The Elephant Gate

It was decided this year that Kevin's second anniversary party would be held on the palace grounds. The family woke up early to head out from the house. Khun Mattaya filled the back seat with goodies she had prepped for the party. Kevin and Duchess sat in the back of the pickup truck for the ride; he didn't trust the young dog with all the food in the cab, or to be by herself in the truck bed.

When they arrived, servants helped unload everything and carry it to the kitchen. Suri found Kevin and Duchess wandering around the dr.a.p.ed tables by the pool. When Kevin saw her, he smiled and pulled her into a hug. They linked fingers and wandered along the path until they reached the familiar gazebo. After nearly two years of constant interaction, they could almost read each other's thoughts.

They sat on the bench, and Suri leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder. "Happy birthday, K'vin." Even though they had learned to properly pronounce each other's names, they still kept the childish names when they were alone.

Kevin touched the small pocket knife in his pocket, suddenly a bit nervous. "Um Sur'kya? Would it be weird if I wanted to carve our initials here, where we first met?"

Suri pulled back to look into his eyes. "You mean, like a memento?" Kevin nodded, his face suddenly feeling hot.

"Yeah. Even though we're young, I always miss you when you aren't by my side. And since it's been two years since I came here, I guess I'll stay here forever. So I want to put something here that we can come back and see every year."

She sat up completely, warming at the thought. "Maybe we should carve it together." Kevin pulled out the little pocket knife and looked around for a suitable spot. He focused on the arm of the bench, where his head rested when he first arrived. He pointed to the spot.

"That's a good place," she said, and jumped off the bench to kneel on the floorboards next to Kevin.

He took the initiative, carving an even "K H". The little knife bit deeper into the wood each time he went over it, until he was sure it would stay there a long long time.

He handed the knife to Suri. She concentrated on her initials, her tongue between her teeth as she concentrated. When they were carved to her satisfaction, she sat back.

On his next turn, he drew half of a heart around their previous work. On hers, she completed it, until both sets were encased in a seamless groove. When she sat back on the bench, he put her hands between his.

"May we always be best friends and next to each other forever." He intoned. She repeated it back to him. For a moment, everything was hushed. She leaned forward, kissed his cheek, and ran off giggling. He touched the spot for a moment before he pocketed the knife, and, with a whoop, ran after her.

While heading back to the palace, Duchess came trotting up from the other direction, her tail whipping back and forth.

"Did you find something fun to do?" Kevin asked when he saw that canine smile. As an answer, she trotted behind him and picked up a stick she had left there. Dropping it at his feet, she stuck her b.u.t.t in the air and waggled it. Suri grabbed the stick and lobbed it as far as she could. The dog raced after it to bring it back and repeat the process all the way back to the pool.