Honeymoon Day Two!
Estimated reading time: 13 minutes, 22 secondsSwimming in a Waterfall
As Our Love Grows Stronger
“This is the gravel path that I walked down to the hostel’s office and had my unfortunate encounter with the German Shepard,” I said to Jan as we stood in the hostel parking lot. Even though it had been two years since that encounter, I felt uncomfortable and fidgety as I looked at the place where a dog had mauled me. Jan squeezed my hand and stepped in front of me to partially block the view. “I am so happy that you survived. I love you and know I could not live without you.”
I pulled her toward me and hugged and kissed her.
“I survived the fire the year before. I promised God that I would live a life of meaning and purpose….”
Jan nodded, and her lips covered my mouth with luscious kisses that only a bride could offer.
With each smooch, my mind and body drifted into a tranquil mood as I focused on the joy of our honeymoon. I could only focus on Jan and our future days and nights together.
I hugged Jan tighter and wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of the day in her arms.
We can keep kissing, or we can….
Jan’s latest kiss kept me from finishing my thought.
If you want to take a break, I would love to see the waterfall,” Jan purred.
We separated and walked hand-in-hand across the field.
“Once upon a time,” I stated while pointing out the cabins, “this was a honeymoon retreat.”
“Very small and a little outdated,” she responded as we looked in the window of one of the cottages.
I explained that I had shared it with seven pre-teen boys while I tried to rest after the dog bit me.
When we returned from the hospital, the boys rode their bikes down the hill. I had asked a woman staying with her daughter to watch the boys. She believed that letting them do what they wanted was OK.”
Jan shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.
“There were not many options, in retrospect she was probably not the best choice. The county police arrived and wanted to know who was in charge of the kids.”
I paused for a moment and then continued.
“When I told the contables I was, but the dog had bitten me and I had only now returned from the hospital, the officer forgot about the kids and went to see the manager and the dog. They did not speak to me after that. Boys that did not look like them were only an issue until they could harass a woman for not keeping her dog on a tighter leash.
After almost 48 years, I recently lost my wife, Jan Lilien. Like The Little Prince, Jan and I believed that “The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.” This blog is a collection of my random thoughts on love, grief, life, and all things considered.
What a beautiful love affair-you were lucky to have found each other.
What about this dog bite-were you okay? Did you have to have a shot?
Thanks, Sue, for your comment. Jan and I had a love that I always thought was like everyone else’s. Jan and I had our souls divided at birth, and finding each other allowed us to reunite our souls and have one soul, one love, now and forever.
Regarding the dog bite, I wrote about it in detail in Road Trippin in 1973. The dig bite was severe and could have been worse if I had listened to the hostel manager and accepted her plan to use band-aids.