A town was no longer inhabited by a single soul. A very small town, in fact. It was composed of a small market, a bar, a gym, a bank, a salon, a post office, a pool (filled with air), a school, and a church. All of these pieces of infrastructure snuggly met at one intersection, guarded by one traffic light. That was the town. Nothing more and nothing less but a few buildings and a traffic light.
The town was located a few miles away from two major cities. One city was six miles to the east, and the other city was six miles to the west. No one set foot in the town known as Destinysville. Occasionally, someone would drive from the city on the east to the city on the west and pass through Destinysville.
The two cities were arguing about what to do with the small town in between them. The city on the east wanted complete and utter obliteration of the town, and also wanted to construct the largest mall in the world along with a superhighway. The city on the west wanted to leave it just the way it was, for they knew Destinysville had its own destiny.
She was driving from the city on the east to reach the city on the west—her destination. He was driving from the city on the west to reach the city on the east—his destination. They were both driving the exact same speed and the exact same distance. The two left their domains at the same exact time. It was only natural that their cars would meet at the median between the two cities. That median happened to be the protective traffic light of Destinysville.
Eventually, both cars arrived at the light at the same exact second. From the moment the drivers noticed the traffic light in the distance, it was green. But when they grew closer, it turned red, forcing both of them to stop. The light stayed red for several minutes. After six minutes had passed, the man and the woman evacuated their vehicles and walked toward each other at the exact same speed and for the same exact distance until both met directly under the traffic light. He said hello and she shyly responded. The two spoke for a minute or so and the light turned green right above them. The turned around and got back into their vehicles and drove further and further away from each other. Each of them reached their destination in the opposite city from which they lived. They spent the amount of time necessary in the cities, and when time had passed them by, they departed back to their city.
They left at the same exact time, drove the same exact speed, and once again met up at the red stoplight. Once again, the two got out of their cars and spoke to each other. This time, the traffic light stayed red for much longer, giving the two plenty of time to speak to one another. They exchanged phone numbers, the light morphed to green, and the two were on their way.
A few days later, he gave her a call, asking to go out on a date. He drove twelve miles and picked her up in the city on the east. He drove into Destinysville and parked his car along the sidewalk. He opened her door and she gently laid her hand in his palm. He walked her over to a small table sitting directly under the traffic light where they first met. One single candle sat on the table, its light completely perpendicular to the traffic light. The two enjoyed a peaceful meal, not once being bothered by another car, for the traffic light stayed red the entire time. Once their date had concluded, he drove her home. When they arrived at her door, he gave her a quick kiss on the check and left.
She received a phone call once more from him asking her on a date. He drove her to Destinysville where they enjoyed another dinner under the traffic light. They had decided to only meet and dine under the traffic light. If the two saw each other anywhere else besides Destinysville, they would act like they were two strangers in the world. They also decided to meet three times a week under the traffic light. On a Monday, they would have dinner. On a Thursday, they would have lunch. And on a Saturday they would have breakfast.
Their romance blossomed incredibly fast. After three weeks, the two were meeting every night under the traffic light. After six months, he proposed to her under the traffic light. The two graciously lied down on the ground directly underneath the traffic light and looked up at the stars. He pointed to a star and said a compliment about her. He pointed to another and said another compliment. Many compliments later, he had no more stars to point to, but plenty of more compliments to give her. The two spoke about their love for each other, and eventually, she fell asleep in his arms, the last thing she saw was the traffic light that never turned green.
She awoke tightly snuggled in his arms. She placed her hand onto his, and gently brushed it with her thumb. His eyelids fluttered until he awoke. He gave her a kiss, and the magic continued.
Six weeks had passed and the two got married under the traffic light. They had a priest to marry them and a witness. No one else was present at their wedding. Neither of them minded, for as long as they had each other, no one else mattered.
They sold their residences in the cities in which they lived and had a house built under the traffic light. It was an incredibly small house, but neither of them minded. They had each other, and that was all that mattered.
Every night, she would crawl into bed and be tightly grasped in his arms. Whenever she couldn’t sleep, he would slowly and gently move his arms around and rock her to sleep. She would kiss his hand placed in front of her face. She would smile after thinking of how lucky and happy she was to be with a man as amazing as he was. He would smile after thinking of how lucky and happy he was to be with a woman as amazing as she was. They both faced the window from which a small glow of red light was present. The traffic light guarded Destinysville, and it also guarded them.
The two grew old together in that house. Neither of them worked and they never left the house because they knew one second without the other would make their lives unlivable. The two were practically attached at the hip. If they ever had to leave the house, both of them went. No matter what either one of them had to do, the other accompanied them on their voyage.
Their life was completely peaceful. Absolutely nothing got in their way. The traffic light had protected them from any danger. Except, for the ongoing feud between the two cities. The east city continued to push for decimation while the west wanted peace. The east city eventually rounded up bulldozers and put their mall plan into effect. The couple sat at home, snuggling on the couch, when they felt their house quake. The old couple stood up and left their house as fast as they could. The noticed the bulldozers arriving and they got themselves out of harms way. They watched as the bulldozers brought all of the buildings down. Large clouds of dust erupted from the ground as the buildings crumbled. The couple wasn’t upset about their house being destroyed. For they had no personal possessions, no pictures capturing memories. They had each other, and that’s all that mattered.
After the dust had dissipated and the bulldozers fled, the only thing left standing (or hanging) was the traffic light. The four poles that held it up still stood tall, unaffected by the bulldozers. The east city had no choice but to repeal their plans for a mall because the poles of the traffic light interfered with their construction plans.
The old couple walked toward the ground where Destinysville once stood. She slowly laid her body down on the ground directly under the traffic light. He followed, and once he was on the ground, he wrapped her in his arms. They looked up at the night sky and he gave her a compliment for every star in the sky. Compliments he was unable to give her many years ago because he ran out of stars to pair them with. She slowly turned around and faced him. She gave him a soft kiss on his lips and smiled. Their eyes closed at the same exact time, and their hearts stopped beating at the same exact time directly under the traffic light, glowing red. The two died happily, because they knew they had each other, and that’s all that mattered.