23 Oct

The Magic Lamppost

Remember that time when we decided to meet by the lamppost. And you said which one? And I said, the magic one. And you said okay and walked away to class, and later we met by the lamppost and kissed?

You knew which lamppost was the magic one even though none of them were magic. And I knew how to kiss you even though I’d never kissed a girl before.

And later, when we graduated, and I took you down to the lake and you said yes before I proposed, I couldn’t speak because I was so happy. Do you remember that? I never got a chance to ask the question.

We got married, we got jobs, we had our first baby, we moved, we had a second baby. We never had a clue what we were doing. But somehow we always found our way.

I loved every minute of it.

Nowadays, I wake before dawn. The sky is clear with winter’s approach, and the stars are as bright as they ever were. My bones ache and the bed is cold, so I walk in the dark to the kitchen and put the kettle on the old gas range. I watch the blue light flare and hold my hands to its warmth. And in the glow of that first flame, I think about magic lampposts and your silvery touch.

I miss you, my love.

But I trust you’ll know where to meet.

10 thoughts on “The Magic Lamppost

  1. Wow! In a few short paragraphs you can take this scene and make me cry with your words. This is a lovely short story. You are quite gifted.

  2. Pingback: Olly, Olly, Oxen Free | Jamie Heiden Photography

  3. .. a most beautiful and touching story! Found the link on Jamie’s stream on flickr. Just read you lived in Quito… I grew up there… and my brother is still living there with his family.
    best wishes
    Rafaela

  4. Fabulous story, so beautiful & emotional.
    I viewed on Jamie’s amazing flickr stream. 🙂

  5. I too saw this on Jamie’s stream. The words are amazing and a perfect match for her image. Talent abounds in your family. 🙂

  6. So beautiful, the image and the words. You made me cry. I lost my husband to cancer. I hope he knows to meet me under the magic lamppost. Thank you.

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