Again
Again she was torn between her head
and her heart. Her heart said this was the most wonderful thing to
happen to
her since her first romance and her head kept telling her it “was” her
first
romance and that romance was finished many years ago. It had been a
very
strange year since those first phone calls from Mark. They had never
intended
this relationship to be anything more than just a “look see” about
someone from
the past. Their lunch at Eddies had been a chapter plucked right from
the
latest romance novel. Now Mark was suggesting a picnic.
Had it really been 30 years since they had
gone up the mountain for their first “picnic” together?
So much had happened since then. A
husband, a wife, kids, jobs. How could
Mark just pick up the pieces from
their first romance and carry on right where he left off.
This was stupid! A first love is only a first
love. It never lasts a lifetime! Does it?
Mark said he
wanted to give her a birthday card he had made after their lunch at
Eddies but
he would only share it with her if she would agree to go on a picnic
with
him. He said it was very important to
him that he give it to her in private. A
picnic was the only solution he could come up with that would provide
him with
the privacy he wanted and yet kept everything in the open for both of
their
safeties. He knew they were both dealing
with raging emotional fires from within.
The fires had to be constrained least they tumble into a world
of
unabated passion.
Elizabeth
didn’t know what to do. Her head
screamed no way, yet her heart and mouth asked when?
Mark said
with no hesitation, “July 12, 4:45 PM. and not a minute later, corner
of
Washington and 36th street, Gate 5.”
In her life
she had never heard him be so forceful nor so direct.
Just from the tone of his voice she knew the
time and date were non-negotiable. She
didn’t know where he was going to take her but the passion in her heart
said he
could take her to the end of the world if he wanted.
Trying to be
calm she asked the usual questions. What
should she wear, should she bring anything, where were they going?
To her
surprise his response was again very direct and to the point. All he wanted was for her to be on time and
dressed for a casual picnic. She had to
be on time and not a minute late. No
mention as to where he was taking her.
Thursday
finally arrived and was filled with excitement and anticipation. Unexpectedly her husband was out of town for
the week which only added to her exhilaration She hadn’t been on a
picnic in
years. Picnics had just lost all of
their attractiveness. Every picnic she
had attended had become a burden on her.
She was expected to prepare everything, get everyone dressed and
ready. She did all of the cooking at
the picnic and then had to take care of the mess afterwards. Picnics!
Bah Humbug! Who needed them! This was different. But
then Mark had always been different. This
had an air of mystery and romance about it.
All she was expected to do was show up on time.
Mark had gone
off the deep end this time and was in over his head with the joy of
expressing
his innermost feelings. Expressing them
without the threat of criticism. He let
his feelings run rampant before but this time he could not contain his
excitement about having putting them into a story.
He always considered himself a good
communicator, yet through a series of unfortunate happenings his
previous
writings had not been received lovingly.
Mark didn’t
care this time. He was opening his heart
in a manner he had never done before. It
felt great. Not only was he opening his
heart but he was also going out on a limb and writing it all down. He was over the edge. He
was committed. He was laying his cards out
in the open for
her to see with no way to bluff or resend the statement.
Would she laugh at his attempts? Would
she be like “the other woman” and
refuse to even read his story? Mark
wasn’t sure if he read Elizabeth correctly when they were at “Eddies”
but he
wasn’t going to make the same mistake he made the first time. This time he was opening himself clear to the
heart. If he read her wrong so be
it. At least they would never be able to
say again that he had misled her or she didn’t understand what he was
saying. This time he would do it his
way. His written story about their
luncheon created a love story with all of his feelings and the feelings
he
thought she experienced during that short encounter.
He wasn’t going to let her ignore his or her
feelings ever again. He was going to hit
her right in the heart. If he read the
story to her, then she could hear the inflections of his voice and the
tears in
his heart. At least this way she would
not be able to refuse to read the story like “the other woman” had done.
Mark had
picked the day and place for this birthday picnic with the care of
launching a
space shuttle. Mark knew of a private
place in the desert 60 miles south of town that was easy to get to, yet
deserted. It was his favorite place to
stop while commuting between Phoenix and San Diego.
He hadn’t shared it with anyone else yet this
was where he wanted to give Elizabeth her card.
