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YOU RAISE ME UP by PHYLLIS OWEN
Jean sat on the couch looking across atNorman, her husband, sitting sleeping peacefully in the rocking chair, his
comfort zone, letting out the occasional grunt.
She sighed and muttered, ‘Boring
old git’. How she longed for a bit of
excitement in her life. Their two girls
were happily married and had families of their own. Lying back on the couch she fantazied about
floating out of the window towards the bright blue sky, studded with fluffy
white clouds and the sun glimmering across the fields. The years drop away and she’s ten again and
on her maternal grandparents farm. She’s
running and hiding in the cornfields from Stanley, her young uncle. In the evening the family would be sitting
around the coal fire in the lounge, with her mother playing the piano and
everyone bursting into song.
A deep yearning overwhelmed
her. Oh for the freedom of those days,
the magical days of childhood. What’s
the use? You can’t live in the
past. Dreams are fake and give you false
hope. She looked across at Norman. He had no idea what crazy thoughts came into
her mind. She had always been shy and a
bit of a dreamer and not the most beautiful girl in town. Always the quiet one, she never felt
comfortable in the limelight. Yet she
was the girl he fell in love with.
She could clearly remember the day
he proposed to her, his deep brown eyes dancing mischieviously. It was just before he left to join the
army. He was leaning against the gate of
her home, arms open.
‘Will you marry me?’ he asked.
A shiver of excitement rippled up
her spine and she ran into his open arms, her heart thumping. He loved her and she loved him. Her parents had been elated when they heard
of their engagement as they were fond of
Norman.
When he came back from the war they
were married. It was a fairy tale
wedding. As an only child, her mother
had gone out of her way to make sure everyone would have an enjoyable time, and
this they did.
She sighed. Why was it that some Sunday evenings could
make her so restless, she wondered.
Norman was a down to earth type and a good man. He was also strong, intelligent and caring
and would do anything for her. She
could remember when he sat up all night with one of the girls who was sick to
give her a chance to catch up with some sleep. It’s the sweetness inside a person that
counts. It reminded her of the song ‘You
raise me up so I can stand on mountains.’
He raises me up whenever I feel down.
Looking across at Norman she was surprised to find his deep penetrating
eyes on her. He grinned, giving her a crooked smile, eyes crinkling at the
corner.
Memories came rushing in and she
could see in his face the man he was over forty years ago. She didn’t feel that something was ending,
but more like something had just begun.
Jumping up from the chair, he
smiled down at her and said, ‘Sit back and relax, sweetie, I’ll make you an
omlette for supper tonight.’
Smiling, she nodded and felt
elated. I love the hairy oaf, she thought.
He may not be the most romantic man or the best looking, but he was
hers. From now on she must forget about
the old memories and concentrate on the new ones they were making.
The end
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