Beauty - a love story
It’s 5 o’clock in the morning, quite chilly for November - yes, autumn is fast retreating as we enter our final season.
I lie in bed, savoring the warmth under the deep comforter, listening to my wife gently breathing.
We’ve been married for 46 wonderful years, but it seems just like yesterday...
Ah, how short life really is...
I turn to look at her, my beautiful bride, resting so peacefully, a soft smile always lingering on her lips...
I wonder what she’s dreaming about that makes her smile so...
Her hair, now graying, used to be long, well past her shoulders. She cut it recently, said it was getting hard to manage... I gently reach out to touch them, so soft beneath my calloused hand.
As if sensing me she breathes out deeper, and moves closer, to snuggle up to me.
I
am always amazed that she has so much trust in me, always seeking to be near me “You’re my rock”, she once said...and how I always make her feel safe, how my quiet strength lets her know that we’ll always manage, always know that, no matter what, we have each other - and that’s what’s really important.
I don’t always feel so strong myself ... but I’ll do anything, anything, to keep her safe.
She’s wrong you know - she is my rock... my beautiful, beautiful bride.
We got married when she was only 19, and me 23, just out of the army... we both wanted children, but that was not to be...
We accepted that [well, after much searching], for our love was good, and sustained us through all our difficulties.
Many said we got married too young - that it’ll never last “Inexperienced” they said “You’ll see” they always added...
Well, we did see - once you know true love, you do ‘see’ life they way it ought to be - filled with kindness, with laughter, with gentle pleasures and appreciation for each other, so we can meet our differences with respect.
Yes, life is like that - sometimes you fight - well, in our case just argue, not really fight, y’know. We have too much respect for each other, even if at times we did not see things the same way - so yes, we ‘discussed’ things... and found a good compromise.
People think that we’re strange, doing life like that “Who wears the trousers ?” they said, with a smirk on their faces, as if by condemning us, they excuse themselves for their own ineptitude.
What is the point of talking to stupid people - they’ll never have what we do, never experience the love we have in our hearts, never understand what’s like to just hold each other and be ... happy.
I treasure this time of the morning, when I can lie here and watch my beautiful bride, peacefully asleep in our bed.
Yes, soon she’ll wake, look at me and shake her head, knowing that I’ve spent this time just looking at her... sometimes she’ll say that she’s not a young woman anymore, that her looks are fading “You’re married to an old woman”, she’ll say... and I’ll just gently kiss her... and say nothing...just holding her tight, that’s enough.
I am the luckiest person in the world - and the richest - for there’s something that I’ve always known: it’s not money that is important, not a big house or fancy car, not how high up the corporate ladder you got, nor how many people seek you out or want to be your friend...
No, what is truly important is real love - the sharing of breath in a single good-morning kiss, the soft look as we make breakfast, the warm hug as I go off to work, and the gentle smile I have every time I think of her...
These are the true riches of Life... and I am truly blessed to have this...
All those long years ago she chose me, and she’ll always have my heart... my beautiful, beautiful bride...