He went out the weekend before and cleaned up the area just for
the
picnic he was planning. He racked the
spot where he was going to lay the ground cloth and made sure there
were no
cacti along the path leading to the spot.
It really wasn’t work. It was a
labor of love, and the four hours he had allotted to the task went by
in a
flash. Just as he finished raking the
last high spot from the area his watch went off. Where
had the time gone?
The spot was now perfect! The only thing left to chance was the
weather. Mark prayed for God to do his
thing. Although it would be July the
summer had really been cool. The
temperature had not yet exceeded a hundred.
Mark just wanted the picnic to be comfortable nothing more. He had chosen the early evening to better
enhance his chances for a pleasant picnic but whatever God presented,
Mark knew
it would be special. Mark had never been
to this spot without feeling God’s special presence.
That was why he wanted to give Elizabeth her
present at this spot in the desert.
Mark’s attention to detail also picked this spot because he knew
it
would be a full moon and the moon rise would be timed just perfect to
catch the
setting sun. If his calculations were
correct this would provide that once in a lifetime, full faced, harvest
moon,
with the man in the moon so full faced everyone remembers it.
Elizabeth was beside
herself all week
and now it was Thursday. She knew
something very unusual was going to happen today but she wasn’t sure
just
what. Her feelings were never this
tormented in her life. Even her high
school prom or her wedding ever caused her this much anxiety. What was it about Mark that made her envision
him as “The” hero in all the trashy novels she had ever read? Was he really “Her” hero on the white
stallion? Why had she tried on every
outfit she owned today and then went out and bought a complete new
short set
just for this silly picnic? She must be crazy!
Mark was also
beside himself. He had wanted everything
to be just perfect and now the weather forecast was for rain and
thunderstorms
for the early evening. What was he going
to do? He had left the weather up to God
and now it seemed to be all for not. All
of his planning gone, gone down the drain!
What the hell? He left the final
details up to God and now God was going to blow the whole thing! How could he?
This was the most important thing Mark had done in years and now
the
weather was going to ruin it. That just
wasn’t going to happen. Mark knew he had
found God’s Eden on earth and Mark was going to claim it in God’s name. Full steam ahead!
Mark left work early on
Thursday in
order to complete the finishing touches to the picnic.
He placed the Champaign on the ice in the ice
chest. He doubled checked the picnic
basket to make sure everything was there.
The corkscrew, the wine glasses, the plates, the place mates,
the
silverware, the napkins, the candles, the matches, the flower vase and
flowers,
the salt and pepper, the picnic blanket.
Everything was there including the ground covering.
Was anything missing? Good grief
the dinner! Mark felt he was forgetting
something now he
knew what it was. Food!
What was he going to do for food? It
was already 3:30 and according to his
timing they needed to leave the plant no later than 5:10 if he wanted
everything to go as scheduled. He was
now 20 minutes away from the parking lot.
Food! What was he going to do for
food! Think Mark! What
do people eat on picnics? Chicken!
Of course! Chicken!
Now, just where in Phoenix do you pick up a
gourmet chicken picnic dinner to go in 5 minutes? A
quick stop at the supermarket for the
spices and the plastic bags and then a run through that chicken place
around
the corner from the plant and she would never know.
Was there enough time? There had to
be!
Mark made it
just in time. 3 minutes to spare. He dumped the chicken in the plastic bag and
added the spices. The coleslaw and beans
followed suit in their own bags. He
prayed that she enjoyed Dijon mustard as much as he did. The
cheesecake, well
it would just have to stand on its own for being store bought. Hopefully she would understand.
He threw the shopping bags into the trash can
just as she turned the corner. He
directed her to an open parking space and as she parked he finished
putting the
food into the ice chest and closed the hatchback. So
far so good. Right on schedule.
Mark helped
Elizabeth from her car and trying to resist his impulses to sweep her
off her
feet he gently closed the door behind her.
As they turn and faced each other lust over powered them and
they
surrendered to their desires. Their arms
grabed hold and the lips locked. Minutes
pass and neither moved.
