Closer: Vol. 1

By S. A. Franklin

Closer is a collection of poems, odes, songs, and words of wisdom intricately woven into three powerfully imaginative short stories: Firefly, Hail Mary, and Soul Cry. These stories will take you on a world wind adventure filled with a fantastic and mystifying joy ride. You will surely enjoy the read.
Firefly is about a couple who, through a mysterious invitation, get thrown into a world of adventure and intrigue. With each clue the curious couple solves, the more it draws them closer to an induction into a secret club, which will test the boundaries of their relationship. Will they survive? Who knows, but it will be a journey they will never forget.
Hail Mary is about a couple of young people, one in particular who is trying to find her way through life. She is a young soldier that grows in mind and confidence as she learns more about herself with every experience and each rebellious act. The antics that she pulls will eventually lead her to a downward spiral, but she vows to enjoy the way down as she bites into the forbidden fruits of life and freedom.
Soul Cry is by far the scariest story of a series of Soul Cry stories. In a race to find more places to drill for oil, the government inadvertently releases an ancient evil upon the world. The normal has become running. As these evil demons tear the world apart, there must rise an unwilling group of warriors to help combat the soldiers of hell and earth. Will they be able to save the innocent lives stuck in their care as the government leaders search for a solution to a terrifying new threat on life? The angels of God will rise to answer the call.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781514428795

S. A. Franklin

S. A. Franklin was born in Newark, New Jersey. Although she has traveled the globe and lived in many different places, she still calls Carolina home. She brings a wide range of experiences and influences into each of her artistic works. She has a bachelor degree in interactive media arts. Her passion for mix media styles, writing, and freestyle graphics are the greater of her desires in which fields she currently excels. She is a single mother of one, her dearest Jordan. She currently resides in North Carolina. Her only ambition is to give her readers an imaginative escape from their everyday lives and fill them with words of wisdom, comfort, poems, storytelling, laughter, and sometimes, tears.

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Copyright © 2015 by S. A. Franklin.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2015919507

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-5144-2881-8

                Softcover        978-1-5144-2880-1

                eBook             978-1-5144-2879-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 12/09/2015

Xlibris

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CONTENTS

My Shout Outs

Foreword

FIREFLY

Chapter 1 What Once Was

Chapter 2 You’re Late

Chapter 3 The Letter

Chapter 4 Letter Number Two

Chapter 5 All The Sights To See

Chapter 6 Greshum Hall

Chapter 7 Isle Of The Birds

Chapter 8 The Refuge

Chapter 9 Barricaded

Chapter 10 Run!!!!

Chapter 11 Sanctuary

Chapter 12 The Things I Remember

Chapter 13 After The Storm

Chapter 14 What The Hell?

Chapter 15 In The Beginning

Chapter 16 Road To The Weary

Chapter 17 A Trip Well Worth It

Chapter 18 Home Sweet Home

Chapter 19 It Get’s Better

HAIL MARY

Chapter 1 The Recruit

Chapter 2 A Mother’s Plea

Chapter 3 Back To The Basics

Chapter 4 Taps

Chapter 5 The Dungeon

Chapter 6 Team Work

Chapter 7 Oh, The Miry Clay

Chapter 8 The Bitter And The Sweet

Chapter 9 Simple Encounters

Chapter 10 The Mother

Chapter 11 This Is Africa

Chapter 12 Give Me A Small Break!

Chapter 13 The Lick

Chapter 14 Surprise Surprise

Chapter 15 Strange Fruit

Chapter 16 The Proposition

Chapter 17 Always The Host

Chapter 18 And Such Is Temptation

Chapter 19 The Mouse Trap

Chapter 20 The Great Divide

Chapter 21 Neither Nevous

Chapter 22 Man Down

Chapter 23 Revelation

Chapter 24 The Sum Of Fears

Chapter 25 Wash Me Clean

Chapter 26 Reality And Dreams

SOUL CRY

Chapter 1 The Beginning Of The End

Chapter 2 How Do I Fit?

Chapter 3 Psychologize Me

Chapter 4 Marve

Chapter 5 The Forum

Chapter 6 We Dug Too Deep

Chapter 7 The Exodus

Chapter 8 Soul Eaters

Chapter 9 Marvelus

Chapter 10 The Generals And The Soldiers

Chapter 11 The Soldiers Destiny

Chapter 12 The Journey

Chapter 13 Order Of The Sorens

Chapter 14 Rise To Power

Chapter 15 Prime Evil

Chapter 16 Sublime

Chapter 17 Evolution

Chapter 18 One Man’s Truth

Chapter 19 The Change

MY SHOUT OUTS

I would like to thank all of my readers for supporting my work. Truthfully, I could not do this without you.

