My childhood

As the day continued, and Anthony showed Rebecca more and more of his childhood, Rebecca felt herself being reminded of her own childhood, which was far from being as merry as Anthony's years growing up seemed to have been. It was like her hearing the stories of what a childhood could have looked like, made her realize just how bad hers was. Before today, she didn't have too much to compare her childhood years with, but now, happy memories of Anthony's childhood were being put in front of her, forcing her to face the memories of her own.

With each new location they visited, and each fond memory Anthony relived and told her about, the more quiet Rebecca became. At first Anthony did not notice, then he blamed it on Rebecca having to take in a lot of information in a short amount of time. Slowly he began to wonder if he had not exhausted her with his own overly excited self. But when they sat down at a small lunchroom to take a rest and have something to eat, Rebecca continued to say very little and he noticed that even her smile was beginning to look sad.

He wanted to ask her about what was going on right then and there, but he knew she didn't like being in the center of attention. So, asking her in such a public and crowded place, might make her feel too self-conscious and not express what was really bothering her, or might make her feel worse from potential unwanted attention from other guests. That is why he waited for their meal to be finished and once they were outside, and walking towards their next destination, he found a quiet park along the way and guided her over. He took a seat with her on a bench overlooking the small pond that was in the middle of the park. Since Rebecca didn't know the itinerary of their day, she wasn't the least bit suspicious of this little detour, and after their third stop, her mind had mostly been elsewhere during their walks.

After they sat down, he switched hands in order to use one to hold Rebecca's hand, and the other to put his arm around her shoulders. Once they were sitting comfortably and he had made sure that no one was nearby, he decided to ask Rebecca about what had gotten her so quiet. Because even as they were sitting there, just the two of them, she still didn't say a word on her own.

Anthony began with a bit of small talk. "It's nice and quiet here, right?" Rebecca nodded and agreed a bit absentmindedly. So, Anthony asked her about how she felt about the day so far. With a bit of chuckle in his voice, trying to sound like his usual self, he asked, "How did you like the trip down memory lane so far? Did it help to understand the inner workings of the person I am today, by hearing more about little Anthony and how he grew up over the years?"

Rebecca turned to him and showed another forced smile before she said, "Yeah, it has been great." That is when Anthony's expression became more serious, more concerned, and he said, "Are you sure it has been great? Because I feel like you have grown more quiet with each stop, and you are looking more glum after each story I tell you. This was supposed to be fun, and I thought you would really enjoy learning about my childhood. But I feel like I have barely seen you smile or heard you laugh for real all day. If you don't like it, and want to do something else, you can just tell me. I won't be upset. If it is something else that is bothering you, I want to know it as well."

With each word that followed, Anthony was becoming more emotional and was sounding more upset. "I am supposed to become your husband. The person you can confide anything to. The person you can rely on and go to for comfort. But if you don't tell me what is going on in your mind, I won't be able to do anything. I feel so helpless right now, so just talk to me. Please."

Rebecca's eyes grew wide after hearing Anthony's words. Seeing how she had made Anthony feel. Having him become so worried about her, that he would feel the need to say these pleading words for the sake of finding a way to help her. Hearing an otherwise so cheerful man, sounding so sad, made Rebecca open her eyes to how she was behaving. She hadn't noticed how she had slowly turned within herself, as it had gone so gradually over the course of the day. But if he had to confront her like this, she hadn't hidden her sadness as well as she had thought she had.