left the caboose for more grass-globe images.
My gaze rested on a spot on the levee. Park benches and a small, white gazebo sat overlooking the river, begging passersby to pause from the world for a moment – to take in the way the current pushed its way south or the oaks that swayed in the wind on bluffs far off in the distance. The levee had always been my beach, the world beyond it, my ocean. That’s as close as it got here, anyway. No waves, no dolphins, no white sand, no sea gulls. If you were lucky enough, though, every once in a while you did g et to see a crane, or a beaver.
A smile crossed my lips. If you could be so lucky, I thought as I took one last look at the world below my high perch before m aking my way back over to Will.
I could hear the crickets and tree frogs starting their night song in the small, wooded area behind us. A faint smell of lilac filled the air. There was always lilac in this part of town. Where there were grandmothers, there was always lilac. And by now, a blanket of darkness had just swallowed up the sky, captur ing us in its shadowy web.
“You need help there, Chief,” I asked Will playfully, avoiding a small tree branch strewn across my path.
“Now, you ask, after all the work’s done as usual, My Dear,” he answered playfully.
I paused and smiled at him.
“Get over here,” he demanded with a grin.
I took a couple more careful steps and slid down onto the patchwork quilt spread out over the dirt and grass below it. Will scooped me into his arms and together we fell back onto the blanketed earth.
“How much longer do we have?” I asked him.
“Oh, probably about a couple more minutes,” he replied, squeezing me closer to him.
“Sing to me then,” I protested happily.
“What do you want me to sing?” he asked, smiling wildly.
“One about us,” I said.
We were both on our backs. My head was resting against his chest. I could hear his heartbeats.
“Okay then,” he said softly.
There was a slight pause before he began, but when he did, his voice was almost a whisper – raspy and sultry – perfect.
“Though you’d rather watch a sappy ending
Than a football game
And you’re not very good at fleeing the scene
Without a sprain,
I wouldn’t want it any other way
I’m yours forever, My Butterfly
So, looks like you’re stuck with me
‘Til the end of time.”
I laughed.
“How romantic,” I gushed sarcastically.
“I wrote it myself – just now – just for you,” he said proudly.
“Thanks. I’ll just do some creative interpreting, I guess,” I joked and raised my head slightly off of his chest so that I could see his face. “But seriously, though, minus those passionate words, you can really get a girl’s attention. You should sing, you know, for people, as a career. You’ve got a gift. You can’t hide it forever.”
“Why can’t I?” Will bantered back, using his hand to nudge my head closer to his body again.
I followed his lead, and he kissed my forehead.
“Because someday, somewhere, somebody’s gonna find
My gaze rested on a spot on the levee. Park benches and a small, white gazebo sat overlooking the river, begging passersby to pause from the world for a moment – to take in the way the current pushed its way south or the oaks that swayed in the wind on bluffs far off in the distance. The levee had always been my beach, the world beyond it, my ocean. That’s as close as it got here, anyway. No waves, no dolphins, no white sand, no sea gulls. If you were lucky enough, though, every once in a while you did g et to see a crane, or a beaver.
A smile crossed my lips. If you could be so lucky, I thought as I took one last look at the world below my high perch before m aking my way back over to Will.
I could hear the crickets and tree frogs starting their night song in the small, wooded area behind us. A faint smell of lilac filled the air. There was always lilac in this part of town. Where there were grandmothers, there was always lilac. And by now, a blanket of darkness had just swallowed up the sky, captur ing us in its shadowy web.
“You need help there, Chief,” I asked Will playfully, avoiding a small tree branch strewn across my path.
“Now, you ask, after all the work’s done as usual, My Dear,” he answered playfully.
I paused and smiled at him.
“Get over here,” he demanded with a grin.
I took a couple more careful steps and slid down onto the patchwork quilt spread out over the dirt and grass below it. Will scooped me into his arms and together we fell back onto the blanketed earth.
“How much longer do we have?” I asked him.
“Oh, probably about a couple more minutes,” he replied, squeezing me closer to him.
“Sing to me then,” I protested happily.
“What do you want me to sing?” he asked, smiling wildly.
“One about us,” I said.
We were both on our backs. My head was resting against his chest. I could hear his heartbeats.
“Okay then,” he said softly.
There was a slight pause before he began, but when he did, his voice was almost a whisper – raspy and sultry – perfect.
“Though you’d rather watch a sappy ending
Than a football game
And you’re not very good at fleeing the scene
Without a sprain,
I wouldn’t want it any other way
I’m yours forever, My Butterfly
So, looks like you’re stuck with me
‘Til the end of time.”
I laughed.
“How romantic,” I gushed sarcastically.
“I wrote it myself – just now – just for you,” he said proudly.
“Thanks. I’ll just do some creative interpreting, I guess,” I joked and raised my head slightly off of his chest so that I could see his face. “But seriously, though, minus those passionate words, you can really get a girl’s attention. You should sing, you know, for people, as a career. You’ve got a gift. You can’t hide it forever.”
“Why can’t I?” Will bantered back, using his hand to nudge my head closer to his body again.
I followed his lead, and he kissed my forehead.
“Because someday, somewhere, somebody’s gonna find
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