To my dearest Jordan, I love you. You have been my greatest inspiration to push me to keep going forward. You have truly been the rock of my ambition.

To my family (Franklin, Belle, ect…You know who you are) Thank you for always being there when I needed you the most, in good times and in bad, especially you uncle Manhattan. Thanks for the bus fare.

To my mom, Kvanessa, thank you for always encouraging my every endeavor, and for being the best cheerleader I’ve ever had.

To my dad, Donnie, thanks for replacing my crappy television with a bigger better one. Now I can actually see the screen. Not so fuzzy anymore. LOL.

To Larry and Hattie for giving great career advice, without which I would not have made certain decisions in my young adult life, which eventually funded my future.

To Leroy, thanks for helping me pop the hood, and fix my car so that I could get to class, work, and all of those other midnight calls to take me to the hospital. I enjoyed our philosophical talks. We have had a plethora of funny adventures. I will never forget them.

To Aunt Ree and Uncle Harvey, thanks for listening, and for always being a refuge for me when I wasn’t feeling so hot. You have always made yourself available so that I could talk about whatever was on my mind. I will always love you guys for that.

To my crazy, crazy sister Tonya, Keep your dreams alive, and don’t ever wait for anyone to open the door for you. Find another way in, and kick the door down. Let them know you’re coming.

To my brother J. Fuquan, no matter what life throws you, keep your head high, and never give up. God is able to do all things. I love you.

FOREWORD

KEEP YOUR DREAMS OFF OF THE RESPIRATOR, NEVER LET ANYONE CONVINCE YOU OTHERWISE. MAKE CHOICES THAT ARE SUITED FOR YOU. FIND YOUR OWN PACE AND RUN IT, CLIMB IT, WALK IT, DO IT, AND DON’T WORRY ABOUT YOUR TIMING.

SOME PEOPLE TAKE LONGER THAN OTHERS TO FIGURE SOME THINGS OUT. LET PEOPLE LAUGH BECAUSE LATER YOU’LL BE THE ONE LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK. TRUST ME, I AM.

AMBITION IS A PLEASURE ENJOYED BEST BY THE DREAMER, WHO’S CLOUDS ARE CONTENTED TO NOT JUST DREAMING BUT GIVES ITS AMBITION THE WINGS TO TAKE FLIGHT AND THE HAMMMER TO FORGE AMAZING, YET WONDEROUS THINGS.

READ THIS BOOK AND DREAM

LIGHT A MATCH, AND LIGHT UP THE WORLD

S.A. FRANKLIN

FIREFLY

CHAPTER 1

WHAT ONCE WAS

Ever been stuck in a relationship that all of a sudden goes stale?

Andrea was married to what she thought was the perfect man. Lenox was very reserved, and quiet. Sometimes it drove her nuts trying to figure out what was going on inside of him. There was a time when his quiet exterior appeased her. You know the kind; tall, dark and mysterious. Eyes and a smile that could bring even the most reserved woman to her knees. She’d get up early every morning to make sure breakfast was on the table. It became a dreadful routine she’d eventually come to hate. She stood at the entrance of her kitchen and breathed in her surroundings with longing. Every wall in their house echoed the same reverberating sound of emptiness and loneliness.

She had thought that marriage meant that you would not feel alone anymore. She was wrong. She felt more alone than when she was single. There was a clear sadness that bounced loudly off of her appearance. It jingled like panging glass beneath the surface. The kitchen was not that big. The white walls made it appear bigger than it actually was. She scanned the room once more. She didn’t know why she did that. It wasn’t as if she had a big soup kitchen to walk into every morning. Maybe she needed to soak in her dissatisfaction with her current life. The feeling often lingered beneath the surface, scratching at her brain.

There was a question lurking in her heart, which only spelled out misery upon her face when she should have clearly been happy. What is wrong with us? Her husband seemed completely oblivious to her obvious festering unhappiness. He’d come into the kitchen as he always did. He’d happily grab the piece of jellied wheat toast that was set aside for him. His eyes moved across the kitchen, and found her standing there as always between the stove, the counter, and the window. He looked so confident. She searched his eyes for some hint of warmth but didn’t find it. He tried his best to display his form of sincerity.

