Swan Lake – Easter
Sunday Afternoon, March 26, 1989
Jerry lay back on the grassy slope that led down
to the lake on campus. The view serene, one puffy white cloud in his vision and
below that, its reflection in the silvery mirror of the glassine surface. Out
of the corner of his eye, he saw movement, three swans paddling their way across
the water, wings spread, gripping the air for loft as the two chased one.
Airborne, they gracefully soared, two side by side following the one
disappearing in the cotton ball floating in the blue sea of the sky. Jerry
pulled the folded program from his back pocket and fortunately, he had also
pocketed the pen. He was writing a song, one that had been playing in his head
since he saw her dance in the auditorium.
To find the heart
of a woman, to embrace wings of love with your own,
To beat as one,
flying together, to a secret place, the shadow of God’s own.
Soaring in
breathtaking beauty, seeing not what the eye beholds,
To behold what is
hidden, made known to the mate of one’s soul.
He laid the pen and paper down as he reclined in
the grass and looked heavenward.
How you
live matters much, even more than your words, the
Voice revealed.
More
than words, he said over in his mind.
Receive
me as your first love and you will be a new creation, a new man, the
Voice revealed.
First
Love . . . First Love . . . First Love. His eyes closed. His mind
drifted.
To find the heart
of a woman, you must first know God’s love,
The wings of grace
that embrace you, a heart filled with His, now your own.
Abandon your heart
to God; surrender your love for His own.
Now, Father will
give you a daughter of His own.
† † †
“Jerry . . . Jerry.” Christina slightly shook
his arm.
His eyes opened to find the blue sky as a
backdrop on a smile looking into his, one that he would never forget. He
blinked. She was still there.
“Christina.”
“Jerry.”
Sitting up, they were looking into each other’s
eyes, her legs tucked under her white petticoat dress, her hair now wound in a
braid that lay against the ivory of her neck. She carried the beauty of a swan
gliding across the water. She was still holding her Bible, hands in her lap as
she leaned forward.
The moment when two kiss for the first time is a
memory that etches every sense into one. Fresh spring breeze laced with blossom
perfume, light reflecting off water sparkled her ivory complexion against ebony
hair, the flute of a songbird in the tree above, the tingle of his lips as they
brushed hers, the taste of a woman as hers met his. As they held together by
their lips alone, he took her hand in his. The melodic poem he wrote would be
hers to find between pages of the greatest love story ever told.
† † †
Christina’s
House – Easter Sunday Afternoon, March 26, 1989
“So what was it like, tell me, tell me!” Eva was
so excited she was making a scene that caused Christina to blush. Adera burst
out of the kitchen, licking fingers with ivory remnants of icing from red
velvet cake she was making for an upcoming party. The three of them had roomed
together the last three years, Eva meeting Christina at church during their
first year at college and Christina meeting Adera at a Campus Crusade for
Christ rally during their sophomore year.
“Well . . . ” She blushed even more, her face
and chest glowing a sunset rose against her swan-white, chiffon dress. “He has
the crystal blue eyes of Mark Harmon . . . ” Her eyelashes fluttered as she
continued, “And I got to look into them, very up close.” Her smile beamed what
did not need to be said.
“Totally glam.” Adera puckered her lips.
“Totally radical,” Eva leaned back a bit with
her hands on her hips giving Christina the once over with her eyes, “You really
are . . . ”
Christina did a curtsy, and blew them both a
kiss.
“So, our Man in the Moon talk did some good,
huh?” Eva winked.
“Man in da moon. Watch’u talkin’ about sista?”
Adera mocked Eddie Murphy.
“Some things only the Man in the Moon knows.” Eva
moved to sit on the end of the couch.
Christina waved her Bible and sighed.
“Feels good to weed the garden and let new love
grow,” Eva said. “I knew it! Plant the seed of love in fertile soil, add a beam
of sunlight and a spring shower, and you’ve got a boyfriend. Haha!
“God’s timing is always perfect,” Christina
said, reflecting as she sat on the other end.
Adera addressed them, looking at one and then
the other, “Catch me up girls! What this about? The coffee shop dude?”
“Jerry—” Eva added.
“Jerry Meier,” Christina finished. “He’s a
senior at the Business School, saw me dance during his first visit to church,
and today . . . ” She stood and did a spin on her tiptoes. “He specifically
came to church to watch me perform.” She fluttered around the room until she
dropped with arms spread on the couch, her heart and mind floating in the
billowy cloud of a casual afternoon that turned romantic with one kiss. “Oh my gawd,
he kisses sooo good.” Her Bible slid from her hand to the floor, a folded
program falling from its pages, the backside filled with handwriting.
“So that’s it? One kiss?”
“Yup, that’s all it took . . . ” She leaned over
to pick up the program.
“I’ve never seen you like this, girl.” Eva said.
“All those frat parties we crashed, you never gave any of those guys even a
look.”
“Pawin’ beer breath sex-mongers,” Adera added.
Christina folded back the program and curiously eyed
the writing.
“Adera, their not all like that. You liked Matt and Jah,” Christina said.
“Yeah, Jah caught my eye. He was different. Soft
spoken, but buff.”
“He’s on the football team, tight-end, good
hands—” Christina stopped short as she began to read the writing.
“Tubular—” Eva said, getting up to mill around
the room.
“Oh my gosh . . . this is beautiful,” Christina
said as her eyes widened.
“What is it, Chrissy?” Eva said looking over
Christina’s shoulder.
She held the program to her chest. “He can write.”
† † †
Copyright 2017 © Jeff Cambridge
Excerpt from PURSUIT, a novel by Jeff
Cambridge, a writer of transformational fiction with real characters in
real-life tell stories that change lives in the readers as the characters
transform.
This is a pre-published
scene.
To read the
scenes sequentially, begin with
“PURSUIT: A
Novel – Prologue”
You will find
the previous episodes in the monthly archives. Click on them and enjoy.
Your comments
are welcomed and appreciated. Simply check one of the reaction boxes below,
write a comment, or email me at bycambridge@gmail.com.
This novel is a
work of fiction. Any references to real events, businesses, organizations, and
locales are intended only to give the fiction a sense of reality and
authenticity. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely
coincidental.
v v v
No comments:
Post a Comment