It was the longest day, holding her hand as she faded in to the darkness. Her rosy cheeks reminded me of everything we'd been through since the moment we met. Our first encounter in Paris, drinking the night away, falling in love in an instant. The time when we went to Vegas, bet it all on red and won. The day we spent every penny we had to secure our perfect wedding, our Honeymoon, and our apartment in New York City. Every perfect little experience punctuated with a kiss on those rosy cheeks.

We spent so many years living in the sun, holding each others hand through it all, never letting go, never wanting anything more than what we had.

But after all that, after we spent every moment celebrating, holding, caressing, making love and loving what we made together, I couldn't stop but regret it all. All the money we spent, all the money we lost, all the money we gambled, smoked, drank and danced away. If I could just afford to keep her with me, if I could afford these bills; but here I am with half a lifetime left to live without her. Living as a widow for the rest of my days. Before I realised it, I'd spent my whole life with no responsibilities, and now I finally wish we could have done something about it, it hit me; we should have saved, we should have had a family, we should have slowed down, stopped the excitement and been happy with just each others company.

I bent down to her, her mother and father by my side, and I kissed her rosy cheeks as I committed our last time together to memory. Hearing her mother burst into a tearful scream of pain and anguish as she disappeared from all of our lives. They would always thank me for making her happy, but I would always have my regrets, I should have been able to do so much more.

It took me too long to discover, and I wish someone told me sooner, life is too short for fun.