He reached over the counter to caress her face and kissed her cheek gently as always. To be fair, it didn’t matter how many times he’d do that she always felt a fire ignite between her thighs. She thought about stripping him right there in the kitchen, but he’d probably not go for it. Besides, her mother had always told her to never interfere with a man making his money. She accepted the kiss and let go of her urges. She wanted to break down right there as the thought fleeted out of her mind. She wanted to become putty in his arms, but she did not. She could not. Don’t interfere. Grin and bear it. Her mind churned. She cracked a fake smile that never showed her teeth while she fought back the tears welding up inside.

He looked at her so self assured that he had it all. It never occurred to him that their marriage had become one abysmal routine. She wanted to scream. She wanted to tell him how she truly felt. She wanted to ask him, What happened to them? What did happen to all those late night romances? What happened to the candles, the candies, the feel of his body moving against hers, and the feeling of ecstasy as they both climaxed? What happened to the dances? What happened to the I love you’s and the massages? What happened to the jock that used to write her poems and sing to her in the night? What happened? She didn’t say a word. She just watched him turn his back to her, and walk out of the door completely oblivious to the hurt she was feeling.

She said nothing because she didn’t want to make him feel unhappy though she was. Many nights she found herself watching re-runs of Desperate Housewives, and wondered if unhappily married women really resorted to that. Secret lives and stuff. Why not leave? She shook her head at the television, "Those girls are crazy.’’ She wondered if she could do that. She turned the television off and sat in silence. She took a quick glance at the clock. 9:59. Late. Very late!! The sirens in her head were screeching. She imagined producing a PSA on the 10 o’clock news reading……Its 10 o’clock do you know where your husband is? She imagined that all the late night husbands would see it, and take their trifling behinds home. It was the third time he had come home late. She was fuming.

In some ways she felt like she had the right to feel the way that she did. It wasn’t like he was ugly, actually, quite the contrary. Lenox was a very handsome man. His soft wavy hair and good looks didn’t help his ego either. They met at Atlanta A&T. He wasn’t only smooth on the field, but he was also smooth with the ladies off the field. They said his sacks equaled the amount of ladies he sacked a month. He definitely got around. His soft caramel complexion and green eyes attracted many a ladies. It wasn’t too often that a woman would come across a brother with naturally colored green eyes. Ones he had acquired from his Creole grandmother. Yes, he used all of that to his advantage to lure beautiful women into his doggish trap.

He never officially dated any of them and never committed to any of them either. He never led them on. They knew what he wanted and they gave it to him with no strings attached. She could not blame him for taking it. I mean, really, how many guys would turn down a woman on their bed with her legs cranked wide open; telling him to come and get it? They knew full well he was not looking for a girlfriend. When he met Andrea he tried to slick talk himself into her panties too, but she wasn’t going for it.

You see, that right there only fueled his excitement for the hunt. Andrea, then, was a good Christian girl whose family migrated from the West Indies. She was smart, mild mannered and a psychology major that later became a youth counselor. Lenox was a smart jock who used his football scholarship to put him through college in hopes of being the first in his family to go. His only goal at the time was to make a lot of money one day. Andrea was mostly attracted to him because he never talked about going pro, which was kind of peculiar to her because most guys with that amount of talent did. Andrea’s beauty moon struck Lenox. He loved the fact that she could hold a conversation.

So why did you decide to become a psychologist. You don’t think your beauty might be a little distracting. I mean… He said smiling from ear to ear. Andrea stared at him with a strikingly innocent expression plastered across her face. He could see a spark of glitter in her eyes which completely unnerved him. So he played it cool, not wanting her to notice. I think it might work in my favor. At least I will have their attention; that can be my ice breaker,’’ She said laughing lightly. Yeah, I guess that works," He said giggling too. She looked at him as the moonlight hit his face.

She finally decided to ask him the question she’d wanted to ask him since they started their date. So why are you doing it? I mean, why play football if you’re never going to go pro? Yes, I know about you. I heard you’ve had a lot of girls and that you are somewhat of a player, so? She probed and studied him as he spoke. It pays my tuition…look at you…’’ He said between the laughter. So you know about me, huh? You have to be dishonest in order to be considered a player I think…I’m not… I tell the girls the truth…that I don’t want to be tied down ….I would never cheat or sleep around if I was with somebody,’’ he said looking at her grinning through gleaming white teeth. She had guessed that that was his way of asking her if she would be his girl.

