The determined young man stood on the beach, staring into the ocean with nothing but the sound of waves splashing against rocks and the crackling fire behind him. Standing at a full six foot two, the man’s blue eyes and white smile stood out against his tan complexion. His shirt hugged his body tightly, lying smoothly over his strong, broad shoulders. The dress pants he chose that day fit comfortably and loosely over his legs. Even if studied close up, no one could tell that those weren’t his real legs underneath his pants. He thought back to that day, wincing at the memory that brought so much pain and difficulty.
Three years ago, the man went on a fishing trip with his dad and his dad’s buddies. They went out to a place far from anyone and anything, where it’s peaceful and quiet and the fish are found in abundant numbers. During the fishing trip, the group moved from one spot of the creek to another. What no one noticed was that one of the men, in his ignorance, left behind the scraps from the fish after gutting and cleaning it, and that scent was what attracted the bear. Unknowingly, the bear made his way to the group, following their trail and attacked them. The bear succeeded in killing one of the men and leaving two others severely damaged, the young men being one of them. He had scratches and cuts on his arms and face, and the bear mauled his legs, one was completely torn off, while the other was held on by a few nerves and strings of muscle.
The next few years were hell for the young man. He couldn’t walk, had to get his other leg amputated, just getting by from day to day was a struggle. After the accident, he had to temporarily move to a facility for special victims of accidents where the injuries restrained them from doing things they could do on a regular basis. In this facility, everything was built especially so he could reach things without the need to get out of his chair. The cabinets were brought down shorter and everything was almost in a miniature size for the once tall, strong man. Not being able to walk, the young man sat in a chair all day staring out wistfully into the buzzing world outside of him. He hated not being able to get out there and go jog a mile, and missed the feel of adrenaline he got while pulling in the catch of the day.
Many times the young man wanted to take his own life, he felt useless and the endless stares of people constantly looking at him didn’t help. No one wanted a man with scars and no legs. He was pathetic, and no matter what encouragement his close ones gave him, he saw the pity in people’s eyes as they disregarded him as a handicap.
“Oh but now,” the man thought to himself while running a hand through his thick black hair, “The scars healed, I can walk, run and jump even, more than most men I know, and I look freaking amazing!” he thought about how proud his parents were of him. His friends couldn’t believe he was taking this step, asking his girlfriend to marry him, but he had come so far, it was a miracle he turned out the way he did! The young man took in a long breath of the crisp air and slowly let it out. He was really here, doing this, asking Julia to marry him.
He smiled as he thought about her. She was the only one who really understood him, and looked past his imperfections. She was beautiful, and had the brightest smile he ever saw, she was his angel. Meeting Julia was the best thing that ever happened to him, after all, she was the one who convinced him to get prosthetic legs and take control of his life again. All through his hardship, she stayed by his side, and when he felt like giving up, Julia would pick him up again restoring whatever little faith he had left. Julia knew the young man didn’t consider surgery and getting prosthetic legs. It seemed to him that even with legs, he wouldn’t be the same as he was before the accident. On a cloudy day when nothing seemed to be going well for the young man, he met with Julia for a lunch; little did he know she was taking him to the hospital where a surgeon was already waiting for him. At first, the young man hesitated, thinking this was a waste of time, but when his father and friends showed up in the room, he agreed to undergo the procedure. Many exhausting hours later, the surgery was completed and he was able to try out his new legs. Tears filled his eyes and rolled down quietly onto his warm cheek as he slowly and unsurely made his way across the room into Julia’s outstretched arms.
From that day, he had a new attitude. He took his life back he knew that he had to change, become better, for Julia. He wouldn’t be the man he is today if not for her. One question, one answer. That’s all it takes to change his life for the better or for the worse. If only she says yes. If she denies his request, the young man thought, he won’t be able to look at himself anymore. He would be remembered as the pathetic disabled man who thought he could be loved the way he is now. What’s the point of life, if he isn’t happy or in love? A life without love, he decided, is no life at all.
If he succeeds, he knows that it will be a difficult journey ahead of him. Starting his life, a family, Julia. Having to support her and the family they raise will be a challenge, but it would all be worth it. This would be the one accomplishment he can tell others about. That a man with no real legs, a disabled man, can still live a happy life. He would send a message to others like him, that he used to hate himself, the world and God, for making him survive the attack and live such a hard life. Now, look how far he has come, from shutting out the world, to defeating it! A quote that inspired the young man to get up every day and face his problems head on is, “Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next.” By Gilda Radner. He learned that no matter what happened, life goes on. As the warm summer breeze swirled around him, he caught a familiar scent of vanilla lilies. Fluttering open, his eyes embraced the one person that brought warmth to his heart with her beauty and kind heart, Julia.