Whatever it takes

Finally

I get my answer.

He takes my hand,

and we head back

toward our piece

of driftwood.

We go slowly,

and I wait—

for whatever

he might want to tell me.

“No more pictures, okay?”

His voice is soft.

Sad.

I want to wrap my arms

around him and tell him

everything will be all right,

even though I don’t

know

anything.

I simply nod.

At least I have one.

One picture will have to be enough.

Just like

one day

will have to be

enough.

yes, it’s really me

When I put my camera away,

he sees my drumsticks.

He takes them out.

Looks them over.

Looks me over.

“You?” he asks.

“Really?”

I shrug.

He gives me

the biggest smile yet.

“Man, tonight, we have to—”

He stops.

“Never mind.

I don’t want to tell you.

I’ll show you.

Later.”

And when he says, “Later”

I want to do cartwheels

across the beach

because that means

he’s not getting rid of me

anytime soon.

Our next destination

I ask

for the penny.

“Heads, Otter Crest.

Tails, Yaquina Bay Lighthouse.”

Chance tells us

we’ll be going

to see the lighthouse.

I’m not sure

if the actual lighthouse

is open to the public.

But we can look at it.

Admire its beauty.

Appreciate its grandness.

There is something

comforting

about a lighthouse.

In the dark of the night,

hold on to the light,

and you’ll get

back home safely.

I need a personal lighthouse.

One year ago

Dear Amber,I keep wishing you’d write to us. I would love to hear from you—to know what you’re thinking. I hope you’re not too upset with us for continuing to pursue a relationship with you.I know it may seem odd that I keep writing to you when I haven’t heard anything back. What can I say other than I’m not ready to give up quite yet. We have a lot of love in our hearts and want to be able to share it with you.I thought in this letter, I might tell you a little about Texas. You won’t find a nicer bunch of people than those in our town of Sweetwater, that’s for sure.The weather’s warm in the summer, warmer than Oregon. For fun, Allen enjoys golfing as there are some beautiful golf courses here, and I’m involved ina couple of clubs—a book club and a bridge club.Sweetwater’s our home, and we look forward to sharing it with you, and making it your home, too. You may be wondering how we ended up here after living in Oregon, so I’ll tell you the story.Allen and I met at Western Oregon State College, where we were both pursuing degrees in education. We stayed in Oregon after we got married, because we both found work easily, and we liked the climate. However, after Charlotte was born, I felt a strong desire to move back to Texas, where I’m originally from. I wanted to be closer to my family and for Charlotte to know her grandparents, her aunts and uncles, and her cousins. Mostly, I wanted her to grow up knowing she was surrounded by people who love her. So after Charlotte turned two years old, we moved to Texas. And we’ve been here ever since. What a blessing it was to be here, with loved ones close by, when she became ill.If we’re granted shared custody, you’ll get to see for yourself what a wonderful place Sweetwater is.I pray for that every day.Love,Jeanie and Allen not all that sweet

Sweetwater, Texas?

Where football is king

and country music is queen?

They might as well

be sending me to Mars.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14