She had guessed that it had always been his way. It was the way of the unspoken. You were supposed to just know. He knew she had figured out what he was trying to say as he looked up at a sky filled with stars as he leaned hard against the railing outside of her dorm building. Then he continued his answer as if he needed time to collect his thoughts. Because this…this right here…..isn’t for me,’’ he said as he yanked on the hem of his team jacket. I mean football is something I’m good at. I can’t see myself doing it for the next couple of years though. It’s far from my passion in life. I mean…..I see the other guys all excited about the game but I’m not. It’s just another day to me.’’

He stared off into space as if he were somewhere else. His sincerity, as far as she could tell, was the truth being spoken by the volumes. She studied him even closer. She could not help it. She was a psychology major. He intrigued her mind, and left her with more questions and puzzling observations. He made her want to drink him in. She wanted to take him unto herself. His honesty pulled at her own soul and she felt his soul for just one small moment. He is a sweet guy, she thought as she looked at him staring into the distance as if the image of what he was talking about had somehow manifested before his eyes. All of his desires seemed to be so close he could touch it. So what do you want to do?’’ She inquired further. I want to make a lot of money…yeah I know what you’re thinking….I don’t want to make it that way…I want to make it another way…money inspires me… That’s weird?" He said as he chuckled to himself.

They both began to laugh. She knew that it was what made her fall in love with him back then, not the money. The fact that he knew what he wanted, and did not want, encouraged her pursuit. He did not do what everyone expected him to do. He had his own mind, his own plans. She knew he would do whatever it took to get what he wanted. In her eyes that equaled to him doing whatever he could, legally, to acquire the things in his heart. She figured if this was the man she would let into her heart, then he would also be the man to show the same commitment to get and keep her.

He did….for a while. He used to stand outside of her dorm room many nights serenading her; so many memories. Boy, what are you doing?!!! She yelled as she poked her head out of the window, laughing between each line he sang. He is horrible, she thought but she was also very amused. She felt a tickly feeling writhe from the inside of her stomach. He completely embarrassed himself just to get her attention, but she loved him all the more. The funniest thing was that, that was exactly how he got her to go out with him on their first date. A couple of sleepless nights will do that to a girl. She thought, at first, that he was absolutely out of his mind.

She eventually agreed to be his girl if he promised to never dog her out. He said he was a man of his word so she trusted him. They were married August 24, 2006. He eventually became the investment banker he had always dreamed of being. Go figure. When he left Atlanta A&T, he left with numerous draft and endorsement offers. He turned them all down, which confused his entire family, and the coach who knew that knew he had molded the next future football superstar. They called him foolish in the papers and a waste of talent, but he never apologized or regretted his decision.

His press release simply stated….. MY HEART JUST ISN’T IN IT. End quote. He said nothing more and nothing less. The first two years of their marriage were spectacular. They did everything together. They cruised from the islands to the most exotic of places across the globe. He took her to the most luxurious of hotels on the weekends and put on her favorite slow jams. He babied her the entire time. Bubble baths with red rose peddles. Candles sometimes filled the room with a soft yellow flicker. The light danced gleefully along the walls. Edible oils and making love, mad passionate love became the norm. He often ran his fingers up every curve of her body. He explored the secret place of her heart; reaching down to the very depths of her soul and spirit. His arms made her feel safe. Her joy and pain she carefully laid into his safe keeping.

She breathed him and ate what he fed her, every plate of himself. She prayed for him and thanked God for him daily. She lay in the canopy of his love’s paradise. There she was safe with him, but like all dreams she knew it would come to an end. She was hoping their dream would end at the death of old age. She had grown up witnessing her grandmother and grandfather stare at each other as if they were seeing each other for the very first time. Every day for them was like spending time with a best friend for a lifetime, and sharing a special place in time and space with one another. She wanted the same for their marriage. She never imagined her paradise would crash into the ruins of repetitiveness in such a short time.

She heard of couples that lived their entire marriage like that, but never thought that they would end up being that couple. It was every woman’s worst nightmare and she was living it. She knew there was nothing wrong with being comfortable with your partner, but she thought…DAGGONE!!!…..Does love, romance, and spontaneity have to be tossed out the door like an old rag? She thought it was supposed to increase when you came to know each other. What happened to the fire?

