|
12
Years Makes a Difference FREE
Romantic Fiction Online provided
by PneumaSender |
|||
|
A Subtle
Shift Chapter 20 The
next year went by swiftly, except for the sleepless
nights that Christa spent thinking about Patrick. Whenever he wrote, she
found herself falling into a funk for a while. At first, the sadness had
lasted for days, but eventually, she realized that his letters should bring
her joy. Later, she began to concentrate on the fact that this was one way
she could communicate her thoughts without the tension that being face to
face brought to them. So she began to formulate questions and statements that
she wanted him to consider before their next meeting. As
she thought about the future, she decided they should start talking about
their spiritual views, since marriage was way off in the distance, but their
faith affected their lives now. One idea she had was that they read a book
together, discussing the ideas in their letters. When she asked him about
that, he agreed. It worked out great, and sparked some interesting debates
between them, though they couldn't always agree on the book. This
gave them some experience with disagreement, since there was nothing she
could argue about when he stood right in front of her. The debates also kept
their relationship dynamic. The mere sight of him made her want to change her
mind about anything, just as long as he might smile at her with those sparkling
eyes, but by mail he could tell her exactly what he thought. It was fun. Their
phone conversations, on the other hand, were another form of torture, just
like face to face meetings. She found herself asking him questions, mostly so
that she could glory in the sound of his voice. Everything about him seemed
perfect during these talks. Their brief conversations were the glue that held
the rest of her world together. Still, they couldn't talk often. Their bills
were already too high, and though he begged her not to call--to let him bear
the cost of their conversations, she sometimes found herself unable to hold
back. One day she found herself staring at his picture and just missing him
so much. "Patrick,
I only called to say I love you--I don't want to take up too many
minutes." That conversation lasted two hours. It didn't make her parents
laugh, but she chuckled and thought it was glorious that those three
all-important words could stretch so long. Still, she decided not to abuse
the privilege. However, doing it and thinking it was not the same thing. Eventually,
Christa wrote to Patrick that she would not call him anymore. "I'm
glad," he wrote back. "I would be miserable if I thought that our
relationship with one another was creating a burden on your family. Still, I
am enclosing a calling card. Use it if you need to talk to me for any reason.
I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. I love you." His notes
were getting shorter. She knew he loved her, and she didn't doubt his
commitment to her, but it hurt that he didn't seem to need to express it in
longer words like she did. Over
time, Christa decided that perhaps her best plan of action was to write less,
too. Maybe he was too busy to read her long letters, and maybe just a short
reminder that she was thinking of him would suffice. Besides, it wasn't very
advisable to let him think she was pining away. So she began getting involved
in the life immediately around her and trying not to wait so unhappily for
the long-awaited day of their next meeting together. Patrick
noticed the change right away. Christa's letters, from three to four pages,
had decreased to one half page long, and they weren't coming as often. He
also noticed that her notes were no longer filled with detailed news of her
daily life. She simply wasn't acting the way she had during the whole
previous year. Patrick
didn't want to overreact. After all, he told himself, I'm a
professional, a grown man, and I've been called mature for my age more times
than I can count...So why am I feeling like a kid who's lost his favorite
toy? He missed Christa, that's why. And he finally decided to stop
fighting it. He applied for a few days' leave and called Christa, bursting
with the news. ************* **************** **************** "Hello.
Colby residence." Her voice was like honey. It both soothed him and made
him hungry. I am totally lost without her. Instead of scaring him,
this thought filled him with excitement. Christa
had become important to him--so important that he was willing to be foolish
for her. "Hi, Christa. It's me, Patrick." He was speaking low,
hesitatingly--shy." Her tone, equally low, was slightly breathless.
"Hi, Patrick." He heard the unspoken question and answered it. "I'm
calling because I was wondering if you might have some time off soon. If I
took a short leave to be with you, would you be free?" Christa wanted to
say yes, but she had to answer honestly. Sighing, she said, "I would
love to spend a few days with you, but I'll be pretty busy for the next six
weeks, studying for finals and finishing up my term papers. Still, if you
stop by, I'll see where I can fit you in." These last words were spoken
in her best executive- too- busy- to- see- you style and he laughed. Still,
there was much sparkle missing from their conversation after that. He felt
strangely let down all evening, and as he lie awake that night, unable to
sleep, it began to dawn on him that maybe Christa was growing away from him. |
|||
|
12 Years Makes a Difference Email Me Remove the spaces when typing this email address. |
|||
http://www.oocities.org/pneumasender/12years_files/12years_ch20.html