| 28. More than Life 1:18 pm Paul and Meg were sound asleep in each other�s arms in the back of the plane. A slight jarring of the plane caused Paul to stir from his deep slumber. For a moment, he had forgotten where he was. Then he could smell the scent of mint and lavender�and he knew he was blessed. She�s alive and we�re together�what more could you want? To be with her forever. He was shaken by the thought, a foreign one to him. Sure he�d wondered what it would be like to be with her, but forever? Now that he was with her, the concept of forever seemed so near, so�right. The prospect intrigued him, but he pushed it in the back of his mind. Still, it nagged him. Think about it, spending the rest of your life�or hers�together. Paul remembered what the doctors had said about her cancer. She would live five years after she entered remission. Five years that began today. My God�that�s all she�s got. I can�t imagine living in this world without her. I�d rather die, too. Dude, I can truly say I love her more than life. Maybe it�s a sign that I shouldn�t let these five years go to waste. Paul looked out a window. Is this what God wants: me to give my all to a woman who�s got five years to live? I�d do it in a second. He sighed. I guess it�s now or never. 29. Homecoming 3:15 pm "You'll love my dad-he's amazing." "Doesn't he play piano, too?" "Yep. Y'all automatically have something to talk about." "Good, good." Meg knocked on the door to her parents' elaborate three-story home. Nothing. "Weird," she muttered. Finally, the door opened. A thin, middle-aged brunette in tights opened the door. Meg's jaw dropped. "Mom?" she stammered. "What are you doing here?" "I�I had some time off and I'm in remission, so-" "Good for you," Beth said coldly. Her eyes lowered at the dismissal, but she persisted. "So, I heard you're dancing again." "Don't act like nothing's happened, Eve. You left and now because of your selfishness, my marriage is breaking up." Her eyes darted over to Paul. "Who's the lucky fellow?" she asked venomously. "This is my boyfriend Paul." He extended his hand. "Nice to meet you." When she didn't offer hers, he sheepishly withdrew it. "You told your father his name was Chad," she objected, trying to intimidate him. "Well, Chad couldn't handle the fact that I was hurting and I needed someone there for me." Meg swallowed. "Kinda like yourself." "You didn't have to leave, you know. You ruined everything for yourself and me. We had it made." "You had it made, Mom. And you didn't have to sleep with Dad. Face it, Mom, you're better off without me." "I figured that our a long time ago," Beth said angrily, walking toward her car in the driveway. "Hey, Mom." "What?" Meg swallowed. "You ask Dad if I ruined his life, alright?" Her cheeks flushed red. "I can only hope I never see you again." She got in the car and slammed the door. "Turn on the radio, Mom!" Meg yelled as the car sped away. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, a voice cried from above them, "Whoa! Go Meg!" Meg and Paul looked up and backed away from the door. "Daddy?" "I've been dying to say that for a month now!" a gray-haired man said, poking his head out a window. Meg laughed, "Well it's a darn good thing someone did, eh?" "Of course! You and Paul come on up; we'll chat!" The two darted into the house and hurried up two flights of stairs to the room where her father had been. "Daddy!" Meg ran into the arms of her awaiting father. Paul couldn't help but smile as the older man hugged his young daughter. "So this is the Paul I've heard so much about?" "Yes sir!" Paul said, shaking his hand. "Paul Sterling." "Garrett Whitley. Nice to meet you, Paul." From there on, Garrett took Meg's job of find them something to talk about. "I hear you play piano, too." "Yes, I've been playing for about seven years." "Really? I hear you're pretty good, too. I feel a jam session coming on." "Sounds good to me!" Paul laughed, surprised by Garrett's openness. "I'll leave you two alone," Meg interjected. "I'll get my things from the car and get settled in." Paul and Garrett walked down the hall and into a huge domed room. "This is the music room, the one room in this house my wife can't touch." "It's amazing." "You think so? Meg and I designed it when she was fifteen so she could rehearse more, but I've found lately that it's a great solace from my wife." He glanced over at Paul. "It's soundproof." He laughed. "That makes sense. It's a great room, though. Beautiful." Paul looked around the subtly elaborate room. It was ornately furnished with wood flooring and beige furniture with a huge grand piano in the center of the room. "Well, you're welcome to it at any time." Paul stopped. "I don't mean to be rude, but we've just met." "I know, I know. The thing is, you've made my Meg very, very happy. Why I've seen a smile on her face when she looks at you like I've never seen before. When we talk on the phone and she mentions you, her voice there's an audible lift in her tone she just goes on and on about you." He smiled. "Can I ask you a personal question, Garrett?" The older man shrugged. "Shoot." Paul swallowed. "I can't see me without her. I've never met anyone like Meg and I never will. I'm asking for your blessing for me to propose to her. I know she doesn't have much time left, but I don't want to miss a moment with her." Garrett smiled. "Well, m' boy, seeing as how you can't be without my daughter, and my daughter says she doesn't want to exist without you, I can't be unfair. Just by the way she looks at you and how she talks about you...you need each other. You have my blessing. In fact, I was hoping you'd ask her one of these days. But I guess it's now or never, huh?" Paul smiled. My thoughts exactly. |