Mark finally came to his
senses and
realized how important their leaving on time was. Gently
he began to pull away. As great as the
moment was Mark had a plan
for even greater moments later if everything went as planned. He opened the door for her and she slipped
into
his white chariot. So it wasn’t a
stallion it’s got enough horsepower under the hood for any damsel. Mark slide in the other door and they buckled
up for the ride of their life. Mark
eased the Supra out of the lot and into traffic. Soon
they were onto the freeway and into the
heavy get-away hassle. Mark praised
Elizabeth for being on time and trusting him for the evening. They traveled for several more minutes in
silence without even the radio on.
Eventually she removed her hand from his and puts it behind his
head. Damn these bucket seats
anyway. How she desired to be snuggled
up next to him. Finally she asked where they were headed because all
the parks
she knew were in town and they were now about 20 miles south of town. Without batting an eye or missing a beat Mark
says, “To the Garden of Eden.” “Did you bring your apple and fig leaf?”
Knowing Mark,
Elizabeth had figured this was going to be a unique evening but with
that
statement a whole new dimension had just been placed on the evening. What was she getting herself into? She trusted Mark to the end of the world but
to Eden? This was going too far, and too
fast. She needed answers and answers
fast. In her most seductive voice she
asked, “Just where are you taking me tonight?
“To my most
special place in the world” he replied.
They traveled
in silence the last 30 miles just holding hands and letting their
passion flow
between them. Slowly
Mark eased the
car off the highway, down under the overpass and onto a deserted dirt
road. The road lead off into the middle
of the desert. For a dirt road it wasn’t
bad but certainly not one she would expect to encounter a high-powered
sports
car on. What was Mark up to?
A mile down the road Mark
made a hard
left turn and began to follow a trail that looked like it hadn’t been
traveled
in years. As abandoned as the trail
looked she was surprised that neither a tree branch nor cacti scratched
the
car. The trail was even smoother than
the road. It almost felt like he was
driving on a carpet. How strange? Pulling to a stop Mark reached into his
pocket and withdrew a black silk scarf.
He suggested she close her eyes before he blindfolded her. She
would do
that for him wouldn’t she? He said he wanted to surprise her with the
view. What could she do but give
in. With the blindfold in place Mark
kissed her on the lips and told her she was a good sport.
Continuing on they crested the next little
hill and Mark eased the car off the trail and coasted to a stop. Easing himself out of the car he opened her
door, took her hand as if she was exiting a coach of old, and gently
led her a
short distance away from the car.
Thoughts racing trough her
mind set
off a series of bells and sirens that screamed “STUPID!”
Just then he stepped
behind her and
wrapped his loving arms around her in the tightest bear hug fashion. Gently as he removed the scarf he whispered
in her ear, “slowly open your eyes, what you are about to see will
knock you
off your feet if you do it too quickly!”
Wow!
What a tremendous Arizona sunset!
Mark had timed it perfect. The
sun was just a few degrees above the distant mountains and setting in
an
explosion of color. God had came through
again. The sky was filled with
small-scattered high puffy clouds. Gods
perfect radiance of colors. Every color
of the rainbow was on brilliant display. Streaks of red and gold
radiated out
from the Sun as the lush green desert reached for heaven with the out
stretched
arms of the stately saguaros. The yellow
blooming brittlebush and orange organ pipe cactus only enhanced the
dynamic
sunset. The cool, moist spring had
allowed the desert to bloom in grandeur seldom witnessed by city
dwellers. The purples and reddish-yellows
from the
blooming strawberry hedge hog cactus, globe-mallow, and sand verbena
intensified the contrast of the velvet green desert floor. Did it ever
take her
breath away! This was Eden!
They just watched and hugged.
The sun gently lowered
itself behind
the mountains, as the clouds disappeared as if the golden rays from the
sun
were zapping them with all of the colors of the rainbow.
The clouds couldn’t stand the splendor and
surrounded their silver linings to further radiate the sunset. The sky
turned
every hue as God was displaying all his glory.
They were both in speechless astonishment of it all.
As the last hint of sun
dipped from
sight Mark whispered to Elizabeth “just stand here and enjoy God’s
splendor.”
Mark returned to the car
and began to
set up the picnic. He spread out the
ground cloth on the spot he had cleared last weekend and then opened
out the
blue and white checkered picnic blanket.
Knowing that as the sun would set the wind on the desert would
rise,
Mark reached for his strategically stored rocks. He
had located them just within his arms
reach at each of the blanket corners.
