Stay With You (Anthony Rizzo)

29

Anthony

You know the saying that time flies when you're having fun? I think it's a little misleading but very true. Because the one thing in life you cannot control is time. You can't go back or skip ahead, you're always stuck in the present. Each moment we are in is both the youngest we'll ever be again and the oldest we've ever been. So saying time flies isn't really true, it's not going any faster than it had before.

But I do think that time flies when we're having fun. And not in the sense that has anything to do with time changing, but the fact that you don't pay any attention to it and before you know it, it's gone. It's not time wasted when you're wasting time with the people you love.

December is a special month, it's the last month of the year and of course it's Christmas time. I already got most of my Christmas shopping done and Maliyah taught me how to do some of it online like the good American I am. We decorated her room and listened to Christmas music when she was getting treatments. I felt like I blinked and all of the sudden Christmas was next week.

"Guess what" Maliyah asks as she comes into her room. I was setting up a Christmas movie night since she was at the tail end of treatment and didn't feel like doing much. We'll probably both fall asleep before the second movie starts anyway.

"What's is it" I wonder.

"My doctor just gave me the okay to go home for Christmas next week" she smiles and I let out a small gasp.

"Really" I ask.

"Yup" she smiles.

"Well this must mean you're getting better, right? That's the second time in two months he's let you leave" I say.

"Or he just feels bad for me" she laughs.

"Well he wouldn't let you go if he thought it was a bad idea" I insist.

"That's very true" she admits.

"So are you gonna call your parents and tell them the good news" I wonder.

"No. I was thinking about surprising them" she claims.

"Now the real trick is to keep my mouth shut until we get there" I laugh and she cocks her head to the side.

"I thought you would be going home for Christmas" she claims.

"No way. I see my family all the time. Way more than most grown men see their parents. I had 24 Christmas' with them, I can miss this one. I want to spend this special holiday with my special girl" I say as I pull her into my lap.

"I still think you should be with your family" she claims.

"I will be" I smile and she smiles back. Once what I said sets in she pushes her lips together to stop the smile from growing but she couldn't fight it. She places a soft kiss on my lips before I pull her the rest of the way onto the bed. She straddles my hips as she returns to kissing me. I hold her butt as she moves her lips from mine to my neck.

"Hey now" I whisper. "Don't start something you can't finish" I warn.

"You right" she smirks as she climbs off. She lays down next to me and I pull her into my chest.

I start up Frosty the Snowman and chill out in bed with the live of my life. We drink hot cocoa and eat candy canes as we sing along to whatever we possibly could. We maybe even sang louder since we weren't supposed to.

"What do you want for Christmas" I wonder as we switch movies.

"I don't really know. I learned not to ask for things in here" she claims.

"What do you mean" I ask.

"I mean that what I want is to be cured. And if I ask for that and it doesn't happen, it hurts. For almost anything I ask for the answer is always no. I've been begging for a cure for 21 months now. It's been almost 2 years I've been in here and I ask for the same thing every single time is get asked that question. Sometimes I feel like I'll never get out of here" she sighs.

"Hey now, look at me" I say and she looks up at me. I see a tear in her eyes and I feel my heart break into a million pieces. "I know this is hard for you. You don't want to be spending your time here in the hospital. The world is out there waiting for you to take it into your hands. And you don't want to wait to do so. But everything in this life happens for a reason. I don't like it but it's true. Of course I would much rather you have never gotten sick. But because you did get sick I got to meet the most incredible girl to ever grace this earth.

I found a girl who is stronger than anyone should ever have to be. I found a girl who's beauty goes beyond the expectations of long hair and a hourglass body. I found a girl who's love is unlike anything I have ever experienced and she never misses her chance to express it whether it's for me or music or sports or her family.

And in here you found her too" I explain.

She smiles a little as she sniffles away a tear. I wipe the rest of them away as she rests her cheek on my chest.

"I don't want anything for Christmas. I just want you and your beautiful soul" she claims and I smile.

"That's already done. I need something I can get you" I insist.

"It's gonna be hard to follow up a piano" she claims and I laugh.

"Yeah. I set some high expectations for myself" I admit.

"I don't care what you get me. I know that it will be meaningful and cute and I'll cherish it forever, whatever it is" she insists.

"Why are you so perfect" I ask her.

"I'm not perfect" she giggles.

"You are so perfect. With your perfect little nose and perfect lips. Your perfect laugh and perfect eyes" I list off.

"Stop it" she blushes.

"I will never stop. And do you know why" I ask.

"Because you're weird" she claims and I laugh.

"Well yes. But it's also because I love you so much" I insist.