The Pearl of the of Sea

Chapter 29

A few days later it is the beginning of February and Tom is with Jeff at Seaside Boardwalk looking out over the pier at the ocean. Tom turns to Jeff, "Annemarie and I would go to the beach a lot, I would watch the waves crashing into the shore and she would dig holes in the sand."

Jeff looks down at Tom, "My mom used to take me to the beach a lot, and she and I would dig holes together."

"I wish Annemarie would take me back." Just as Tom says that to Jeff he looks down and sees Annemarie walking on the beach with a plastic shovel, "Jeff, take me to Annemarie now!"

Jeff pushes Tom towards the beach, "Alright."

Tom arrives at the foot of the beach, "Hey, Annemarie!"

Annemarie turns around and sees Tom waving, "What do you want, Tom?"

"I want to be with you, Annemarie!"
    Annemarie shakes her head, "How do I know you're not getting paid by your buddy Jeff to say that?"

"Because I'm not, now come on take me back! I'm sorry I hurt you, please come on!"

Annemarie walks away and starts digging a hole, "I don't know if I can trust you, Tom."

Tom throws his arms up in the air, "Fine! Will you take me back if I get out of my wheelchair?"

Annemarie turns around and sees Tom struggling to get out of his wheelchair, "What!?"

Tom forces himself to stand, but he falls over on his face, "I tried to stand for you." He lifts his head out of the sand, "What else do you want me to do?"

Annemarie gets up and rolls Tom over on his back, "I want you to love me and mean it."

Tom touches her cheek, "I do love you, I love you more then I loved Angela Leonardo because I know you love me for me and not for my possessions or my physical abilities."

Annemarie pulls his hand down and walks away, "I really don't know if I can trust you."

Tom puts his hands over his face, "Jeff, take me home." Tom pulls his hands away as he doesn't hear Jeff respond, "Jeff, where the hell did you go!?" he looks over and sees Jeff playing with an oyster, "Uh, Jeff, what are you doing?"

Jeff shows off the oyster, "Look how big this thing is!" he then makes it look like it's talking and puts it up to Tom's face, "Blah, I'm an oyster, I'm going to eat you Tom!" he then pinches Tom's nose with the oyster, "Yum! I bit your nose!"

Tom rubs his nose, "Owe, Jeff that hurt." He then pulls a giant pearl out of his nose and looks at it, "Holy crap, this thing is huge, it has to be worth millions!"

Jeff gets a puzzled look and rubs his chin, "Wait, I thought pearls came from oysters, not people's noses."

Tom shows Jeff the pearl, "No, this must have fallen out of the oyster you're playing with! This must be that pearl that's worth millions, that your aunts were talking about on Thanksgiving!"

"Oh, ok, let's sell it then!" Jeff smiles.

Tom looks at the pearl and over at Annemarie, "No, I want to give this to Annemarie." He looks back over at Jeff, "I want her to marry me and this will be my engagement ring to her."
Jeff picks up Tom and places him back in his wheelchair, "Alright let's go get your woman!"
    They follow Annemarie to the pier where she sits on a bench looking at the ocean. Over at the bench next to her is Angela and Jesse making out. Tom rolls up next to Annemarie and shows her the pearl, "Antoinette Marie Gilligan will you marry me?"

Annemarie looks at the pearl and her jaw drops, "Oh, my God that the famous Pearl of the Sea that fisherman lost!"

Angela overhears Annemarie and she runs over and stares at the pearl in amazement, "Oh, Tom, I was a fool to leave you, you are the best man any woman could have!"

Tom pushes Angela away, "No, I don't want you! I want to be with Annemarie!"

Angela stomps her foot and points to Annemarie, "You rather marry this freak, come on Tom she's a crazy bitch stalker." Angela then holds his hand and puts her other hand on her chest, "I on the other hand am a beautiful popular cheerleader who is willing to have your babies." She then sneers at Annemarie, "While Annemarie here is a child hater and refuses to have children with any man."

Tom shakes his head and looks back at Annemarie, "Annemarie please, I love you and if this pearl isn't enough to prove my love to you, then I'll throw it into the ocean."

Angela goes to grab the pearl and Tom pulls it away from her, "Tom, please I'll accept the pearl, I love you!"

Annemarie shakes her head, "Tom, money means nothing to me." She then gets up, "I want love and I'm afraid you can't give it to me."

Tom looks at the pearl and he throws it into the ocean, "Fine if I can't have you, then what good is being rich!"

Angela then leers at Tom, "You moron! I hate you!" she then dives into the ocean to fetch the pearl.

Annemarie looks over at Tom, "Wow, you really love me don't you?"

Tom grabs her hand, "Yes, I love you more than life itself and I'm willing to give up everything just to be with you, even if it means never having children."

Annemarie looks at Tom then up at Jeff who's nodding his head, "Well, how about this, how about we date some more before we get married. My mom tells me that I really shouldn't get married before I'm 25 years old."

"I will wait for you, for as long as you want." Tom kisses her hand.

Jeff smiles, "Wow this was the greatest birthday ever! I love happy endings! I just hope this marriage doesn't end in divorce."

Tom and Annemarie then kiss each other tenderly. Tom stops and looks at Jeff, "Don't worry this marriage will last, I know it."

Annemarie then sits on Tom's lap, "Alright if we do get married, you have to practice carrying me down the aisle!"

Tom rolls himself around the boardwalk with Annemarie on his lap, "Ok, but we have seven years to practice since you won't get married until you're 25 years old."

Annemarie kisses Tom, "Good things come to those who wait." She then looks back over at the pier, "Um, you know that water is pretty cold do you think Angela is ok?"

Tom looks over at the ocean, "I think she'll be fine."

Angela gets out of the ocean shivering and holding the pearl up in the air, "My precious!" then as she's smiling a seagull swoops by and takes the pearl, "No, you stupid seagull give me back my pearl!" she screams and chases after the seagull. As Angela is running the seagull drops the pearl and a little boy picks it up, so she rips it out of his hands, "Give me that!"

The little boy cries hysterically and his mother hands her infant daughter over to her father who is the same guy who threw Tom's other wheelchair into the ocean, "Hold her honey, I'm going to kick this bitches ass!"

Angela jaw drops, "Uh-oh! AGH!" she tries to run away and the mother punches her in the face, causing Angela to fall to the ground.

Just as the mother kicks Angela as she's on the ground; Tom, Annemarie, and Jeff go by. Annemarie looks to Tom, "Hey, I guess those people aren't so bad after all, they're actually pretty cool!"

Tom rubs her cheek, "Just goes to show you, you shouldn't judge people."