My Husband, Soulmate, Heart, Love, and Best Friend
I moved to Topeka almost 4 years ago. I wanted to set up roots for my family, buy a house, and stay put. A few months after living here, my son introduced me to his new best friend, Terry Locke. Terry and I quickly connected on so many levels and our families became really close. We had both recently been in relationships that didn't work out and I had no intentions of getting serious with anyone again - at least not so soon. Well, Mr. Locke quickly changed my decision on that! We were together around 3 years before his death.
He had wanted me to marry him for quite some time. He told me that it was important to him because he had never been legally married before, he never wanted to be married until now, and he wanted to be married to me. So, I agreed and he bought a marriage license and we sat a date. Then not long before the wedding, there were some people trying to cause trouble in our relationship. I got upset and tore up the marriage license, then asked him to move out. He wasn't gone long before we both realized that we just couldn't be apart. He came back home, he bought another marriage license and we set another wedding date and this time we did it. We really legally got married!
Just when I thought I could never see Terry any happier, I was wrong. From the very second the judge started our ceremony, Terry's eyes were open wider than I'd ever seen them, he was smiling bigger than I'd ever seen him smile, and he was totally fixated on me. I had never seen him like this - and trust me, I'd seen a lot of different sides of Terry. From the second we were pronounced husband and wife, he was like a whole new Terry. I remember telling him, "If I'd known that being married to me was this important to you and had this positive of an affect on you, I'd of married you the first time you bought a marriage license."
I miss our lives together. I miss our routines. I miss us. We did EVERYTHING together: He washed the dishes, I dried. He did the cold food prep, I cooked. He pushed the poodles in the stroller, I took photographs. He opened the car door for me, I drove, etc.
We'd make silly bets on who'd win American Idol, have movie/popcorn nights in bed with our new 4K tv and nice electric fireplace (we saved for 6 months to get), sit outside snuggling on the porch swing with our hot coca in the Winter, play partners on our Playstation 3 games, take our dogs on walks together, go for walks together w/o our dogs, do the house chores together, etc.
As for holidays, every year on his birthday he'd want the same kind of cake: red velvet, and for a drink: chocolate Dr. Pepper with extra chocolate. At Christmas we'd decorate the tree together, he'd put up the decorations, and I'd wrap the presents. On Halloween, we'd stay home, leave our porch light off and watch scary movies until we couldn't stay awake any longer.
He bought me beautiful roses regularly and when he didn't have money, he'd walk over to McDonald's to get a sweet tea and pluck flowers from someone's yard for me. He always gave me flowers. Sometimes he'd even draw me roses. He also was working on a big wooden sign for the front of our house. Of course it said, "Locke's". It was so detailed, with little leaves and vines.
I have so many memories of him that I never want to forget and I'm sad knowing that he's no longer here for us to make any more.
I can honestly say that Terry was the perfect husband to me. I will always love him. I will always miss him. I will never re-marry. He is not replaceable. He ALWAYS told me, "You're the one I'm supposed to be with - it's Terry and Vesper forever - always for infinity." He is correct.