A Love Story

Looking steadily into Helen's beautiful eyes, Ben replied, "Yes, I do."

Nikolaos continued, "Now take the ring and place it on Helen's finger when you complete your vow, as a lasting reminder of your promises."

Ben hesitated for a moment before taking the ring and saying. "I Ben Cooper, take you Helen to be my life partner. I promise to love, respect and cherish you forever, whether in good or bad times, in sickness or in good health. I will always be there for you, my love for you is unconditional and I will never want any other." Then he slid the ring onto her finger.

"Thank you, Ben," said Nikolaos. Then, in Greek, he repeated Ben's promises to their audience. This was received with polite applause.

"Now Helen, witnessed by these people here present, do you wish to make a sacred vow to Ben?"

With tears of happiness threatening to fall Helen began. "Yes, I do." Taking the second ring from Madeline she spoke the words strongly, "I, Helen Cooper, vow to you Ben, that my heart is full of love for you and for you only. I promise that I will love you, respect and cherish you, for all eternity. No matter what lies ahead of us. I will always love you in this life and beyond." Then she slid the ring onto Ben's finger.

Thank you, Helen," said Nikolaos. He then translated Helen's promises to the audience to more applause.

Still addressing the audience, he continued, first in English and then in Greek, "You have heard Ben and Helen pledge their love and respect for each other for all their lives. Do you agree that these are sincere and binding promises."

The members of the audience replied with a resounding, "Yes", followed by lengthy applause.

Now turning to Ben and Helen, Nikolaos said. "It is my great pleasure to congratulate you on your union, I would like to add that I have rarely met a couple more obviously in love with each other, and I wish you both a long and happy life together. Ben, Helen, you may now celebrate your union with a kiss."

With their hands on each other's shoulders the happy couple joined in a long gentle kiss to renewed applause from their audience.

Champagne corks popped and soon everyone present toasted the deliriously happy couple, then a light alfresco lunch was served, and the guests took the opportunity to shake Ben and Helen's hands and bestow kisses on them.

During the following two hours, Nikolaos, Madeline, the bridesmaids and the guests all departed, finally leaving the now exhausted couple to themselves.

"This has been a truly wonderful day," said Helen, as they stood looking out at the sparkling blue sea. "I couldn't be happier, and I feel truly married to you, my love. I will always love you and always be with you."

Ben kissed her before replying, "I will always love you, Helen. Nothing will ever take that away." Then, after a pause, he said, "Tell you what, why don't we rest up for an hour, then go down to the beach and walk beside the sea dressed in our wedding clothes. We're sure to find some beachgoers willing to use our camera to take a few candid photos for our album."

"What a lovely, crazy idea," said Helen, "We're never going to need these outfits again so even if we get them wet it will be fun."

The rest of their holiday passed in a flash. The island was spectacular, and the people were warm and friendly. The happy couple had a wonderful time, but all too soon it was time to pack and take the flight back home to England and their new home, now as husband and wife in their own eyes, and that was all that mattered to them.

As soon as they were settled back into their home, they started shopping for the new furnishings that they wanted, to replace some of the stuff they'd originally brought with them. They were both excited at putting their own 'stamp' on the way their home looked and functioned.

The photographer in Santorini had sent them the file of photos from their wedding and they had fun downloading them and editing out the ones they didn't want, before preparing a USB memory stick with the ones they wanted printed and mounted in frames. The memory stick was taken to a local photographic studio where the photographs would be printed, mounted and placed in the frames they'd selected for display at home.

The happy couple soon settled into 'married life', a new experience for Ben, not for Helen of course but she entered into it as if it was all new to her too.

The couple soon got to know the neighbours around their new home, and they were invited to several barbecues and house parties. At first they were very much on their guard to make sure they didn't give anyone any suspicion about their real relationship, but soon they were confident that no one suspected they were anything but a loving husband and wife, even though one or two comments about their age differences were heard.

One neighbour remarked to Ben that his wife appeared to be quite a bit older than him. "So what," said Ben, "Age is just a number, it's not important, what you feel for each other is what's important. We're very much in love and love blinds you to anything that doesn't matter."

Of course, like most long-term relationships, they didn't agree all the time, they were no different in this respect to anyone else. But, although the 'fallings out' could be horrible the subsequent 'makings up' were wonderful and their love prevailed over everything.

As far as Ben was concerned Helen was all that he could want in a 'wife'. Without a doubt she loved him deeply, and he was never happier than when they were together. She was the focal point of his life. As time went by the happy couple ceased to think about the true nature of their relationship, in their own minds they had really become husband and wife.

While Ben continued to work as an electrician, work that he really enjoyed, Helen became involved in a couple of local social organisations along with some of the other neighbourhood wives. She became well respected as a good organiser and fundraiser. When she wasn't busy outside the home her favourite occupation was tending their fairly large gardens which were the envy of her neighbours. She never for one moment regretted her relationship with her 'husband', she loved him deeply and that would never change.