Into each of the rock holes Mark gently placed a candle he had
mysteriously withdrawn from his picnic basket.
Lighting them now seemed silly but Mark knew that as the wind
increased
lighting them later would be a challenge.
A distraction he didn’t want.
Next came the silk flowers and the special weighted vase to keep
them
from tipping over. Placing them in the
center of the blanket Mark found the small hole he had made for them
last
Sunday. So far so good!
Digging into the bottomless basket again he
withdrew the matching checkered place mats, and napkins.
Next came the plates and a full set of
silverware including sterling salt and pepper shakers.
As he turned to go back to the car he caught
Elizabeth laughing at him. With an
inquisitive voice he asked, “What’s so funny?”
Never in her life had she
ever seen
anyone show such loving attention to her and a simple picnic. The setting was perfect, the situation unique
and his preparation beyond belief.
Answering his question she said, “The only thing missing from
this
absurd vision of splendor was the chilled Champagne!”
It was all he could do to
keep a
stiff upper lip and continued on his way to the car.
Moments later he returned and reached into
the picnic basket one last time to withdraw the stemmed glasses. POP went the cork as he began to pour her
chilled Blanc de’ Blanc.
In his most sensual tone
he
pronounces “Dinner is served madam. Do you prefer the North or Southern View?”
“Southern please if we are
having chicken?”
she replied.
Dinner was
served with all of the class of the best restaurants.
And the spices Mark had added to the chicken
made it taste like nothing she had ever experienced before. Where had he learned such culinary skill? The
sun continued it’s descent and diner took on the most surrealist and
romantic
glow. It was a leisurely dinner yet
Marks timing was perfect. He cleared the
dinner and moved the flowers and basket to the foot of the blanket. Again, just like he had planned it. He refilled her glass and asked her to join
him in opening her birthday card. He
spread his legs and she sat down with her back to him and his arms
again once
more wrapped around her. She opened the
purple envelope and found a short story titled “Just Yesterday”. It was the story Mark had written expressing
all of the feelings he had experienced when meeting her again. She held the small handmade book as Mark
read. She turned the pages as he
read. It did hit her right in the
heart. He had seen the woman inside. The woman that Elizabeth buried so long
ago. He was truly unlike any other
person she had ever met. He was
unashamed of his ability to see, feel and share the love he felt in his
heart. They sat in silence not saying
anything, just letting the tears wash down their cheeks.
Tears of joy. His hug was reassuring, yet
exciting. Her perfume exquisite yet just
a whisper. Time was standing still as
the feelings raced between them. Mark’s
leg had started to fall asleep so they rearranged themselves on the
blanket to
lay with each other so they could watch the stars come out to the
moonless
night.
CRACK! Went
the clear sky thunder as the summer night lightning lit up the heavens.
“Ops!”
“Let’s finish dinner with a slice of
cheesecake and a cup of coffee,” Mark said as he lifted his body from
their
compromising position on the blanket.
Mark served the coffee and placed the single slice of cheesecake
and two
forks between them. As if on que the
full moon began to rise in the east. God
truly must have placed Eden here in the desert today with the splendor
he was
displaying tonight. The evening was cool
yet the slight breeze had a gentle warmth in it. The
clouds had all disappeared by then and
the moon took center stage.
Mark again
moved behind Elizabeth and together they ate their dessert and just
enjoyed
God’s Eden in the desert. An hour passed
as they sat as one watching the Moon chase all the stars away. It was now brighter than when they had
finished the story. The brilliance of
the moon was just what Mark had calculated with the timing of the
setting sun
and the moonrise.
“Thank you God! Just look
at this
Eden! You do exist.” Prayed Mark
As the evenings grand
finale God split the sky again with a
display of desert lightning. All around
them the sky danced with glorious streaks of electricity.
The air became charged and even last week’s
fireworks were bland by comparison. The
lightning danced in the North, it danced in the South, it danced in the
West,
it danced in the East and love danced in their hearts.
Everywhere you looked the sky danced.
It was the perfect ending
to the perfect picnic.
They slowly gathered up
their
emotions and packed them away with the baskets and blankets and headed
for
home. Neither saying a word just letting
the love flow between them.
Again,
It
was a love
to remember and this time it was shared.