” I murmured, thankful for the gifts of nature that surrounded him.

“No,” he contradicted me. “We live in a beautiful place.”

And when I think of him now, years later, I remember that kiss, that moment, that place. And it helps me through the tough times, because we do live in a beautiful place. And while we’re here, for whatever interlude we have, we mustn’t miss the rainbows.