“Till death do us part”
It had been 365 days since she last said it.
Circa 1972, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Enkberg
I, Naomee May, take you, Noel Anderson, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God’s holy law, and this is my solemn vow.
She was 20. He was 24.
Every night she uttered the 5-word vow. It was a ritual. Rituals to her served as the bridge to her outer and inner self. Words have immense power and these affirmations lead to actions, she would often say. He didn’t believe them. He didn’t oppose them. If anything, he enjoyed that warm peck before retiring for the day.
Enkberg, famously called Europe’s postcard town sat prettily between a turquoise lake and a mighty mountain.
Naomee and Noel ran a café. 666.
They didn’t know too much about branding or perception to justify an identity like that.
Their shared passions for people, food and Cricket resulted in this business and its name.
Café 666 is where people came to make memories or heal from them. That is how the couple always looked at their dream. They had done up the place with the right blend of bright and earthy coloured murals; enticing to pique a newcomer’s interest and making it homely for those who frequented often. The paintings were of different places in the world which made the perfect conversation starters as visitors shared stories about it or their wishes around them. It offered a fixed menu over the day – for Breakfast | Lunch | and Evening Snacks.6 different dishes in each. The regular customers knew it all.
She was creative. He was meticulous.
She was thoughtful. He was charismatic.
They had the right ingredients in the perfect measure to scale heights. And that they did.
Clearly laid out responsibilities and marked spaces of work; they represented each other as one.
Personalization brings in loyalty was a norm they followed even before marketing gurus harped upon its importance through blogs and podcasts or social media made posing in front of pretty places seem cool. A parting wisdom cookie or a light-hearted joke, something to ponder over or an interesting fact or at times, simply a listening ear, their clients left with their bellies satiated and their hearts filled.
Naomee and Noel saw over years – friendships turning into love, love breaking into divorce, birthday celebrations, graduation ceremonies, anniversary surprises, first jobs and dream jobs; when there was a milestone this was the chosen spot.
Sunsets each day were back at home with their four daughters, a mix of shy, exuberant, intense, and laid-back personalities. They would huddle around on the couch in fixed positions each chose and talk about their day. Naomee then went about her knitting while Noel watched travel documentaries till supper time and finally hit the bed. They were a closed, God-fearing unit, always up for each other through sun and storm.
The day dawned crisp and clear. There was a light breeze blowing as white fluffy clouds drifted lazily across the blue sky. It was the day of their farewell. A culmination of 40 years of grit, hard work, belief and perseverance. The end of sacrifices that were never shown or spoken about. It was the beginning of something beautiful; of what dreams looked like.
When he hits 65, they would sell Café 666 and set out to see the world as a mutually agreed pact. A trip with no return ticket. A life filled with travel is what they were always planning for. They waited until they were empty nesters and their children were living life independently of them to fulfil their cherished dream of exploring around.
Three months in every place is how they had envisaged this. They began with somewhat of an ambiguous plan, favouring spontaneity and freedom. After days of looking up and chatting with hosts of bed & breakfast, they finalized their itineraries. The boxes were ticked for the first year. They were to spend it in and around their homeland unravelling tiny treasures they always heard about but never could visit.
Winding through dramatic peaks and fairy-tale villages, stopping by at dry countryside farms they had indeed started the second leg of life the way only a handful would dare to do. The first calendar quarter was done. Norway was struck off.
They started for the next destination, a place popularly addressed as the Land of Fire & Ice.
The mornings were set. They would wake up to piping hot coffee prepared by her as he would scan through playlists to look for the right music to start the day. This was a routine they had started on their vacation.
It was a warm Wednesday. The morning sky was tinted pink by the rising sun. Humming along she came in with the two cups but today there was no music. Her heart skipped a beat. She began to imagine the worse and the worse is what had happened.
Death smashed their shiny visions of the future.
The previous night, she did her ritual. He was there.
This morning, she did her ritual. He was not.
Circa 2019
This one’s for you Naomee and Noel, he said years later, raising the most prestigious award a filmmaker could dream of.
Lucas Wilder, a name that had become a global phenomenon for his outstanding movie “Till death do us part” had met Naomee on a train. She was writing a book “This moment” when Lucas’s curious self became chatty with her and she narrated her life. He knew there was a message. He knew there was a story. He knew it would have an audience to connect with. He knew he was meant to make it.
Life is but a collection of these small moments that we always trade for something big.
