I remember the moment like the sound of his heart.
We sat facing the glass window panes in between gate 15 and 17. The looming knowledge that in a few passing moments a stranger would come over the intercom to separate us once again led us to focus on anything, but the reality awaiting him and I. The distraction was SkyChef loading food onto a gated plane.
I promised him I wouldn't cry and knew that if I even turned to face him as the anticipation built up, he would see the flood of tears awaiting their release as soon as I was out of eye sight. I just told him to come home to me, and he promised he would. As the tears lost control I embraced him to wipe them away without him seeing...he knew. He held me longer and tighter.
"Group 1"..."We are now boarding group 1."
I held on a bit longer, tried to hide any evidence of the feelings that had leaked through my eyes. He stood and I stood with him, arms around his waist, as they were so perfectly made for.
"I have to go baby."
"I know." I responded.
The groups and bustle of people around us went from blaring to silent as he leaned down to kiss me.
His lips pressed against mine in their familiar place. He pulled his face up and before our "Love you's" and "So in Love with you's" were exchanged I stopped him and said, "Now give me a real kiss."
Now I should have prefaced that with the fact that all kisses we had were real, but I'm talking the type of kiss we gave each other as soon as they pronounced us man and wife. The kind of kiss that we know could be our first or last.
We had our real kiss there by the glass windows of gate 15.
It would be our last kiss here on Earth and oh, how happy I am that I had it...one last real kiss with my love, my soul mate.
It brings me back to our wedding song and the fact that we had that "Kiss to Build a Dream On"....
Give me a kiss to build a dream on
And my imagination will thrive upon that kiss
Sweetheart, I ask no more than this
A kiss to build a dream on
Give me a kiss before you leave me
And my imagination will feed my hungry heart
Leave me one thing before we part
A kiss to build a dream on
And when I'm alone with my fancies, I'll be with you
Weaving romances, making believe they're true
Oh, give me your lips for just a moment
And my imagination will make that moment live
Give me what you alone can give
A kiss to build a dream on
When I'm alone with my fancies, I'll be with you
Weaving romances, making believe they're true
Oh, give me lips for just a moment
And my imagination will make that moment live
Oh, give me what you alone can give
A kiss to build a dream on
I know what you mean, I can remember my the first real kiss from my husband. I had never been so in love with anyone, but our last kiss was more like kissing your mother. He was so sick for so long that he could not feel passionate like that, but I knew instead he wanted to be and how much he loved me. I really missed those passionate kisses.But I can not imagine how difficult i must be to have to say goodbye to a soldier!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post. My tears are flowing, remembering our "real" kisses. I'd almost forgotten how much I miss them.... Thank you for bringing those sweet memories back to me today.
ReplyDeleteTakes me back............My husband was in the Navy for 20 years. The sad good byes at a Pier, but always like you had, "the real kiss". He died 5 months ago and I can remember the real kisses like yesterday. Oh, thank you for writing about it:) It makes me happy in a sad way. You know.
ReplyDeleteThe last thing from my husband was our kiss, as the kids and I walked away to see him at the finish line, so glad I have that kiss!!
ReplyDeleteOh Taryn...
ReplyDeleteI remember our last "real" kiss, too... It happened just before or just after that picture was taken (the one on my blog profile). In the middle of the kitchen.
I love this! I used to say "kiss me like you mean it" to my husband...and there was a very different kiss...wow, I really, really miss that kiss.
ReplyDelete