Echoes of a Confident Heart

Over the weekend I went out to Ste. Rose to purchase some art. One of the pictures by Chantal Pepin caught my eye. The painter asked me what was the story behind the painting, and for her, and for you, here it is.

There are some things worth driving all night for…

I had been gone the whole week, and the last day had stretched all afternoon… I told her to go to bed and I would be the one crawling in with her sometime in the early morning… She told me to drive safely and I assured her that I had not died on her yet, and with her waiting for me at the other end of the drive, would not die this time… We blew each other tele-kisses and I started the drive.

In the early morning hours, I closed the door as silently as possible, hung up my coat and started to tip toe upstairs when a light in the living room caught my eye… I figured she must have left it on and went in with a smile to turn it off for the night.

Curled up in the soft reading chair, dressed In the purple teddy that she said made her feel sexy, she slept. I moved slowly over beside her and just sat on the floor looking up at her. I noticed the soft breathing, and the way a fallen strand of hair moved with each breath, in then out. I do not know if I had been as much in love ever as I was during that vigil. I did not move, for the moment was perfection, a vivid reason for my love. I wished I were a great painter so that I could catch the moment and everyone could see the love implicit in that gentle act.

One eye opened, just the tinyest bit, and I did not move. Then she shut it again and sighed deeply. About 10 seconds later both eyes came wide open, all of a sudden, and she bounced out of the chair and flung here arms around me.

I just held on, not too sure what the words were, but extremely sure what they meant, to her, and to me…

She jumped up and became very practical. “Do you want me to fix you something? Are you tired? Are you hungry?”

I smiled and said no, the I was just happy to be here, in her arms, home…

She held out a hand, pulled me up to a gentle kiss, and led me upstairs.