KnockKnockKnockKnockKnock

  Pam opened the door, “Jim?! What are you doing here?”

  “Don’t go!”

  “Jim, I have to go. You’re too late, everything is ready to go. I think it’s best, I really do.”

  “No Pam, it’s not. Don’t go.” He was on the verge of crying.

  “Why Jim? Give me a good reason to stay.”

  “Because… because…” And at that moment something inside of Jim snapped. The past year of pain clouded his mind all at once, and he knew that if he didn’t do something drastic, Pam would walk out that door and he’d never see her again. Clarence must have really been helping him out because Jim grabbed Pam and kissed her like there was no tomorrow. He grabbed the sides of her arms in the kind of desperation you get when you know the world is going to end tomorrow. The world itself may not have actually ended, but Jim’s world would have had he not kissed Pam.

  Pam pulled away, “Jim, you can’t just do that. You can’t come here and kiss me like that and expect me to just change my mind.” There was strength in her voice he had never heard from her before, and it scared him.

  Jim felt a wetness on his cheek that was becoming all too familiar to him in regards to Pam. Oh God, where’s Clarence. “Pam…”

  “Jim, I’m sorry. But too much has happened in the past year. It’s not the same. We,” she motioned to the space between them, “are not the same.” A single tear fell down her cheek.

  “This can’t be it,” Jim cried with tears running down his cheek Clarence, where are you, you said this would be OK. Then Jim heard Clarence’s voice saying “Fight for her.”

  “Then how come it is? I think you should go.” She reached for his arm to lead him out the door.

  “Pam I’m in love with you,” and then it dawned on him, he really had been in love with her his whole life. Even before he knew her, he loved her. Clarence’s voice spoke to him again, “Tell her Jim”. So Jim told her, “I’ve loved you all my life Pam. And I knew it the second I saw you. I was made for you. This past year has just been a huge mistake. You have to believe me.” He was desperately hoping she wasn’t going to throw him out the window.

  “Jim, have you been drinking? Do you even know what you are saying?

  “Pam I’ve never been surer of anything in my whole life.”

  Pam saw the same look he gave her that fateful night in May. And it broke her heart all over again to see him so serious. “Jim, it’s getting late, I really have to…” She was interrupted by Jim’s gentle kiss. Before she could stop it, she felt her hands move up to his face to pull him closer to her.

  He pulled back, still holding her, “Don’t go.”

  She looked into the eyes that were pleading her to stay, “I won’t,” she breathed.

  Jim definitely wasn’t expecting to hear that from her so soon, but he wasn’t complaining. Next thing he knew, Clarence chimed back in, “Now ask her to marry you.” What, Clarence, that’s insane, I got her to stay, isn’t that enough? “Ask her to marry you Jim!”OK, but if you screw this up for me. “Trust me Jim.”

  Jim bent his head down and whispered into Pam’s ear, “Marry me.” It wasn’t a question.

  The two seconds it took Pam to respond felt like an eternity to Jim. He could feel his heart beating out of his chest and was bracing himself for what he thought was the inevitable. But it never came.

  “OK”