A life-long romance can end quickly. |
PILLOW FIGHT "I know. It has been a while. I wish the situation were more pleasant though. I hate funerals. I suppose everyone does. I suppose one would be considered pretty strange if they enjoyed funerals. At least your grandfather wasn't sick long. He went peacefully." "Yes. He lived a good long life. Even now 98 is thought of as a long life, and he was healthy right up to the end. I just wish I had been closer to him in his old age." "The way I remember it you were very close." "That's one of the reasons I love you so, Douglas. You only seem to remember the good things in life. You remember when he insisted I go away to Clermont? An all girl boarding school was not my idea of the way to spend High School. I never forgave him." "I've tried to forget about when you went away. You know why. I have always loved you Rachael." "I know, Douglas. Clermont was a turning point in our lives. You went one way and I went the other." "And you blame your grandfather for that?" "In a way. I blame myself too. I know......even though you've never said it......you blame me too. But in the end, Grandfather brought us back together, for today at least, to talk. "You say that as if we haven't been talking, Rachael. I have all of your letters. I treasure them. I look forward to every new one." "Yes, I know. But our letters seem like a story. Reality, glazed by a film of hope. A hope and a fiction. A hint of what our lives could have been, and the hope that we might have a future." "But Rachael, walking with you now, holding your hand, listening to the birds and the murmuring brook, this is real, not a letter, not a story. Look at me, Rachael! I see it in your eyes, You DO believe there is hope." "I'm sorry Douglas, I can't. I can't accept the hope. I've been hurt too often. And I've hurt others too often, especially you. Today was probably not a good idea. We should be content to live together in the story of our letters. We should be getting back to the house. Robert and Faith will be wondering where we are." "Robert and Faith! Faith and Robert! We've given them entirely too much of our lives! Haven't we? Oh Rachael. Run away with me!" "Oh, my darling! If I only could! You and Faith have no children, but I have Jeffery to think of." "How can I live without you my beloved. No - Don't pull away - Look at me, Rachael. Seeing you today has opened my heart. I can not continue just being with you in the story of our letters. You are my reality, my one true love. How old is Jeffery now? Surely he will be 18 soon. He can cope with his parents parting. Oh - Please don't cry my darling." "........I can't help it. My heart is being torn to pieces. I love you so Douglas. I can't face the things I've done. No. I can not face them. Jeffery just turned 20 last week." "Twenty already? Last week? That means......He was born shortly after you started High School......That means......" "Yes Douglas......Jeffery is your son." ------------ "Jeesh! Oh My God, Rach! How corny can you get! Hey, don't hit me!" "Doug you're mean!" "You aren't really gonna turn that in are you?" "Yes I'm gonna turn it in! And I think it's really good! Maybe my best Creative Writing yet. The assignment was for a Romance Story, all in dialogue. And if you don't shut up with that laughin', you can just go back to your room!" "I'm sorry Rach. I'm laughin' so hard my eyes are waterin'. Hey! Stop it with the pillow attack! That hurts!" "Well you hurt my feelings." "I'm sorry Rach. That's just not my kinda writin'. Haaa Ha. The only thing it might be good for is a cute way of tellin' me you're pregnant......You aren't......Are you......? |