Read Online November Sky by Marleen Reichenberg - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Marleen Reichenberg
Ads: Link
I’m not afraid to die, since I believe in life after death.”
I found this an odd remark from so young a man. Then again, what he said sounded very mature. He went on, “Do you know Antoine de Saint-Exupéry? In his book The Little Prince , the prince says at the end, ‘I’ll look as if I’m dead, and that won’t be true.’”
He went silent and gave me a reassuring look before adding, “But if it’s really important to you, in the future I will always drive as if you were beside me.”
My irrational heart leapt joyfully at this casual remark.
We parked at the edge of a little grove, where I’d often been on my bicycle. In view of our budding romantic affair, I thought it tactful not to mention to Nick that this place was nicknamed Murderer’s Grove. Two bodies had been discovered there in the last three years: a man who’d hanged himself and a woman stabbed several times, the victim of a tragic romance. Nevertheless, the wooded area was still a favorite destination for cyclists, hikers, and joggers because of its idyllic situation and the well-kept pathways. We headed for the path on the edge of the woods. I filled my lungs with the spicy forest air—a mixture of wood, new leaves, resin, and mold—and I was delighted to see delicate new greenery shooting forth from trees, bushes, and fields. Nick quite naturally took my hand after we got out of the car. Fortunately, we didn’t meet anybody who could take Nick’s undivided attention from me—except for a gray-haired dog owner walking his two darlings. The off-leash dogs—a sheepdog and a small mutt—galloped straight toward us. I stopped in my tracks. I was uncomfortable about the unfamiliar dogs bearing down on us, particularly as I could see they weren’t trained. They totally ignored their distant master’s shouts.
Nick felt me hesitate and gave me a quick sidelong glance. “Nothing to be afraid of. They just want to play.”
I was skeptical. A friend of mine was once jogging on a farm road when she was forced to stop by a dachshund that circled her, barking and growling. She heard the exact same words from its mistress just before her frisky pooch sank its teeth into my friend’s ankle.
At least these two beasts weren’t making a ruckus. The sheepdog had a stick in its mouth. Nick let go of my hand and instructed me to stay behind him. He went toward the animals without the slightest sign of fear. They stopped just in front of him, and I was relieved when they jumped around him, wagging their tails and letting him pet them. They weren’t taking any notice of me, so I ventured nearer. I admired Nick’s fearlessness in grabbing a stick and having a playful tug-of-war with the larger dog until he finally threw the stick into the field. The two animals ran after it enthusiastically and completely forgot us. Their owner joined us in the meantime and gave a friendly nod. Nick grasped my hand again—to my delight—and we carried on. He talked about the collie named Cora he’d had as a kid.
“We were inseparable for four years. When I was fourteen, she ran out a door that was left open and onto the street and was run over.”
I visualized that distraught boy and could relate to his grief when I thought of our run-over barnyard cats.
“My parents offered to buy me another dog. But I didn’t want one. Cora was irreplaceable.”
When he saw the concerned look on my face, he squeezed my hand. “It’s OK, I’m over it. But let’s talk about something not quite so sad.”
Nick’s melancholy behavior, which I’d noticed when he picked me up, gradually gave way to a more relaxed mood. He vividly discussed his fascination with Saint-Ex, as he called the Little Prince author.
“He always referred to himself as a scribbling pilot, but I’ve read all his works and think he was a gifted philosopher. His most famous saying hits the nail on the head: ‘You only see well with the heart. The essentials are invisible to the eye.’”
Then he
I found this an odd remark from so young a man. Then again, what he said sounded very mature. He went on, “Do you know Antoine de Saint-Exupéry? In his book The Little Prince , the prince says at the end, ‘I’ll look as if I’m dead, and that won’t be true.’”
He went silent and gave me a reassuring look before adding, “But if it’s really important to you, in the future I will always drive as if you were beside me.”
My irrational heart leapt joyfully at this casual remark.
We parked at the edge of a little grove, where I’d often been on my bicycle. In view of our budding romantic affair, I thought it tactful not to mention to Nick that this place was nicknamed Murderer’s Grove. Two bodies had been discovered there in the last three years: a man who’d hanged himself and a woman stabbed several times, the victim of a tragic romance. Nevertheless, the wooded area was still a favorite destination for cyclists, hikers, and joggers because of its idyllic situation and the well-kept pathways. We headed for the path on the edge of the woods. I filled my lungs with the spicy forest air—a mixture of wood, new leaves, resin, and mold—and I was delighted to see delicate new greenery shooting forth from trees, bushes, and fields. Nick quite naturally took my hand after we got out of the car. Fortunately, we didn’t meet anybody who could take Nick’s undivided attention from me—except for a gray-haired dog owner walking his two darlings. The off-leash dogs—a sheepdog and a small mutt—galloped straight toward us. I stopped in my tracks. I was uncomfortable about the unfamiliar dogs bearing down on us, particularly as I could see they weren’t trained. They totally ignored their distant master’s shouts.
Nick felt me hesitate and gave me a quick sidelong glance. “Nothing to be afraid of. They just want to play.”
I was skeptical. A friend of mine was once jogging on a farm road when she was forced to stop by a dachshund that circled her, barking and growling. She heard the exact same words from its mistress just before her frisky pooch sank its teeth into my friend’s ankle.
At least these two beasts weren’t making a ruckus. The sheepdog had a stick in its mouth. Nick let go of my hand and instructed me to stay behind him. He went toward the animals without the slightest sign of fear. They stopped just in front of him, and I was relieved when they jumped around him, wagging their tails and letting him pet them. They weren’t taking any notice of me, so I ventured nearer. I admired Nick’s fearlessness in grabbing a stick and having a playful tug-of-war with the larger dog until he finally threw the stick into the field. The two animals ran after it enthusiastically and completely forgot us. Their owner joined us in the meantime and gave a friendly nod. Nick grasped my hand again—to my delight—and we carried on. He talked about the collie named Cora he’d had as a kid.
“We were inseparable for four years. When I was fourteen, she ran out a door that was left open and onto the street and was run over.”
I visualized that distraught boy and could relate to his grief when I thought of our run-over barnyard cats.
“My parents offered to buy me another dog. But I didn’t want one. Cora was irreplaceable.”
When he saw the concerned look on my face, he squeezed my hand. “It’s OK, I’m over it. But let’s talk about something not quite so sad.”
Nick’s melancholy behavior, which I’d noticed when he picked me up, gradually gave way to a more relaxed mood. He vividly discussed his fascination with Saint-Ex, as he called the Little Prince author.
“He always referred to himself as a scribbling pilot, but I’ve read all his works and think he was a gifted philosopher. His most famous saying hits the nail on the head: ‘You only see well with the heart. The essentials are invisible to the eye.’”
Then he
Similar Books
