me.” I turned to look at Ian after staring too long at the trellis of jasmine overhead. I liked the way it moved in the breeze and made the scent carry on the wind as if winding its way straight to me.
“Well, I do believe you were specially made to be born on that certain day.” Ian lifted his head and looked at the ground.
I sat up in disbelief knowing he was egging it on for some unknown reason as he often did though he always cut if off just at the breaking point, “Why that day? Surely there is a divine purpose why, I, Grace Starmen, was brought into this perfectly normal world on that fine day of all days.” I stretched words and arms in unison. I wanted purpose in life.
“You don’t give yourself credit, Grace. You have much to offer. You just don’t realize your full potential in this world. Maybe in another world,” he chuckled as if he knew something I didn’t. My heart was pounding so loud, he had to hear it when he bumped shoulders with me and lay back down. My body was in turmoil with his touches, my head saying one thing, while my heart said another. Angel vs. Devil time! Yes, that’s right. My angel side, the side that stays in the safe zone, said to laugh back and continue. My devil side said to throw caution to the wind and be bold, say what I want. Bold never came!
I was looking at the stars again two minutes later watching Devil Grace fly away in the wide blue yonder. When I was comfortable again, daydreams of my favorite places. No problems. Perfect bliss! I liked lying there and dreaming up a visual representation that looked verily like my backyard forest area. What trees were there, flowers. New growth. Seeds sprouted. Nature was safe. Nature couldn’t be harmed invariably.
“And you’re the queen, of course,” he said smiling his crooked smile that raised the goose bumps on my arms.
“Of course!” I elbowed him in the ribs realizing he was answering our conversation and not my thoughts.
We played this little scene every time I’d lead into a story of mine. Today, he’d led this one.
“And you’re the king, of course. No…other king would do.” I willed myself to look away. I had to make it comical to lighten the mood so as to never sound too serious. “We’ll rule the land forever,” I stole a glance at him. This time he seemed very still. Too still! I’d messed up. I knew it. I held my breath.
“Of course!” he said. He didn’t say anything else. I sighed. He is so dang blind. The breaking point.
I began to dose off after avoiding any further storytelling. And just when I began to relax and forget my forwardness, he said just barely audible, “I would love that!”
I heard it, but couldn’t fathom the meaning.We laid there in silence watching the stars. Occasionally one of us would point out a constellation, but both of us knew our stars very well. When we were afraid of certain conversations, we’d study their stories instead.
I nodded off a few times before looking over and saw that Ian had too. He always nodded off before me. I smiled sleepily and closed my eyes moving my hand just a little closer to his always hoping he’d guess I’d done it in my sleep. Like a magnetic force, it comforted me to be closer to him evident by the fact that I was asleep quickly.
He moved just enough to wake me from his stirring around knowing we needed to call it a night. Gently he said, “We’d better go. Weeds are bad this time of year!” He said that rather loudly looking down at the grass through the mesh in the trampoline. I was too groggy to catch his comment clearly and chalked it to misinterpretation. I held onto him as he walked me around to the front of the house and into the front door always faking real sleep.
This time, I scratched at my itchy legs bothered by the rapidly growing dandelion weeds I know my father hates because no matter what poison he
“Well, I do believe you were specially made to be born on that certain day.” Ian lifted his head and looked at the ground.
I sat up in disbelief knowing he was egging it on for some unknown reason as he often did though he always cut if off just at the breaking point, “Why that day? Surely there is a divine purpose why, I, Grace Starmen, was brought into this perfectly normal world on that fine day of all days.” I stretched words and arms in unison. I wanted purpose in life.
“You don’t give yourself credit, Grace. You have much to offer. You just don’t realize your full potential in this world. Maybe in another world,” he chuckled as if he knew something I didn’t. My heart was pounding so loud, he had to hear it when he bumped shoulders with me and lay back down. My body was in turmoil with his touches, my head saying one thing, while my heart said another. Angel vs. Devil time! Yes, that’s right. My angel side, the side that stays in the safe zone, said to laugh back and continue. My devil side said to throw caution to the wind and be bold, say what I want. Bold never came!
I was looking at the stars again two minutes later watching Devil Grace fly away in the wide blue yonder. When I was comfortable again, daydreams of my favorite places. No problems. Perfect bliss! I liked lying there and dreaming up a visual representation that looked verily like my backyard forest area. What trees were there, flowers. New growth. Seeds sprouted. Nature was safe. Nature couldn’t be harmed invariably.
“And you’re the queen, of course,” he said smiling his crooked smile that raised the goose bumps on my arms.
“Of course!” I elbowed him in the ribs realizing he was answering our conversation and not my thoughts.
We played this little scene every time I’d lead into a story of mine. Today, he’d led this one.
“And you’re the king, of course. No…other king would do.” I willed myself to look away. I had to make it comical to lighten the mood so as to never sound too serious. “We’ll rule the land forever,” I stole a glance at him. This time he seemed very still. Too still! I’d messed up. I knew it. I held my breath.
“Of course!” he said. He didn’t say anything else. I sighed. He is so dang blind. The breaking point.
I began to dose off after avoiding any further storytelling. And just when I began to relax and forget my forwardness, he said just barely audible, “I would love that!”
I heard it, but couldn’t fathom the meaning.We laid there in silence watching the stars. Occasionally one of us would point out a constellation, but both of us knew our stars very well. When we were afraid of certain conversations, we’d study their stories instead.
I nodded off a few times before looking over and saw that Ian had too. He always nodded off before me. I smiled sleepily and closed my eyes moving my hand just a little closer to his always hoping he’d guess I’d done it in my sleep. Like a magnetic force, it comforted me to be closer to him evident by the fact that I was asleep quickly.
He moved just enough to wake me from his stirring around knowing we needed to call it a night. Gently he said, “We’d better go. Weeds are bad this time of year!” He said that rather loudly looking down at the grass through the mesh in the trampoline. I was too groggy to catch his comment clearly and chalked it to misinterpretation. I held onto him as he walked me around to the front of the house and into the front door always faking real sleep.
This time, I scratched at my itchy legs bothered by the rapidly growing dandelion weeds I know my father hates because no matter what poison he
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