Love BlossomsIt's now or never, she thought, . . . and almost instantly she wished she had settled on the latter.
Why did it feel so awkward? Why was there no spark? And when had she stopped being attracted to Marisela?Marissa: "This was a mistake. I'm sorry, Marisela, but I just wish . . . can we please just be friends?"
She winced, anticipating the slap she was sure was coming.
After all, their relationship had always been tumultuous at best.
Marisela: "What? It's over? Just like that? I . . . I've wasted my whole life waiting for you, Marissa."
This time, Marisela didn't even have the heart to slap her. She just turned on her heel and left.
As the sun began to set, Marissa thought back over her life.
When had her marriage stopped being a charade? When had she come to love Asa? And why, for Pete's sake,
why hadn't she realized her true feelings earlier?
It seemed like all around her, love was blossoming.
Jaden and Joy had taken the day off to go ice skating.
In the midst of all the cold beauty of winter, their love was as hot as summer.
And he asked her to be his wife.
Gwenyth had found new affection in the form of a King Charles Spaniel named Sherman.
While Vera and Wogan had been together ever since Marissa could remember, and they showed no signs of slowing down.
For Vera, there had been two great loves of her life. First William, and now Wogan.
But Marissa wasn't like her.
What a strange revelation it was--and cruel, and wonderful, and bittersweet--to find that after a lifetime of being eternally faithful to Asa, she had forgotten how to want anything else.
She supposed she was more like her father, for whom there could only be one love. She joined him at the graveyard that night.
Marissa: "Well, has she shown up yet?"
Devon: "Not yet, princess; you may as well settle down and take a seat."
Devon: "But don't worry, these old fingers can still play all night."
So they waited, until the sun came up, together.