place where everyone goes after we leave here, where there is no hurt, no sadness.”
“Exactly and for all we know, they are up there,” he smiles sweetly, “Looking down on us right now and thinking, I can’t wait for you to join me up here, it’s incredible. All we know is our life here, we have no concept of what life there will be like. And maybe, just maybe,” he takes a deep breath, “The ones we love the most are taken too soon because they are the ones most deserving of the life they lead up there.”
“I think you’re right.” I whisper, reaching over to squeeze his hand.
Chapter Eight
The sun is shining and we’re walking along the sea front. Daniel has his camera around his neck, stopping whenever he sees something worthy of his time and attention. We find the little gallery and I show Daniel the artist I fell in love with so many months ago on a visit to this very place but with a very different man. I push those thoughts out of my mind and focus on the photo in front of me. It’s black and white and of a couple in a tree, one of them reading while the other looks on. The artist incorporates words into all of his work and the wording in this particular piece is just beautiful and the reason I love it so much.
I lean forward a little more and read the words for the hundredth time, I am transfixed by it and there is something inside of me telling me, I have to buy this piece. I can’t though, it would be a reckless splurge and I wasn’t about to do it. If I keep repeating it to myself, maybe my hands won’t reach for it and walk it over to the cash register, maybe my hands won’t reach into my bag and pull out my credit card.
“You’ve been looking at this same piece for a long time, Katie. Are you okay?” I feel Daniel’s warmth as he comes to stand beside me.
“I’m fine, I’m just in love with this piece. It seems to… I don’t know, it’s like it’s taken root in my heart and I can’t tear my eyes away from it. It’s beautiful isn’t it?” I whisper.
“It is. The use of words within the picture is incredible.”
“Daniel,” I try to look away but I can’t, “You’re going to have to physically remove me. I can’t seem to walk away from it.”
I feel his warm, strong hand encircle mine and he tugs, pulling me from the shop. I stumble out into the bright, sunny day in a daze. I can’t explain what happened, but I do know, one day I will be coming back and I will buy that print. It will hang in my house and I will sit and have coffee looking at the beautiful artwork on my wall.
“Are you okay?”
Daniel’s voice snaps me out of whatever it is I’m in and I look up. The light is behind him, casting him in shadow yet giving him a golden glow. Right now, I believe in angels, I believe in Heaven, I believe in the good in people because I have that goodness standing right in front of me. Someone so good, so kind, that he spends his days making everyone else feel better.
“I am.” I smile weakly.
“You don’t look okay, was that… the picture, was it important to you and Richard?” he asks, bending his head a little closer to mine.
“No, the artist we did discover together, but that particular one, no. I just, I can’t really explain it. It just seemed to capture me, grip me, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from it. I’ll own it one day.”
“Today?” he asks questioningly, cocking his head to the side.
“Not today,” I shake my head and smile, “Now we did what I wanted, how about we do what you want?”
“Well, I want to take your photograph by the boats we passed.”
“Then let’s go back to the boats.”
We walk back to where we came from, both of us silent. A comfortable silence, not one that needs to be filled and I am thankful for that. When we reach the boats, Daniel asks me to stand just to one side, while he steps back and finds the best angle, clearly
“Exactly and for all we know, they are up there,” he smiles sweetly, “Looking down on us right now and thinking, I can’t wait for you to join me up here, it’s incredible. All we know is our life here, we have no concept of what life there will be like. And maybe, just maybe,” he takes a deep breath, “The ones we love the most are taken too soon because they are the ones most deserving of the life they lead up there.”
“I think you’re right.” I whisper, reaching over to squeeze his hand.
Chapter Eight
The sun is shining and we’re walking along the sea front. Daniel has his camera around his neck, stopping whenever he sees something worthy of his time and attention. We find the little gallery and I show Daniel the artist I fell in love with so many months ago on a visit to this very place but with a very different man. I push those thoughts out of my mind and focus on the photo in front of me. It’s black and white and of a couple in a tree, one of them reading while the other looks on. The artist incorporates words into all of his work and the wording in this particular piece is just beautiful and the reason I love it so much.
I lean forward a little more and read the words for the hundredth time, I am transfixed by it and there is something inside of me telling me, I have to buy this piece. I can’t though, it would be a reckless splurge and I wasn’t about to do it. If I keep repeating it to myself, maybe my hands won’t reach for it and walk it over to the cash register, maybe my hands won’t reach into my bag and pull out my credit card.
“You’ve been looking at this same piece for a long time, Katie. Are you okay?” I feel Daniel’s warmth as he comes to stand beside me.
“I’m fine, I’m just in love with this piece. It seems to… I don’t know, it’s like it’s taken root in my heart and I can’t tear my eyes away from it. It’s beautiful isn’t it?” I whisper.
“It is. The use of words within the picture is incredible.”
“Daniel,” I try to look away but I can’t, “You’re going to have to physically remove me. I can’t seem to walk away from it.”
I feel his warm, strong hand encircle mine and he tugs, pulling me from the shop. I stumble out into the bright, sunny day in a daze. I can’t explain what happened, but I do know, one day I will be coming back and I will buy that print. It will hang in my house and I will sit and have coffee looking at the beautiful artwork on my wall.
“Are you okay?”
Daniel’s voice snaps me out of whatever it is I’m in and I look up. The light is behind him, casting him in shadow yet giving him a golden glow. Right now, I believe in angels, I believe in Heaven, I believe in the good in people because I have that goodness standing right in front of me. Someone so good, so kind, that he spends his days making everyone else feel better.
“I am.” I smile weakly.
“You don’t look okay, was that… the picture, was it important to you and Richard?” he asks, bending his head a little closer to mine.
“No, the artist we did discover together, but that particular one, no. I just, I can’t really explain it. It just seemed to capture me, grip me, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from it. I’ll own it one day.”
“Today?” he asks questioningly, cocking his head to the side.
“Not today,” I shake my head and smile, “Now we did what I wanted, how about we do what you want?”
“Well, I want to take your photograph by the boats we passed.”
“Then let’s go back to the boats.”
We walk back to where we came from, both of us silent. A comfortable silence, not one that needs to be filled and I am thankful for that. When we reach the boats, Daniel asks me to stand just to one side, while he steps back and finds the best angle, clearly
Similar Books
