"In any case... Gilbert smiles with one side of his mouth...I'm certain that once again you will awe 3x ...lab coat propped open...With your intellect...waist cocked between thumb and forefinger........
He is calling her name.
Yes sir?
Was that a yawn?
Sir? I don't think so.
You don't know whether you were yawning?
I. I guess I was.
Guess. "
'Schooling' Heather McGowan.
JUST LIKE THIS TRAIN
"You know I realized, after you were gone that we never did get in any kissing in today did we?" , Dimitri smiled as he drew Grace into his arms in his kitchen. No radio, no cds, not even a old LP. Just August and Grace. It was late, dark. Evening.
"I wasn't sure you noticed that" Grace said in an even voice looking back at him and suddenly feeling nervous. Not even sure why. He started to kiss her lips softly before letting out the breath he was holding in rasply.
"I notice everything."
"Narcissis.", Grace teased. August began to shake and laugh gently, "Okay". He stepped back a pace, "I read your story that you left me and it was [he wanted to choose the right word]-- it was nothing like I thought it would be. It was complete. Completely, precisly [he continued on..] , exactly how it had to be. Beautiful."
Grace, "Really". Grace is completely blown away. She had known it was good but August had always found something wanting in all the previous drafts. This wasn't the only story she worked on, there were plenty she had completed - even seen published sporadically, that August had been decently satisfied with - but this was the story. The one from last year. The one she gave a term of her life to, and that she gave him.
Dimitri moved closer again taking her hands in his, "so I guess it wasn't all for naught."
"Even though the last draft you said was so bad, you like totally let it flutter away from your hands ...", Grace took the heavy manuscript held with a small black clip that he had moved to pick up off the counter and handed to her, "You let it fall in that mud puddle, remember? And I was ready to murder you--" Grace traced the cover pages lightly with her finger than put the papers down near her bag that was close to the door.
"Uh huh"
"--Then you said , 'hey it could almost be like napalm now!'--"
Dimitri chuckled, "And you didn't know what napalm was-"
"Shut up!"
But Dimitri continued on, "And you were absolutely infuriated because you had no idea what was going to come next." He looked at her cautiously, cause there really was something behind it all. Her story was beautiful and in a way it had decided for him something that had been in the back of his mind for could it be days, weeks, - certainly not any longer than that? No. Decidedly no. This would be the first time this would ever happen to him, it had never happened anywhere else yet anyway. Not to him.
Dimitri suddenly serious, quietly spoke, "Grace."
Grace stopped with the giddy, endorphined overload drug of love that engulfed all senses. Maybe chemists didn't lie when they came out with that theory that love and attraction were in large part based on scent, blame it on the pheromones. Because whenever they got together something uniquely mysterious happened. But Grace looking over at August now, he was just looking at her. Not staring just looking. His pale orange eyelashes flicked for a moment. He was certainly contemplating something.
August gave an audible breathe then, "This is just something I was thinking of just throwing out there. Sort of like an open forum--"
"Okay", Grace offered.
"Did you know that 'destiny'- that wonderful word which, well forordains a course of events or person's fate- is actually at the root of the word destination. Destination is a wonderful word in itself though. It's like a place to which a person or thing is bound. The intended end of a journey-"
"August".
"Grace, please I've given this some serious thought and-"
"Oh my god." Grace put her hand to her mouth. She was smiling but all she could do was hold her hand there.
Dimitri echoed the thought, as if it occured to both. "My God."
Grace removed her hand, "If you say don't laugh at me, I will just die." But August did start to laugh and his eyes were disturbingly becoming moister than he wanted.
"Grace-"
"I know" And she was not crying, nor elated, nor anything there is a word for. I'm searching for a word. She was honored. Because from the pocket of August's chocolate brown corduroy jacket he had brought his hand. And as his hands reached and held hers... Because now after all that had passed they didn't have to pull their hands apart as if jolted anymore. Because there was no guilt. His hand held a ring. And her fingers, lovely, gentle gracefully (a combination of grace and honor..hmm) took the ring up.
