When Natasha came back, she sat at the edge of the bed and turned on the radio. And to the faint sound of music, she started unbraiding her hair.
I turned on my side, drew closer to her, and ran my hand along the arch of her back and the fullness of her hips. Never before had I experienced such a complete sense of peace. In spite of the suffering of my flesh, I had no worry, no tension whatsoever in my soul. Until now, my life had been in turmoil, like dust and debris swirling around in the wind. And just like that, a revelation: here, I thought, was something that felt like the eye of the storm. Here was the core. This was us, united not only in love but also in trust. It was a new feeling for me, a special moment.
Then, peeking over her shoulder, I detected a sudden glint.
“What’s that?” I asked.
And Natasha said, “It’s the little gold locket you gave me, remember?”
“Yes,” I said. “I do.”
Touching the gold link that held it, she raised the necklace from her cleavage and rolled over to face me. “Every night,” she whispered, “just before falling asleep, I hold it in my hand, imagining us—I mean, our little pictures—ensconced inside of it, smiling at each other, giving joy, giving warmth.”
I gathered her to my breast. One day, I thought, we would remember this time, when—just like the two little images in her gold locket—we were held together by something we could not even name, a rapture that could not be captured in words. And even as we would grow old, those memories of what both of us went through would keep us here, in this embrace, forever young, forever ensconced in love.
And the last thing I remembered, before losing myself in her kiss, was the deep, vibrant voice that played on the radio. It sounded so much like mine, so much like a prayer.
Do I want you to stay
And be here by my side?
Only forever
Be my joy and my pride
Would I let you leave me
If you say that you must?
Take my heart with you
‘Cause its you that I trust
Would I be counting the days
Till you’re back in my arms?
Only always
Enchanted by your charms
Excerpt from Dancing with Air by Uvi Poznansky
Included in Love in Times of War
Love Romance? Get this amazing collection
Love in Times of War
No longer available
"This anthology consists of twelve wonderful stories with the inherent theme of love and war contained in them. Out of the twelve authors, Uvi Poznansky is the only one that I was familiar with previously. So, in addition to becoming acquainted with new authors in this set, my 'to be read' pile has grown considerably. That is not a bad thing with the wind chill of a minus 10 as I write this review!!"
No comments:
Post a Comment