As the years went by Helen physically aged more quickly than Ben, not unexpected as she always had an eighteen-year headstart on him. But, although she no longer looked as young as she had, she retained a certain beauty and a youthful disposition. Of course, their sex life became less physical as time passed. But their love for each other remained strong and in fact their bond became stronger with the passing years. Whilst their physical strengths naturally diminished, they were still able to enjoy less frantic couplings and alternative ways to satisfy each other.

Of course, it was odds on that Helen's life would be over before Ben's. When they 'married' she was 43, and she died naturally of old age another 43 years later, at the age of 86. Ben was then 68.

Helen had died at home in the bed she'd shared with Ben for many years. Ben was sitting beside his 'wife', holding her hand and stroking her still smooth cheeks. He was tearful, the love of his life was slowly slipping away from him. Helen had appeared to be sleeping but she opened her eyes and whispered, so softly that Ben had to strain to hear her, "Don't cry, my love. We'll be together again, I know it. This is not goodbye."

As Ben raised her hand to his lips and kissed it, she slipped finally into her long sleep. He was devastated. The only woman he'd ever wanted, the woman he'd loved with every fibre of his being was gone. He desperately hoped that her last words would come true and somewhere, somehow, they could be together again.

After her funeral, Helen's body was cremated, and her ashes were returned to a still inconsolable Ben. He'd decided to take them to Santorini and scatter them in the sea off the beach where they'd frolicked in the surf after their wedding, so he contacted the wedding planner who was still arranging weddings there. When Ben flew to Santorini two weeks later, she arranged for a local boat owner to take Ben out to sea where the celebrant who'd conducted their wedding ceremony read a blessing as Helen's ashes were spread on the surface of the water.

Ben was 68 when Helen died. He never really got over the heartbreak of losing his true love, but he lived on for 20 more years as a lonely widower. His only real joy came from the wonderful memories of his darling Helen during the more than four decades they had spent together as a loving couple. His own time came at the age of 88.

When he'd reached the age of 85 Ben realised that he wouldn't be able to look after himself for much longer, So he'd reluctantly decided to sell the home he'd lovingly shared with Helen for so many years. Then he'd moved into a pleasant, up market, retirement home. He had plenty of money and substantial investments, so he had no financial problems.

As he had no one to leave his fortune to, he'd made provision in his will for all his possessions to be shared between a few charities that he and Helen had admired. He'd also made arrangements for his body to be cremated when he died and for his ashes to be taken to Santorini, there to be cast into the sea off the beach below the villa where he and Helen had been 'married'.

Once Ben had settled into the retirement home, he needed to find a way to fill his days satisfactorily. The couple he'd sold his house to were both in full time employment and had a seven-year-old daughter to look after as well. They managed their lives pretty well and looked after the house but there are only so many hours in a day and the gardens which had once been Helen's pride and joy began to suffer from neglect.

Walking past the house one Saturday Ben realised that the gardens were beginning to look really untidy and overgrown so, on the spur of the moment, he knocked on the door and explained to the man who now lived there who he was and offered to tidy up the gardens free of charge. He explained that it would give him a project to keep him busy and relieve them of a time-consuming chore. After talking it over with his wife, the new owner said they would be happy for Ben to look after the gardens and he and his wife would help when they had could.

Ben soon had everything shipshape, and the gardens were soon looking good, not as good as they were when Helen had been in control though, Helen had always been a better gardener than Ben. As he tended the gardens, he felt the presence of the love of his life that he still missed desperately, and it comforted him greatly.

Ben never heard the new owners' daughter telling her mother that she had seen a lady strolling through the garden one sunny afternoon. A very pretty lady with long dark brown hair and lovely eyes.

Early in his 88^th year Ben's usually robust health began to fail him. He'd had to stop tending Helen's garden and spend more time relaxing in the retirement home. He wasn't ill, he was just old, and he knew that he was coming to the end of his life. Now, even more than 20 years after she'd passed away, he still missed Helen so much that living for longer had no great appeal for him.

A couple of months after his 88th birthday he was sitting quietly in a comfortable armchair in his room. The nurse on duty had carried out his daily checks and she had seen that he was at a very low ebb, his body was beginning to shut down and she knew he was dying. The nurse was discussing his condition with one of the home's care assistants and telling her that she didn't think Ben would live much longer. They were both standing with their backs to him.

Although his eyes were closed Ben was aware of the two women in the room with him. He was close to death and as his heart began to slow down further, he thought of Helen and hoped that she'd been right when she'd said that they'd meet again. Something told him to open his eyes for the last time and there, standing in front of him, he saw his beautiful 'wife'. Helen was restored to the beauty of her prime years once more and as he looked at what he thought was a vision, tears came into his eyes.

Then Helen held out her hand and took hold of his own. "Come my love," she said, "I've waited for you for such a long time, now it's time to go and for us to be together......." In that instant Ben died, with a smile on his face.

No one noticed the two shadows that faded from the room hand in hand. Now they'd be together again, in love for all eternity.