Hot Blooded, Cold Hearted! by Carolyn Barber (reading a book .txt) 📕

We pulled into the driveway of a modern looking house on top of a hill in one of the nicer neighborhood's. "Nice house Morris" I commented feeling impressed. "My life savings!" he replied, "Come on, I'll give you the grand tour" he said opening the door to his home. We went room to room as he proudly showed me his kingdom. Everything was warm and tasteful. No frilly stuff, no excess, he was clearly a clean, neat and professional man. I admired his style. We sat in the living-room while he pushed a button on a remote and a fire in the fireplace suddenly came to life. "Very impressive!" I said raising an eyebrow. "Wait for it..." he said as he pushed another button and music flowed through speakers strategically placed around us. "Wow! I've got to get me one of those!" I said thoroughly impressed.

"Would you care for some wine?" he asked. "Sure, that would be nice, thank you" I said. He returned with two glasses of Chardonnay. "What should we drink to?" I asked. "Let's drink to love and nothing else. Just pure love" he said with sincerity in his voice. "Okay Morris, to pure love" I agreed as we clinked our glasses together. We talked for awhile as we drank our wine, enjoying each others conversation.

He was four years older than me, also young for his accomplishments. He was extremely handsome with his dark eyes, so warm and filled with fierce intelligence, even more pronounced with his head shaved. He wore a goat-tee and kept it neatly trimmed. He had the physique of a well toned athletic I found myself deeply attracted to him, wanting to get closer to him, I leaned over and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me back, passionately. I felt his hands glide over my gentle curves. In one swoop he picked me up, cradling me and took me to his bedroom. He set me on the floor next to his bed and slowly began undressing me. I unbuttoned his shirt and slid it down his powerfully definde arms. I laid back on his bed as he finished undressing, and then joined me. Together we explored each other, slowly, lovingly. I had never experienced love before, I felt myself wanting more. Without any reservation I gave myself to him. Nothing could have been more natural than being with him this way. In this moment, I felt I had regained my innocence and I realized without question that I truely loved him. Laying in the afterglow, he expressed that he had never experienced anything like that before and it has caused him to love me all the more. "Stay with me tonight, just sleep in my arms, I don't want to let you go" he whispered. "I don't want to go Morris, I just want to stay here like this forever" I replied. "Than it's settled, forever it is. I love you so much Penny" he said as he kissed my head. "I love you too Morris" I responded thoroughly meaning it. We both drifted off to sleep.

Weeks had flown by, Morris and I slept together every night, sometimes at his place, sometimes at mine. I had stopped going to work for the most part. It was just too grim. Finally I made the decision to resign. I had enough money saved to secure my future, so that wasn't an issue. Morris helped me decide it was best for me to enjoy living and not be reminded of death constantly. Soon after I had quit working completely, I realized my nightmares had stopped. I felt as though lying in Morris's arms was healing me, my sleep had become, for the first time in my life, blissful. 

The treatments were going well, occasionally leaving me feeling tired, but other than that I was doing fine. Morris always had some random thing planned that we would do together which always made our time together interesting. One night he woke me up at two in the morning. He made me put a coat on over my nightgown as he did the same over his pajamas's. We drove out to vista point which overlooked the city and the golden gate bridge. It was a clear, crisp night in February. The wind was chilly, but it felt invigorating as we walked along the path taking in the view. We found a private little area and with no one around we made love while the city shone before us and the stars twinkled above us. As we walked back along the pathway he stopped me. "Penny?" he said as I turned, "Yes?" I replied. "Do you love me?" he asked seriously. "You know I do Morris, I love you so much it hurts!" I said with deep emotion. He pulled something out of his coat pocket, "Then will you marry me?" he asked as he opened a little black velvet box exposing a diamond wedding ring. I looked up at him with tears in my eyes, "Nothing would make me happier than to be your wife!" I said as the tears flowed down. He put the ring on my finger and it fit perfectly. He grabbed me up and twirled me around. "God, I love you so much! Thank you baby, I'm going to be the best husband ever!" he said and then kissed me. I knew he would be, Morris was the most amazing person I had ever known. 

I couldn't wait to tell Buck the good news. Morris and I had grown quite fond of him over the weeks as we shared the same appointment time five days a week. The three of us went out to lunch after our treatment several times where we had the opportunity to get to know him really well. No one would be happier for us than Buck, he had been encouraging us all along to take a chance on love. Not that he ever came out and said it, but he did through his funny stories about him and his wife.

Morris and I showed up for the fourth appointment for that week, as we walked in Buck hadn't arrived yet. This immediately made me feel uneasy, every time I had come in he was there waiting. Every time except today. I looked at the receptionist, the look on her face told me something was wrong. "Where is he?" I asked dreading what she was going to tell me. I felt Morris hold onto me. "I'm sorry Penny, Buck left us last night" she said in a very sad tone. "Noooo! No, no, no, oh Morris" I cried hiding myself against his chest. He held on to me hard, rubbing my back, trying to soothe me. "Shhh, shhh, it's okay Penny, he's with his wife now, he wasn't afraid remember?" he reminded me of the conversation when we had first met him. He pulled me back and held my face in his hands, "There both in the place I told you about, where there's no pain, no sorrow, only joy. Their basking in the light of our maker right now, feeling nothing but love, pure love, it's okay baby" he said comforting me. I thought about the two of them together in the heaven Morris described and a gentle peace came over me. "I love you Morris. One day, that will be us, forever" I said as I dried my tears with the hanky Morris gave me. "That's right, they'll be more love than we'll know what to do with" he said. I pulled myself together enough to go into my radiation therapy. So very thankful I wouldn't die with hate in my heart, instead my heart would be overfilled with love.

I had finished my six weeks of radiation therapy with great success. Dr. Yoshida was ecstatic with the test results, the cancer was under control enough for me to carry on normally. Together, we had bought me a good solid five-year prognosis. Dr. Yosida gave me all the credit, but I couldn't have done it without my team supporting me the whole way. Dr. Shaffer insisted that my success was due to my fiestiness. I believe my success came from the one thing that I had always feared the most...love. And like Buck, I too was no longer afraid of death. I made a deal, that I would live a great life with Morris every minute I was here, and when death comes for me, I won't fight it, I'll be waiting with open arms for my Morris one fine day.

Morris and I married and enjoyed our life together as man and wife. He had taken me into his kingdom and made me his queen. We had six wonderful, beautiful years together. In the end, as I drew my last final breaths with Morris by my side, I realized how blessed I was to have loved the man who showed me what true love was. 

1 Corinthians 13 

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trust, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.