FIREFLY

Come away with me my little firefly

Let me keep you in the embers of my heart’s fire

I will keep you in the safety of my arms

Come away and let me bring you home

Let’s dance the dance as all creation does

Let me show you a secret that Love loves

Tucked deep where the caverns lay

Let’s say the things they would not say

Let’s fly here and there exploring this wondrous place

Come away with me my little firefly

Explore the endless wonders of my heart’s fire

Let’s share the secrets they would not share

Within your heart you’ll find me there

CHAPTER 2

YOU’RE LATE

The alarm clock sounded, waking her out of her sleep. The clock was terribly annoying and very, very loud. She looked at the time; squinting at the blurry red letters that flashed 12:00. She had slept, and never remembered dozing off in the first place. She stretched her arms out wide, but soon regretted the act when a surge of sharp pain rose up from the deep tissue of her back, and then broke hard into her neck. I must have slept the wrong way. She got up sleepily feeling the pains of her awkward position as she walked through the house searching for Lenox. She was very surprised to find that he still hadn’t come home yet.

She began to worry. She searched the answer machine for his voice, but did not find it. She called his job, but no answer. She could not help, but to wonder what kind of investment banker worked that late. She sat down on the couch in a daze. Confusion soon turned into agitation, agitation into anger. She was thinking all kinds of unpleasant things. Her imagination was whirling like a category four hurricane whipping violently on the shore of uncertainty. The more she sat there, the angrier and more furious she became.

She stared at the door so intensely her eyes began to blur. If she stared at it any longer the door would have disintegrated. Just as she thought she had had enough she heard the sound of the locks turn. The sound of the clicking was the countdown to a time bomb about to explode. She was ready to pounce, having no idea what she would say or do. Only emotion was driving her now. She saw Lenox’s hand emerge on the side of the door following the rest of his body, which moved steadily across the thresh hold. He tried to shut the door quietly, but that was a futile attempt. She had been sitting on the couch waiting for him. He turned around slowly, set his keys on the counter, and scanned the room.

His eyes fell upon her sitting in the thinly lit living room with her arms folded staring at him intensely. The look on his face was priceless. He looked as if he had seen a ghost. Where have you been? She said searchingly. She did not budge. Her eyes were steely and piercing. She wanted the atmosphere to feel cold because she had been waiting for him all night. Hey, babe…umm…,’’ he said feeling his Adam’s apple harden within the confines of his throat. You’re still up?" He really wanted to ask her why she was up at that time of the night, but his common sense held back the almost reactionary comment. Lenox only let his thoughts play in his head, but not aloud. He wasn’t stupid enough to make that mistake.

He had hoped that she was lying down peacefully in her bed. He could feel her negative energy seething like a vapor. She was ready to pounce and he was the prey. She was ready like a lioness on the hunt. He knew that she was not feeling it. I went out with the fellahs to get a drink after work. I’m sorry I didn’t call. He tried to catch her eyes but she rejected the move. Is that it?’’ Her calm alarmed him. There was no pitch in her voice and no hint of love. She was searching him; studying his eyes, his voice, and his body language. She was READY. I am so sorry.’’ He pleaded with her through his eyes; hoping she would let him off the hook. "I was worried about you. Did you know that?’’ She looked him directly in the eyes this time, writing the night in the diary of her heart.

She knew he was lying. He must be. She fought her doubt, and wondered where he had been really. She wasn’t naive. She wasn’t going to allow him to pull a fast one with that drink after work nonsense. She wondered why men insisted on playing those kinds of games. Don’t they know that a woman can tell when they’re lying? I’m sorry.’’ He couldn’t help it. It was all that he could mutter, but he knew that it was not good enough. He knew he could never get the night back. He knelt down at her feet, kissed her hands, and beheld the face of the one he had loved all of those years; the one he still loved. He stared her straight in the eyes, and moved his body closer to give her a kiss. She interrupted him in the middle of his move. Your food is in the microwave,’’ she said as she stood up, and walked toward the bedroom.

She left him in the living room still bent down on one knee. He was in trouble. He let out a big sigh, got up, and walked slowly into the kitchen. He leered at its white walls. There were so many memories. The kitchen was filled with the echoes of their late night romances. The sounds they made still haunted its corridors. "I love you, I love you, I love you.’’ He remembered whispering to her with every thrust as he pressed his body into hers. Her moans filled the kitchen as she held his lower back in a nail ridden grip. It was not out of pain that she held him. The complete euphoria she felt threatened to take away any restraint she had left. His back was the only tangible thing she could hold to keep from losing absolute control.