"Grace, I never expected this. And I will never know for sure exactly what happened but I - "
"I know," she almost whispered.
"I know you do"
He is calling her name.
Yes sir?
Was that a yawn?
Sir? I don't think so.
You don't know whether you were yawning?
I. I guess I was.
Guess. "
'Schooling' Heather McGowan.
JUST LIKE THIS TRAIN
"You know I realized, after you were gone that we never did get in any kissing in today did we?" , Dimitri smiled as he drew Grace into his arms in his kitchen. No radio, no cds, not even a old LP. Just August and Grace. It was late, dark. Evening.
"I wasn't sure you noticed that" Grace said in an even voice looking back at him and suddenly feeling nervous. Not even sure why. He started to kiss her lips softly before letting out the breath he was holding in rasply.
"I notice everything."
"Narcissis.", Grace teased. August began to shake and laugh gently, "Okay". He stepped back a pace, "I read your story that you left me and it was [he wanted to choose the right word]-- it was nothing like I thought it would be. It was complete. Completely, precisly [he continued on..] , exactly how it had to be. Beautiful."
Grace, "Really". Grace is completely blown away. She had known it was good but August had always found something wanting in all the previous drafts. This wasn't the only story she worked on, there were plenty she had completed - even seen published sporadically, that August had been decently satisfied with - but this was the story. The one from last year. The one she gave a term of her life to, and that she gave him.
Dimitri moved closer again taking her hands in his, "so I guess it wasn't all for naught."
"Even though the last draft you said was so bad, you like totally let it flutter away from your hands ...", Grace took the heavy manuscript held with a small black clip that he had moved to pick up off the counter and handed to her, "You let it fall in that mud puddle, remember? And I was ready to murder you--" Grace traced the cover pages lightly with her finger than put the papers down near her bag that was close to the door.
"Uh huh"
"--Then you said , 'hey it could almost be like napalm now!'--"
Dimitri chuckled, "And you didn't know what napalm was-"
"Shut up!"
But Dimitri continued on, "And you were absolutely infuriated because you had no idea what was going to come next." He looked at her cautiously, cause there really was something behind it all. Her story was beautiful and in a way it had decided for him something that had been in the back of his mind for could it be days, weeks, - certainly not any longer than that? No. Decidedly no. This would be the first time this would ever happen to him, it had never happened anywhere else yet anyway. Not to him.
Dimitri suddenly serious, quietly spoke, "Grace."
Grace stopped with the giddy, endorphined overload drug of love that engulfed all senses. Maybe chemists didn't lie when they came out with that theory that love and attraction were in large part based on scent, blame it on the pheromones. Because whenever they got together something uniquely mysterious happened. But Grace looking over at August now, he was just looking at her. Not staring just looking. His pale orange eyelashes flicked for a moment. He was certainly contemplating something.
August gave an audible breathe then, "This is just something I was thinking of just throwing out there. Sort of like an open forum--"
"Okay", Grace offered.
"Did you know that 'destiny'- that wonderful word which, well forordains a course of events or person's fate- is actually at the root of the word destination. Destination is a wonderful word in itself though. It's like a place to which a person or thing is bound. The intended end of a journey-"
"August".
"Grace, please I've given this some serious thought and-"
"Oh my god." Grace put her hand to her mouth. She was smiling but all she could do was hold her hand there.
Dimitri echoed the thought, as if it occured to both. "My God."
Grace removed her hand, "If you say don't laugh at me, I will just die." But August did start to laugh and his eyes were disturbingly becoming moister than he wanted.
"Grace-"
"I know" And she was not crying, nor elated, nor anything there is a word for. I'm searching for a word. She was honored. Because from the pocket of August's chocolate brown corduroy jacket he had brought his hand. And as his hands reached and held hers... Because now after all that had passed they didn't have to pull their hands apart as if jolted anymore. Because there was no guilt. His hand held a ring. And her fingers, lovely, gentle gracefully (a combination of grace and honor..hmm) took the ring up.
"Grace, I never expected this. And I will never know for sure exactly what happened but I - "
"I know," she almost whispered.
"I know you do"