You write a love letter to me every morning

E-word,

This morning I woke up to Morning Edition as I usually do, and today they had a 'Story Corps' segment. It was about Danny and Annie, and it started out as a sweet if unremarkable story about the joys of love and marriage, using analogies like 'marriage is like going from black and white television to color television. You never want to back.'

They recorded their stories fairly regularly, and though they funny and cute, it was more nice than anything else. After they talked about how important Danny and Annie were to the success of Story Corps, they flashed to the most recent recording which was made a week ago. Danny had been diagnosed with a terminal cancer. They both talked about what was going to happen after Danny died, and Danny would say in a voice that occasionally broke into quavering about not wanting to live longer, but wanting to make Annie's transition to life without him as comfortable as possible. I'm lying in bed by myself under the covers, and my eyes start to well up with tears. Annie then asks rhetorically, 'When I walk behind your casket at the funeral, who will walk beside me?' Danny and Annie chat about how when they got married, Danny walked Annie down the aisle, and likewise he walked her out of the church. At this, Annie said, 'Just as I walked with you alone during our marriage, I will walk alone behind you during your funeral.' At this point I'm bawling in bed, tears are streaming down my cheeks. I'm touched beyond words, touched by this selfless and total love that these people have for one another.

I mean, fuck man. Thinking about them, this truly transcedental love, this is something that I want. I want this kind of marriage. Danny's fucking dying here, and all he cares about is how Annie's going to go on without him. He muses that maybe Annie should even get remarried!

Here's the recording. I'm not sure if anyone who listened to this segment did not have tears in their eyes.

Let me know what you think, E-word, and have a good weekend. I'll give a call sometime. I've been thinking about the things we're writing here, and wonder if we couldn't somehow compile it into something.

Take care,

Toe

edit - (I paraphrased a lot of the conversation. E-word, I listened to the story again at work, and broke down sobbing again. Jeez FUCK.)