His body grounded her. He wanted her to lose herself in the moment. He loved when she screamed his name. It was what he strived for, complete and utter satisfaction. She ran her fingers across his hair caressing him down to the lobe of his ears as he began to slow. He kissed her on the nape of her neck as he pulled her body in and out. He could feel her love drip all over him, and down in between the cracks of the kitchen counter. He never felt safer. He had never felt a love like that before. Yeah, those were the days, he thought. Those were the days when she made mad passionate love to him. He remembered the days when he would come home from work. She’d be there waiting for him at the door with a glass of his favorite wine.

She used to strip him of his coat and pull him along by his tie. She knew how to make him feel wanted and appreciated. He missed her kisses behind his ears whispering soft I love you’s. She knew how to send his hormones flying through the roof. He remembered how she used to make love to him on every counter top wearing nothing, but his white tee upon her body. It draped along her thin frame in the sexiest way. She made him feel like he had everything; that he could do anything. The world was his. He missed all the massages she gave. The little notes she left in his briefcase. The many kinks she worked out of his neck after a long day at work.

He missed the butterfly kisses she streamed along every crevice of his body. Yeah, she made him feel rich. Now, he felt like a man who had dinner waiting for him in the microwave as opposed to a man who had dinner on the table with a wife bare naked wearing only a table cloth. Now, he had a wife in pajamas, with folded arms sitting on the couch looking mad as hell. Tonight was the first night that he realized something was dreadfully wrong. Suddenly his perfect world was tumbling down around him. He was in the midst of a storm and felt powerless to stop it. His wife didn’t trust him. How did we come to this? He wondered. What had he done to deserve such suspicion?

He retraced their relationship, and came up with zilch. He never cheated. He checked his self….I go to work. I come home. I just don’t get it. He pondered the thoughts. Tonight was the first night he actually took some leisure time for himself. I didn’t do anything wrong, he said to himself. He stared off into space in deep thought. He eventually put the food in the garbage and headed towards the bedroom. His appetite fleeted with every thought of losing. He took a long glance at his wife. Her back was facing him for the very first time.

I don’t know what to do to make it better,’’ he said to himself. Literally, for the first time in his life he felt helpless. He had never not" been in control. His mother had always warned him to never let his wife go to bed angry; so he showered and climbed into bed. He wondered if he should even disturb her, but he knew he could not handle staring down at her back all night. He had become used to falling to asleep with the memory of her pretty face. It was like taking a picture of her each night just before the last eye lash fell into its cradle of slumber.

TO BED

Of all the words we could have said

We filled them with the words that went unspoken

Can we make up?

Can we get back to the place that we once were?

Through the silence

That pierces deep within my head

Where’s the fire

That used to kindle bright amongst our bed

I don’t want to go there mad

Baby,’ he said tapping her upon the shoulders. She breathed out a deep sigh of annoyance, and tried to pretend she did not hear him. She could not ignore his pathetic sounding pleas any longer. She desperately wanted to settle their fight as much as he wanted to. She turned over slowly; trying not to show any hint of anxiety. What?!!! She sounded agitated. I know I was wrong. I deserve you being mad at me. I don’t want to fight. I just don’t want to go to bed with you being mad at me. His sincerity sounded genuine. Why shouldn’t I? You stay out all night! You don’t call! I called your job and no one answered. Are you cheating on me? If you are, I’d rather you tell me now, that way we don’t have to pretend anymore. Put yourself in my position.

What if I would have done that to you? You would have had a fit. What am I supposed to think?!! The tears began to pour down her cheeks unintentionally. Everything she had held inside spilled out in a flood of uncontrolled emotions. I would never cheat on you, bae. I made a promise. Baby, I would never hurt you like that. I’m sorry. Maybe I’ve let my work get in the way. I’ve tried so hard to be the best. I mean….ever since I got that promotion it seems as if I have to work twice as hard as anybody else to prove that I belong there. Do you get what I’m saying? I apologize if you’ve felt left out. I guess I was cheating on you in a way.

