| The Song- continued "I haven't played it for Alex yet, but I'll bet he's going to love it," Niall continued. "You should be thankful I thought up that song! We don't have to beg off old groceries from your boss any more! Ever since I had that flash of genius, we've been living the sweet life! Don't get mad at me just 'cause you're jealous!" Lorie nodded gravely, then left the room to start dinner. Making it a completely different song wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, she thought angrily. The song sounded like a nursery rhyme. As a matter of fact, it closely resembled "Rock-a-bye Baby." She sighed and starting pulling out some chicken pieces from the freezer. Now that Niall had become so popular, she almost wished she could take the song back. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lorie walked in the door after a hard day at work, bits of food stuck to her apron, sweat staining her temples. What she wanted more than anything in the world was to take a long soak in the tub for a few years. Instead Niall gripped her shoulders and pushed her down on the sofa, sitting across from her on the coffee table with his guitar in his hands. "Got a new one," he announced. "Niall, couldn't this wait until-" "No! You have to listen to this now!" He bent over the strings and began playing. "Set your heart, set your heart in mine... I want to love you, put your hand in mine... Take my heart, take my heart... Love it with your heart... With your heart love my heart..." Lorie frowned. "Niall, it sounds like all your words are kind of monotonous. Can't you think of anything that rhymes with 'heart'?" "No. There isn't anything." "Yes there is," she insisted. "Like 'apart.' Or cart, or dart, or mart, or start-" "Or fart," he shot back rudely, "but none of them fit in the song. This song is about love." "I know that," she replied wearily. "But you could sing it like 'take my heart, take my heart, don't tear us apart' instead of using the same word over and over." "What would you know?" He sneered. "I'm the musician. I'm the reason we have all we have! You wouldn't understand. You've never written a song in your life!" Suddenly Lorie couldn't take it any more. She jumped to her feet. "Yes, I have!" she shouted. "I've written lots of songs, and they're better than the ones you make up." "I'll bet," he snorted, getting up, himself. "Yeah!" Lorie could feel her control slipping. "I've written lots of songs! Like that precious rose song that you were such a genius to 'think up'!" He took a step back, blanching. "You're wrong," he said uncertainly. "Oh, really? When you said you 'dreamed it', it's because I played it over and over while you were asleep, and it sank into your head! It's because I was so sorry for you that I didn't tell you the truth when I woke up the next morning and you were so excited. You thought you were so brilliant, but in truth, your songs all stink!" Her blazing satisfaction at scoring a real hit was short-lived. Niall's face was frozen in shock. All the color in his cheeks had receded. His eyes were almost as wide as his mouth. Suddenly he turned on his heel and disappeared out the front door, slamming it behind him. She jumped at the sound, then stood staring at that door, as if it would make Niall reappear. Several minutes passed, and then Lorie's knees wobbled, and she fell back onto the couch, shaking, covering her face with her hands. If she was supposed to feel so much better now that the truth was out, why were hot tears slipping from between the cracks in her fingers? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lorie waited up for hours, sitting up in bed with the lamp on, staring at their closed bedroom door, willing it to open and for Niall to grin and step through as if nothing had happened. But he didn't. She lay back on the pillows, feeling an ache in her throat and a burning behind her eyes. She closed her eyelids and willed the tears away, stiffening her whole body. She awoke when she felt the heavy weight of Niall's body settle in beside her. Continue |