A Spiritual Affair: A Love Story

By E.T. Bowden

They say that first love never dies. You can put out the flame, but not the fire.

I guess you can say that Ashlee and Nick always had a connection. Call it divine timing. Despite many years of marriage to her true love, Brian, Nick and Ashlee's deep spiritual connection to each other transcends fifty-five years.

This book is based on a true story of love and gratification as seen through the spirit and soul of two people who knew and loved each other through a spiritual connection never experiencing the physical, a love that was pure, untouched, and often misunderstood.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638814061

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Title Page

Copyright © 2021 E.T. Bowden

All rights reserved

First Edition

NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING

320 Broad Street

Red Bank, NJ 07701

First originally published by Newman Springs Publishing 2021

ISBN 978-1-63881-405-4 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63881-406-1 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Nick is in hospice. These four words left me in shock and changed my life in February 2020, making me revisit a time I had stored in memory but not forgotten. It was the end, but it was also the beginning of something I never could have imagined. These words, spoken by a person I barely knew, would change the way I felt about life. My first thoughts were, How did she know we knew each other? and, Is she related to him? My niece and several of her friends had arrived in New Orleans for a cruise, and I decided to treat them to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants while they waited to sail. I never knew this would be a life-changing experience. At first, I thought maybe that margarita was a little too strong. She only said those words and turned away, continuing her conversation with her husband. Her face looked strange, and her eyes seemed blank, as though she was looking through me. After dinner, she never said another word to me. I was shocked. I wanted to see her again. But I was unable to.

It was Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and the crowds were enormous. I wrote it off as mistaken identity, but then I was on my Facebook page, and it was posted that Nick had passed away. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I was in shock. I started to cry, even though I hadn’t seen Nick in years. It seemed like yesterday.

I immediately called my niece to get in touch with her friend Gloria. I needed to know why she told me that Nick was in hospice. The year 2020 has truly been the year of perfect vision. Our story began over five decades ago, and I was about to get my answer to a question that I had asked myself a thousand times. Especially after Gloria informed me that she didn’t know Nick and also didn’t remember ever speaking those words to me.

The ideal love story would be the story of two people who are both spiritually and physically in love. We are so enthused by the physical that we find ourselves walking down the aisle without ever getting spiritually connected, and the sad part is we never do.

This story is based on a true story of love and gratification seen through the spirit and the soul of two people who knew and loved each other through a spiritual connection, never experiencing the physical; a love that was pure and untouched.

*****

My story began the day I was born. As a child, I was always deeply connected with spirits and the unknown. I could see and sense the presence of spirits through dreams, feelings, and, sometimes, sight. And just like my life began on my birthday, so does this story. My story began on my birthday and has lasted over five decades and beyond.

Your sixteenth birthday is usually a very special day. You feel like, all of a sudden, you want to put all those kiddie things behind you—you know what I mean: dolls, jacks, skates, etc.—and just relax. Leading up to this day, I got my first job. I worked for Head Start, a summer job offered to kids by the government through the state employment office. I worked at a church across the street from one of my favorite restaurants. So, I got to eat lunch each day with coworkers for the first time alone without my mom or siblings. What a great taste of freedom. I got my big-girl panties and I wore them well that summer.

It was a hot summer’s day on my birthday. I awoke all smiles. I had laid out my pink dress and white keds. The perfect sixteenth birthday outfit. I must have looked in the mirror a thousand times. I couldn’t believe I was sixteen. I had nothing planned, and neither did my family. My mom was not big on birthdays, but for this day, I wished she had been. It would have been nice to have some cake and ice cream, and for someone to sing Happy Birthday to me.

My mom worked that day, and when she got home, she said happy birthday, and I said thank you. My mom was tired and never showed any emotion for those special days. I guess it was hard on a single mom raising five kids alone. But my mom made it look easy. I spent the evening sitting on the porch. Our house was located three houses down from the intersection of the next street. That intersection was always busy. There were two bars on that corner and a small grocery store across the street from the bars. I sat there thinking about my birthday and the fact that I was sixteen. I sat on the porch, speaking to everyone passing by. I was all smiles. Even though it was a hundred degrees, I never felt one drop of sweat. I expected today to be different, but it seemed like any other day, until…

I noticed a small crowd on the corner as usual, and I saw a new face near the crowd. His eyes were big, and he had a smile that brightened my day. I could see sweat pouring down his face, and he wiped his eyes, trying to keep the water out of those big, beautiful eyes. He was tall; very masculine. He walked as if he owned the streets. He had copper skin, and every string of hair was in place. I felt as if I had known him my entire life. I noticed he walked across the street and proceeded down the cross street, and I didn’t see him again. I wondered where he went. I had never seen him before in the neighborhood. I found myself wondering if I would ever see him again. The next day, I sat on the porch, hoping to see him again. But I never did.

The summer was hot and blistering, and every day, I found myself sitting on that porch, drinking water, hoping to see the boy on the corner, wondering what had happened to him, wondering why I was so drawn to someone I had only seen for a split second. Summer passed. I went back to school, but that Kodak moment remained in the back of my head.

Many years would pass before I would see him again. A lot can happen in five years. That fall, I began my junior year of high school, and the next thing I knew, I was entering my freshman year of college. College was different. I stayed on campus, and it was my first time away from home. I met kids from all over the country. It was a scary time for me. The girls seemed much older than me. They all wore makeup and dressed like grownups. I stood there, dressed like a first-grader, tennis shoes and no makeup. I decided, Wow, I need a makeover. That summer, I lost thirty pounds, got a new hairdo, and a new wardrobe and makeup. I looked so different; I was unrecognizable.

My mom was one of the best cooks I have ever known. She spent her spare time reading cookbooks and inventing new recipes. She loved to cook. She decided to open a restaurant. I moved back home for my sophomore year and worked at the restaurant after school. I would meet many people at the restaurant, and I would learn to shoot pool, which turned out to be my favorite pastime sport.

It was there that I would meet Milo. He was cute, athletic, and had a great sense of humor. He would come in and always challenge me to play a game of pool. Every game of pool was exciting; he was very competitive. He played hard to beat me because I was a great pool player. Some days, we would play for hours. Sweat would run down his face, and his clothes would be soaking wet. I found that to be very sexy. Milo was sexy without the sweat, but with his shirt sticking to his perfectly formed body, it was hard to concentrate on my game. He played baseball, and it was rumored that he was about to go to the major leagues. We talked for months, and one day, he asked me out. At first, I was hesitant, and then I finally said yes.

On our first date, we visited a new club. It was very popular. I had heard great things about it. I was so excited I made sure I looked my best. I wore a red slinky dress and red bareback heels. My makeup was flawless, and I had a short, sexy haircut that accentuated my big, beautiful brown eyes. I heard it had a great dance floor. I loved to dance, and so did Milo. He was