Page 96 of The Singer Behind the Wire
but behind the clouds, it’s blue.
Lovely days will come
soon for me and you.
The melody wraps around me like a blanket of comfort and safety. And then it happens—a memory, so clear and vivid. The two of us talking about forever, a swing beneath a tree, stars covering the sky over our farm, our quiet, peaceful place to call our own. The song she’s singing comes back to me all at once, filling my soul. I interrupt her with a whisper, my voice joining hers:
Keep me in your dreams,
and I’ll come to you each night.
Hold me in your arms
until the morning light.
Ella’s voice falters, her breath catching on the last word as she presses her cheek to my chest. “You remember the words,” she says, as a tear falls to my arm.
“I do remember,” I tell her, my voice cracking. “I remember you, my darling Ella, and now I know you’re a beautiful singer, too.”
“No, no I’m not,” she says, her breath catching in her throat.
“Don’t be so humble,” I tell her, words that fire through me as a memory of one of our first conversations.
“Humble,” she whispers, closing her eyes and smiling.
The melody lingers in the air as I hold her, swaying back and forth. The music between us, it’s a bridge of the past and future, leading us to a fresh beginning—the life we fought for, a love worth living for, and hope that will never die. From the moment I laid eyes on her, I knew she would be the reason I would keep breathing and searching for the sun in the sky. She saved methe first day she saw me, and she kept on saving me—against all odds. No matter the risk.
For her, I would fight any battle, like she’s done for me. In my heart, I always knew that one day, our love would be strong enough to pull us back together. To survive for.
The Beginning.
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