My work became more important than spending time with you; although my intentions were to keep us secure…..I guess I’m guilty of that. For that I’m sorry…It won’t happen again. I promise. You’re right if you had come in at this hour I would have been mad. I didn’t mean to make you worry. I should have called, and I’m sorry for that. I wasn’t thinking. She nodded in understanding. She had not considered the enormous pressure he had been under. She felt his heart for the first time in months. When he kissed her she felt comforted. She felt loved and desired. He held her so tight it felt as if he was trying to fuse her body to his. She had built a massive amount of pent up sexual frustration. They both were so exhausted at the end of their bout that they both called out of work the next morning. It felt good to play hooky with her.

They were still making love well into the afternoon. A year could do that. He slid his index finger across her bottom lip and gazed into her eyes. There you are, he whispered quietly. He missed her. He missed how they used to be. Now he was seeing who they once were again. She smiled warmly. She spoke to him in a seductive tone. I’ve missed you. I hope we stay this way forever. I thought you had disappeared. I mean the way we were. We haven’t done this in a long time…I’ve missed us. Every word was sincere and hypnotizing. I’ll make a deal with you if you’re willing….I’ll keep my work time within the normal work hours if you promise to pamper me like you use to…Yeah, that’s right miss mam …I miss the bubble baths, the sexy nighties, and the massages…I get stressed too….I want the same thing you women want from men…that’s right…Don’t look at me like that… You shouldn’t have spoiled me…

Yeah that’s right…..I’m spoiled…..and from here on out you have to start telling me what’s on your mind cause I’m not a mind reader…I love you….you know this…We’ve got to work together… He spoke to her trying to keep a straight face, even as he saw her bottom lip begin to drop with every request. He is so silly, she thought as he entertained her with his comical demands. He always knew how to make her laugh. Why…now aren’t we bold…so….so… all of that…ok.…ok….ok…I see…my man misses being the baby…I love you too….but you have to do the same thing for me…..I need you to share more with me because I hate it sometimes when you get all quiet on me…….I miss your affection…and can we please be more spontaneous……..

I guess I failed you too… I’m sorry. I have to treat you better. She finally allowed her heart to do the speaking, and even though it was the first real moment between them in a long time. She always appreciated his ability to always keep her calm. They each felt like a milestone had been reached between the both of them. The next question was what happens next? No one ever told them marriage was easy. Andrea knew that what had happened the night before was only a glimpse of a storm that was to come. She had learned early in life that nothing ever lasted long. What they had currently snuggled between the sheets was beyond the years, but something more infinitely special. Over time it would eventually be the vehicle to prove how strong their bond really was.

SONG:

INFINITE SECRET

VERSE 1

Lay your head upon my pillow

I’ll be your safety and secret

Let’s lay behind our past

And dance away our feelings

Your tears, your heart

Gets lost in the moves

All your insecurities

Lay on my shoulders

Let me in, Let me take away your pain

I’ll be your infinite wisdom

Just get lost in the moment

CHORUS

I’ll be your infinite secret

I’ll be for your safe keeping

Let all your trust rest on me

I promise I’ll never leave you alone

I’ll be your infinite secret

I’ll be your light in the dark

Just rest your head on my shoulders

I promise I’ll never leave you alone

VERSE 2

We’re both in a world

We’re fighting so hard

Against the choices that seem

Weren’t made by us

We’re trying so hard not to be like our fathers

And yes it’s hard to trust in a stranger

But I’ll be your infinite secret

I’ll be for your safe keeping

Let all your trust rest on me

I promise I’ll never leave you alone

I’ll be your infinite secret

I’ll be your light in the dark

Just rest your head on my shoulders

I promise I’ll never leave you alone

VERSE 3/BRIDGE

Your sensitive touch

Reaches deep where it seems no human hands can touch

In your eyes beats the soul of a person

On an equal journey like mine

I’m disoriented by the simple things

That you do for me

CHAPTER 3

THE LETTER

What was next? She thought. Their mornings did change a little. He actually sat at the table to eat his toast and jam. After he filled up he slid slyly to her corner, held her face and kissed her passionately while the other hand slithered between her thighs and fiddled between the seams. Drips of passion lined his finger tips. He whispered in her ear as if divulging a secret, There’s more of that tonight. A fox like smirk formed upon his face. She nodded knowingly. There is such a thing as a new beginning. He left her in what seemed like a day dream. Her morning went as usual after that. She dusted the cabinets, polished the wood, vacuumed the carpet, mopped the floors and checked the mail box; even this became a dreadful routine.

She had wished for once her mail box did not have a heap of junk mail in it just once. Bills, bills, bills. They came like clockwork, but one of the letters appeared very different from all the others. The envelope looked as if it came from another time. She had