Morning Glory

From "Morning Glory" by LaVyrle Spencer

'Stalking away, he shut out the pain and transported himself to a place he'd neve seen, where smiles were plentiful, and plates full, and people nice to one another. He no longer believed such a place existed, yet he escaped to it more and more often. When it had served it's prupose, he returned to reality....'

'And girls? He'd never found girls to be especially nice except maybe when they were older, when a man was sinking his body into them. Then, for a few minutes, while they stopped harping or threatening or tormenting, maybe they were nice.'

'But his gratitude was extended for far more than creature comforts. She'd offered him trust, had given him pride again and enthusiasm at the break of each new day. She'd brought back his smile. There was nothing he couldn't accomplish. Nothing he wouldn't try. He wanted to do it all at once.'

'...gravitated toward them like a compass needle toward the North Pole. Here was where he belonged, here with this unadorned woman...'

'Without a doubt, she was right. In his palm the brass warmed while a smile lifted one corner of his lips and spread to the other. Some poor damned fool could have had her behind him all his life and had passed up the opportunity, he thought. This town had to be filled with some mighty stupid men.'

'His whole life he'd longed for someone to touch him this way, to touch the boy in him as well as the man, to soothe, reassure. The feel of her fingers in his hair brought back a measure of all he'd missed. He was parched earth, she fresh rain. He a waiting vessel, she rich wine. And in those moments of closeness she filled him, filled all the lacks endowed him by his shiftless, loner's life, becoming at once all the things he'd needed--mother, father, friend, wife, and lover.'

'And he smiled for the length of three glad heartbeats, then laughed. And wondered if life would ever again be this good. And decided surely tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow it could only get better'

Ahhh.....