Seven Minutes in Heaven

 “Are you coming out tonight?”

The words still echoed, and haunted my fragile mind. I can still remember the party like it was yesterday. The room reeked of beer and various body odors, the smiles of young adults surrounding us. I wasn’t going to go at first, you know. I had originally planned on staying in.

The immaturity we all showed that night was exceptional. Against the better judgement of many, we decided to play a game. Surely you remember it, don’t you? We were to play seven minutes in heaven. But as it turns out, something crazy happened that night.

Seven minutes. That’s all it had taken to fall in love with you. Those precious seven minutes meant more to me than you ever knew.

I remember the bottle when you spun it; there was a certain fire in your eyes. It felt like time was at a standstill, waiting for that bottle to stop spinning. I still wonder to this day what your thoughts were. What ran through your mind when the bottle was spinning? Was there somebody else you were hoping it landed on? Surely, I continued to think, there wasn’t; once that bottle had stopped your smile could have lit up the room. Of course following that smile, was the unmistakeable look of fear?

“So, how’s your night going?” were the first words out of your mouth as we were shoved by yelling friends into the closet. We could hear them yelling and hollering from outside the door but for the most part it was easy to ignore. I remember being happy the closet was dimly lit; you couldn’t see the blush that was creeping up my cheeks.

“Interesting way to start this out, Joe” I laughed awkwardly.

“Oh, please do not call me Joe” he scoffed. “My parents call me that when I’m in trouble. Call me Joey, please.” you were very insistent in me not calling you Joe.

“They don’t call you Joseph?” I inquired, and he shook his head.

“Nah. That’s for when I’m really in some deep shit” he laughed, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. We both laughed for a moment before falling into a comfortable silence.

“If I’m being honest, I’m happy I landed on you” he confessed, and I can just remember that stupid giddy look I use to get, you remember the one? You use to say it was so cute and adorable, which of course caused me to turn one million different shades of red.

“You are?” I asked, a little surprised. It’s not that we didn’t know each other; we did. We were part of the same circle of friends.

“I mean- yeah. But I want to do this properly, you know?”

“Do what properly?” I asked, a little lost.

“I don’t want to just make out in here for a few minutes and then us never speak again” he told me sincerely. “I’d like to take you out. On a date.” His words were music to my ears. I’m sure you remember the grin I had on my face when you told me.

When our friends opened the closet, unsure what to expect, they all laughed when they saw us in a very light hug.

“Boring!”

“Awh man, come on!” Our friends taunted us but neither of us had cared.

And I think that’s when I started to fall in love.

You shushed and brushed them off, your head held proud, your arm wrapped snuggly around my shoulders. People always ask, when was the moment you knew? This was it. As little as it may have been, it meant the world to me; and we had no idea where that night was going to take us.

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years. Years had gone by, and I still felt as in love as I did from that seven minutes in heaven.

I remember one day- the day I knew I was going to marry you, beyond any doubts I may have had looming in the back of my mind.

It had been a rough day at work. I can remember coming through the apartment door, almost ready to explode. When you asked me how my day was, all I could do was cry. You held me, listening to me rant about my coworkers and work frustrations.

“I have a surprise for you” you told me with a sly grin.

“A surprise?” I had asked you, wiping away my tears. I unattractively blew my nose; was there even an attractive way to do that? As you led me outside, onto the balcony.

“I planted these. For you. I know how much you’ve wanted to start a garden, but it’s kind of hard in the middle of the city-” I cut you off mid sentence and placed the biggest kiss on your lips.

Marigolds. My favourite flower. You had a small planter with a few that were just beginning to bloom. It was in that moment I knew I would marry you; there were no doubts anymore. Not that I really had any to begin with. You remembered that it was my favourite flower, and went out of your way to have a planter on the balcony to make me smile.

“Excuse me, miss?” I snapped out of a trance. The nurse looks at me kindly, and I could tell she feels bad for interrupting me by the purse of her lips.

“Yeah?” I asked, wondering if it was that time already.

“Visiting hours are almost up” she explained, and my heart sank. It was always hard, having to leave your side. Each day it grew harder and harder, the feeling of helplessness eating away at me with every passing day.

While we had spent seven minutes in heaven that fateful night ten years ago, it had only taken one minute to have you here. It only took one minute for you to be lying, fighting for your life.

They still don’t know what happened. One moment, you were laughing along with your coworkers, all laughing about something Steve had said. The next you had collapsed, a concerned crowd beginning to form around you. It seemed like a dream; it didn’t feel real. When I got the call, I had almost dropped the phone. In that moment, I felt like my life had ended. I couldn’t lose you.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Joey” I whisper, planting a gentle kiss to his forehead. “I’m never giving up on you” I add the last part in a low whisper.

All I can do is hope that someday, perhaps in the near future, we’ll get our seven minutes in heaven once more.