Love Conquers All

Seth didn’t mean it,
at least not the way
he said it,
but Cathy shook her fists,
pacing the beige living room
with art and framed pictures
evenly spaced on the walls.
The large TV played,
but Seth hit a button,
and the volume stopped.
Cathy bellowed, window-rattling
insecurities above room level,
loud enough for nosey
neighbors to phone
the police to report
a misunderstood disturbance
in a brick house tucked inside
of a picturesque neighborhood.
The judge would issue them
a restraining order to avoid
every inch of this small town
and sweep every memory made
between silk sheets where love
made its way with passion
and their sweaty bodies
and honesty had a place in long
conversations before they said
a prayer and drifted to sleep.
All this because Seth
gave it to her straight.
Right from the heart,
just like he did from
the start.
Cathy promised to leave
him in Virginia, no matter
what else he had to say,
nothing mattered
more to her than sticking
with the plans.
And when their plans
couldn’t breathe underwater,
she’d head north.
She popped her trunk
and stuffed her suitcase inside.
Cathy slammed the trunk
and clapped the trust
baked in dust off her hands.
She twisted around
and lifted her gaze.
She smoked a cancer stick.
Tears spread across
her cheeks before she could tell him
It was over, and it was for good this time.
Seth folded his arms
and slumped in the corner
of the living room large
bay window, casually drinking a beer.
He observed the serene
lake reflect the full moon.
His silent surrender
faded into the corners
of unresolved fears.
Cathy leaned against her car
with her arms looped around
her waist.
Seth strung himself as far
as he could carry
the weight of Cathy’s baggage
over his bruised shoulder.
“What you said,” she said, “did you mean it?”
Seth pushed open the window. “You didn’t give me a chance to finish,” he said through the screen.
“You said that you don’t want…” Cathy sighed, lifting and lowering her hands. “What did you mean?”
“I was asking you,” Seth said, choking back a lump in his throat. “I was asking you what you’d wanted me to ask.”
“But you said — ”
“I…” he said, digging into his pocket and setting his beer down with his other hand. He held up the black box. “I want to marry you.”
Cathy brushed tears and the drizzle that’d started, as though God himself approved of Seth’s plans and Cathy’s response.
“That’s all I’ve ever wanted.” Cathy laughed through tears.
Seth moved down the stairs and into the rain with a soft gust.
He knelt in the rain. “Will you marry me?” Seth filled his focus with anticipation and vulnerability.
“We’re a packaged deal, though,” Cathy said.
“Your mom can stay,” he said, rolling his eyes.
“Not my mom, silly,” she said, holding out her hand. “The baby.”
“I could live with that,” Seth said.
He slid the ring on her finger, and the neighbors clapped and moved inside.
Cathy kissed him with the passion
of love and growth.

(Amazon Kindle, Spillwords, The Writers Club)

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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From The Good Men Project on Medium

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The Internal Struggle Men Battle in Silence

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