glad you two finally figured it out.”
“Took us awhile.”
“True, but it’s worth the wait. I’m a firm believer in love,” Charlie said. “I married my best friend thirty years ago, and I never regretted it. Not one day.”
“Well, you know how things ended for my parents,” Steve said. The pause that followed left him feeling a little weighted down.
“Yeah.” Charlie patted him on the arm. “I used to feel really bad about the fact that your dad didn’t stick around. But your mom did a great job of handling things on her own. And she found love in her later years, so all’s well that end’s well, right?”
“True.” Steve swallowed hard, as if he could somehow force away the negative images his father had left behind. “But I have to admit that watching the way my parents’ relationship played out has definitely kept me from being able to express myself. I guess that’s why it took me so long to finally let Amy know how I felt.”
“Oh, you’ve told her, have you?” Charlie grinned. “I was wondering why she’s been beaming for the past few days. Must have something to do with that.”
“Yes, well…” Steve thought about his response. He hadn’t exactly opened up and shared his heart with Amy, not in full. Sure, he’d told her that she had star quality. That she was center stage in his thoughts. And he’d kissed her. They were off to a good start. But getting to the crux of things—telling her that he’d fallen so hard he couldn’t think straight when she was around—well, he hadn’t done that yet. Hopefully soon.
“Don’t feel bad about the fact that you’re a little gun-shy,” Charlie said. “That’s nothing new in Camelot. The real king Arthur found it hard to express his feelings too. He hid out in the woods before marrying Guinevere, you know.”
“Yes, I was just telling Amy that story.” Steve paused, reflecting on Charlie’s words. “It’s funny, listening to you talk about Arthur like he was real. You don’t really think he existed, do you?”
“Of course I do. And just for the record, I think he needed to be a little more assertive with the woman he loved. That’s why he lost her to Lancelot, you know. Lack of assertiveness. A man needs to be ready to lay down his life for the woman he loves. But first he’s got to let her know that she’s adored.”
“The woman he loves?” Steve smiled as he contemplated the possibilities of that statement. “I do wonder sometimes what it would be like to marry a girl like Amy. Only problem is, we’re so different. Can you even imagine how chaotic it would be?”
“Nothing wrong with a little chaos.” Charlie grinned. “And just so you know, God made people different on purpose. The greater the contrast, the more brilliant the painting. I’d say there’s a lot of contrast between you and Amy. She sees it too. I’m sure of it. But I’m pretty sure she likes what she sees.”
“I know I do.” Steve did his best not to grin. Still, he did like what he saw when he looked at Amy—and all the more as time went on.
Charlie navigated a bend in the road, nearly veering off into a ravine as he paused to point to the east. “Speaking of liking what you see…” He went off into a story about the contrast of colors in Tennessee’s landscape and how great it was to live in Tennessee. “Either your heart connects with the beauty of Tennessee or it doesn’t,” Charlie said. “But I’ll tell you, it does something to this old heart of mine.”
“Amy’s the same way,” Steve said. “She’s always had a fascination with the changing of the seasons. Guess she got that from you.”
“Seasons.” Charlie sighed. “Been through a few of those in my own life.” He paused and appeared to be deep in thought. “You know, if you visit Tennessee just before the changing of the leaves, you feel cheated. Being there in the middle of it is like a gift—a second chance at life. A reprieve from the doctor after a
“Took us awhile.”
“True, but it’s worth the wait. I’m a firm believer in love,” Charlie said. “I married my best friend thirty years ago, and I never regretted it. Not one day.”
“Well, you know how things ended for my parents,” Steve said. The pause that followed left him feeling a little weighted down.
“Yeah.” Charlie patted him on the arm. “I used to feel really bad about the fact that your dad didn’t stick around. But your mom did a great job of handling things on her own. And she found love in her later years, so all’s well that end’s well, right?”
“True.” Steve swallowed hard, as if he could somehow force away the negative images his father had left behind. “But I have to admit that watching the way my parents’ relationship played out has definitely kept me from being able to express myself. I guess that’s why it took me so long to finally let Amy know how I felt.”
“Oh, you’ve told her, have you?” Charlie grinned. “I was wondering why she’s been beaming for the past few days. Must have something to do with that.”
“Yes, well…” Steve thought about his response. He hadn’t exactly opened up and shared his heart with Amy, not in full. Sure, he’d told her that she had star quality. That she was center stage in his thoughts. And he’d kissed her. They were off to a good start. But getting to the crux of things—telling her that he’d fallen so hard he couldn’t think straight when she was around—well, he hadn’t done that yet. Hopefully soon.
“Don’t feel bad about the fact that you’re a little gun-shy,” Charlie said. “That’s nothing new in Camelot. The real king Arthur found it hard to express his feelings too. He hid out in the woods before marrying Guinevere, you know.”
“Yes, I was just telling Amy that story.” Steve paused, reflecting on Charlie’s words. “It’s funny, listening to you talk about Arthur like he was real. You don’t really think he existed, do you?”
“Of course I do. And just for the record, I think he needed to be a little more assertive with the woman he loved. That’s why he lost her to Lancelot, you know. Lack of assertiveness. A man needs to be ready to lay down his life for the woman he loves. But first he’s got to let her know that she’s adored.”
“The woman he loves?” Steve smiled as he contemplated the possibilities of that statement. “I do wonder sometimes what it would be like to marry a girl like Amy. Only problem is, we’re so different. Can you even imagine how chaotic it would be?”
“Nothing wrong with a little chaos.” Charlie grinned. “And just so you know, God made people different on purpose. The greater the contrast, the more brilliant the painting. I’d say there’s a lot of contrast between you and Amy. She sees it too. I’m sure of it. But I’m pretty sure she likes what she sees.”
“I know I do.” Steve did his best not to grin. Still, he did like what he saw when he looked at Amy—and all the more as time went on.
Charlie navigated a bend in the road, nearly veering off into a ravine as he paused to point to the east. “Speaking of liking what you see…” He went off into a story about the contrast of colors in Tennessee’s landscape and how great it was to live in Tennessee. “Either your heart connects with the beauty of Tennessee or it doesn’t,” Charlie said. “But I’ll tell you, it does something to this old heart of mine.”
“Amy’s the same way,” Steve said. “She’s always had a fascination with the changing of the seasons. Guess she got that from you.”
“Seasons.” Charlie sighed. “Been through a few of those in my own life.” He paused and appeared to be deep in thought. “You know, if you visit Tennessee just before the changing of the leaves, you feel cheated. Being there in the middle of it is like a gift—a second chance at life. A reprieve from the doctor after a
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