Finding Freedom within Four Walls

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Four walls surround us, walls confining your body. But you are elsewhere — in a hometown diner, a decades-old ghost of the past. What breathed life into this treasured memory?

You are waiting for your wife, your girlfriend at the time. She has a way of making time freeze and your eyes deepen with love as you examined each curve of her face. You tell of how beautiful she is and how you will share an ice cream float in a tall glass with two straws. You laugh at the secret knowledge that you never take more than three sips and one bite of ice cream because the vision of seeing her take in the small joys of life is more refreshing than any dessert.

You hope to marry her one day. You have your proposal planned and have asked her father, who has given you his blessing. The ring you have purchased is only a cheap band, but you hope to eventually afford her a diamond to signify a portion of the love you have for her. You know this will never occur, and she will not care, but maybe someday.

You describe in poetic detail the sound of young children setting their hard-earned coins on the counter in exchange for a sweet treat. The view of young couples filling red and white benches as they lean their heads in close, sharing a laugh and a drink. The sound and smell of fresh meat sizzling on a grill. The chime of a small metal bell and call of a…