The Colonel's Day vs. the Parson's Day
"It's simply not true, John. I know you are involved in this super, secret life of protecting our country, but please, it can't be all terrorists planning to bomb the local Burbank Buy More, can it?"
The woman speaking poured a cup of fresh brewed coffee and set it in front of her companion, who grunted his thanks and looked up at her intently.
She sat down opposite from him, and knotted her bathrobe tighter around her tummy, clutching her mug tightly in her hands. She tried not to let him know how upset his callous statement about "why, your day could not be as bad as my day", but unfortunately, the single tear that slid down her face would not be stopped.
She heard his sharp intent of breathe, and then his large, calloused hands covered hers and lowered the mug to the table. He slid his chair closer, and tilted her face up so he could see her chocolate eyes.
He was worried. His intense, gloriously blue eyes that first had attracted her were full concern and deep love. He has not seen his woman this sad for many months, and he knew his barbed quip has done much to soothe his own ego, but little to soothe her broken heart. He raised her hands to his lips and kissed them gently, like so many time before. He traced the tear and wiped it from her lips, and he searched her face closely.
"Annie..." he paused, and took a deep breath in to try and gather his words correctly. "I'm sorry, dear, sweet, Annie. I've done it again." He withdrew his hands, stood quickly, and turned his back to her, placed his hands on the kitchen sink, and bowed his head. He looked up and watched Chuck Bartowski and his girl friend, Sarah Walker, leave their apartment, across the courtyard, hand in hand. Sarah was laughing, at some moronic joke of Chuck's, the Colonel was sure. But the pure joy he saw in his fellow spies drove the knife deeper in his own, often perceived, cold heart. He determined to make this right with his woman.
He turned swiftly, and before Annie could stop him, he knelt beside the table, gathered her into his arms, and at his touch, she burst out sobbing.
"Dear God, Annie, what have I done? The most important woman in my life, the most important thing in my heart, I have not honored you and your gifts of love today." He pulled her from his chest and brushed a lock of hair from her wet eyes. She still would not look at him, and he tilted her head up, and at the pain he saw, his jaw clenched tightly.
"John, I love you. I admire you so much. You are the greatest gift God has given to me since my John passed on. But what I do is important, who I am is important, too. I want you to respect me as much as I do you." Annie clutched the lapels of his hideously green Buy More shirt tightly, and continued to try to speak between her gasps.
"What you do is important, I get it." She took his right hand, and turned it over to caress the gun callouses she found there. He found himself frowning at the apparent discrepancy in the between the intensity of her words, and her touch of gentle love. She then grasped his left hand and slowly encircled his Marine ring on his third finger. "I will never have to stare down the barrel of a Taliban rifle, or try and dispose of a stinking, Commie despot like Goyas.
The Colonel barked out a soft laugh, and he moved even closer to her and laid his head down on her lap. She caressed the beautiful brown curls at the nape of his neck like she had done the first time they met, in the family cabin in Capital Forest.
"The Lord knows I do not know the feeling of making split decisions as to whether the spy I am meeting is going to shoot me or invite me over for sizzling shrimp." Again the Colonel gave a short laugh, but was instantly quieted when she forced his head up and looked directly into the face of the man she pledged her vows to.
"But you do not know the depth of ache I feel when someone I have poured hours and hours of counseling time into, ups and leave our church family, and he won't tell us why. And you cannot understand the longing and tears I shed for a young man whose stupid decisions act like one of Sarah's many knives shredding the very core of the hearts of his incredibly caring parents. And you can never know that I die a little each day when one of our church members die, and when I hold the hand of a cancer ridden child."
By this time, Annie's voice had risen and her body begin to shake with the anger that was forthcoming. As she continued she began to rise up from the chair, releasing the contact she has with the Colonel.
"John Casey, I swear, if I have to listen one more to the ravings of an alcoholic, or drug addict, or sex fiend say it wasn't his fault, I will personally take your Sig Sauer and blow their man parts to kingdom come. Oh, Lord, what have I said? I really am a horrible pastor." She collapsed back into the chair, and put her face into her hand.
The kitchen was deadly silent, except for Annie struggling to catch her breath. Casey stood up, looming over his distraught wife. And then he bumped her gently with his hip, until she looked up. His lips were twitching, and he said quietly, "blow their man parts off, huh?"
Annie hiccuped and nodded enthusiastically. "Yep." she gulped. "Every last man and every last man part." She looked up at her husband, and her trembling began to settle down.
"Well, Parson, that I can respect." Casey's eyes were twinkling, as he folded his arms across his massive chest, his Buy More shirt darkened by several patches of her wet tears. "That I can respect."
Parson Annie Casey launched herself upward toward Colonel John Casey, N.S.A.'s top agent, and planted a wet and salty kiss fully on his lips. He groaned, his tongue demanding entrance, and as she opened her mouth, he attacked her tongue, brushing her teeth, trying to pour all his love and all his apologies into that kiss. Grasping her waist, he pulled her to him, striving to convey his need to protect and cherish this woman who had engrained herself into his very breath. He broke the kiss reluctantly, but cupped her face into his hands, and forehead to forehead, they moved together.
"You are right, my beloved, I will never understand the importance of what you do, but today, this moment, I vow again to love, honor, and cherish you above all of what I deem important. I will lay down my pride, my ego every day for you, and with God's help, and God, You know I need Your help, I will strive to value who this woman is and what she does." Casey closed his eyes, shuddering slightly at the thought of losing her not to guns or bombs or knives but to his stubborn pride. He opened his eyes, and searched hers for signs of forgiveness.
What he saw amazed him. Annie's face, though streaked with tears, was almost radiant, a full grin on her lips. She swapped him playfully on his arms, and stepped back.
"Colonel John Casey." she barked out. Instantly, Casey stood at full attention.
"If you ever forget that promise, I will personally see to it that you remember I have wished to shoot various man parts off, unofficially, that is, and since you are a man... a incredibly sexy, fully equipped man" she paused for effect.
"Yes, ma'am, yes." Casey answered her crisply.
"Well, soldier, we will leave it at that." Annie giggled, reached up to kiss her husband once more and hand him his sack lunch.
Casey saluted his wife, gave a clean, swift, turn about and headed for the front door, just as the door bell rang. He pulled the door open quickly, and Chuck fell into the room. Casey grunted as he reached to steady his asset.
"Watch your man parts, moron, around my wife." Casey whispered loudly and strolled past Sarah and into the courtyard. They both gaped at Casey, and turned to look at their pastor. She stood at the sink, her face still wet with tears, but this time they were streaming out of her eyes as she struggled with her laughter.
"Don't you just love that man?" She asked and kept right on trying to control her giggles.
"Bartowksi," Casey's voice boomed across the courtyard. "We're late for work. Move it".
Chuck hastily stole a kiss from Sarah and ran after the big man. Sarah turned to Annie, who by now was refreshing her cup of coffee and beaconing Sarah to come in.
Sarah giggled too, closing the front door, and pulling a chair out to sit. "Annie, you have got to tell me how you and John keep a good marriage going."
"Oh, Sarah," Annie clapped her hands as she explained.
"A little bit of laughter, a little bit of tears, and a whole lot of forgiveness."
The End
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