Autumn

Autumn

Friday, February 24, 2012

In The Quiet of The Night

The young couple rented the old two story house with a roof of hundred year old cedar shingles. The house was located just off the main street of a small town. Their bedroom faced the street, and they were happy with the large double paned window with its view of the mountains and Puget Sound. The young man was home on leave.

The young couple were in bed and they were warm and had only light from the few cars that passed in the late hours and the young man enjoyed the way the light passed through the window for it gave him a show as it reflected off the snowflakes. He was content and had great plans.

The young man held his beautiful wife close and he enjoyed the scent of her; all fresh and clean with just a touch of perfume. She knew he liked it and had taken great pains for this reunion.

She moved to a sitting position and bent and kissed him and he liked the way her long hair tickled his chest. Outside, the wind sent out a gust and their wind chimes beat a steady rhythm. She wrapped the blankets over her slim form and then said, "The test was positive."


The young man felt his stomach knot and visions of lost dreams danced over his mind. "Are you sure? Maybe they're wrong."

She giggled. "No, it's true. Aren't you happy for us."

He reached and placed his hand on her arm, gave it a little squeeze, then brushed her beautiful face. He gently pulled her down and held and kissed her. The old house creaked under the wind's force and the snow gave a show of white streaked lines on the wavy glass of their window.

He whispered to her, "We're so young."

"I know. But if not now when? We have the store and your career. We'll manage."

Over the last year, in between his duty assignments, they'd traveled the state and searched out old pieces of furniture, antiques, and the young man took great care to refinish the pieces. They'd rented a store front in the small towns main street and were fairly successful for their effort.

 He had other plans too. The young man wanted a home of their own and had made an offer on the Victorian he'd found that sat high on a hill with views of the mountains and had a cold wild stream where the seasonal salmon migrations filled it bank to bank. And, he had hobbies. How would he have the time to roam the mountains, rifle in hand, or afford his books, or fish the wild run of Steelheads, or bird hunt the fall season.

"You still with me?"

"Yes," the young man said. "I'm still here."

The young woman read his face in spite of the darkness. She cried.

A week later the young man parked his truck across from the clinic. Curbside was a local schools playground and as he stepped from the truck he noticed the little ones run and play and swing; they were happy and he smiled and even then his resolve was strong and firm. He focused on one little girl as she pushed her swing to skirt flapping height, her giggles filled the air with joy and he didn't really care.

He walked around and helped his beautiful wife step down and took her arm and walked her inside. The older nurse gave him a firm look and took her from him. He waited.

Afterwards she stepped into the room and he rose, all gentlemanly like, to take her arm and she brushed it away and said, "It's done. I'm empty."

Only then did he feel the shame of it. Only then did it hit him of what he'd forced, and that time only moves one way and what is lost can never be returned.

The young man helped his wife back into the truck and walked to the other side. The playground was empty too. The only movement was the gentle sway of the swings in the wind.

Stephen
 

28 comments:

  1. That story is one of the many reasons I am against abortion.

    Mark

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  2. I suspect that more than a baby died that day.

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  3. Makes you stop and think long and hard about everything.

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  4. Tears. For the loss of life, but for the man and his wife. Life is hard. Choices are not alway so clear. Grace and forgiveness are gifts. I have never been in this situation, but I hold on to that same grace everyday of my life.

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    1. God bless, Pretty Girl...hold tight to that grace.

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  5. I knew a few young women that became empty following that decision. You could see the hollowness behind the eyes. No matter what came out of their mouths attempting to legitimize their decision, their eyes only told the truth. This is truly a poignantly told story and I thank you for that.

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    1. Thank you, my friend. The young learn lessons the hard way. The light indeed leaves their eyes.

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  6. dear friend, i cannot believe how poignantly well-written this piece is. my heart is breaking for all of them - the mother, the father and the baby, who had no say and no choice. i am thankful for Our Loving Father, who i believe, forgives all mistakes if one is truly repentant in their mistake. i agree very much with agirlandhergun - life is hard. and choices are not always clear. this story is full of sadness. i hope that they learned to ask Our Father for forgiveness.

    your friend,
    kymber

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  7. Thank you, dear kymber. The young man has asked for that forgiveness every day of his life and is still haunted with nightmares. It is said confession is good for the soul. I'm so sure. Either way, this is a journal, of sorts, and the record should reflect all sins for its intended audience. God bless you.

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    1. You are very welcome, my friend. Not an easy piece to write...

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  9. No matter what choices we make when we are younger it seems the only way at times. I am glad we still live in a country where it is a woman's choice and should continue to be her choice. Not the government or any organization who wants to pass judgement. Hope we never go back to the days of women having to go thru terrible circumstances because services were not available to them. Go up north, listen to the older women, who remember the unwanted babies being put in the attic till they were no longer heard. And these older women would be between 75--90 years of age. And this happened in the south as well, they just didn't speak of it for fear of the menfolks.

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  10. There are times in one's life, that mistakes are made. And our choice's are wrong. But, our lives go on. And, there are those, that remember those mistakes and choice's made so long ago. And live with them. And for some, it makes them stronger. And more human. And they see things more brightly than the rest. They also seem to love more strongly, then others do.

    They should not be so hard on them selves, for God has forgiven them.

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    1. Thank you, my friend...so nicely written. And, some have learned to live with their mistake/s/ and truly hope forgiveness was given...God bless you.

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  11. Those tales always make me tear up. And to think it has happened millions of times, over and over. Truly a sad tale, Thanks for sharing it. I can't imagine it was easy.
    Thankfully we have a very forgiving God, for we are all sinners.

    Keangnt

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  12. Stephen,
    I was speechless when I first read this. Overcome by emotion. I can only imagine the guilt and remorse. Sometime in my early twenties a friend became pregnant unexpectedly and asked me to take her to the abortion clinic. She didn't think she would be able to drive. I did as she asked and have felt remorse because of it for all these many years. She ended up marrying a Pastor and had three children, two with birth defects. She told me that was her punishment. I don't believe God would do that, but I do know she will always have to live with her choice. I am very fortunate that at the tender age of sixteen, when I became pregnant, my boyfriend married me and we became children with a child. (I don't recommend that).

    My son is 41 now and his wife is Pro Abortion. When I said to her "aren't you glad I didn't believe in abortion when I was 16?" her response was "that's not a fair question".
    Really????

    Sorry for rambling, my friend. God bless you for sharing yourself so freely with us.

    Red

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    1. The young among us will only learn with the gift of time and wisdom...like myself. It hurts, even with the fact God forgives....thank you very much, Sweet Lady.

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