Posted by hummingbird on 11/15/2013, 8:35 am VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
CHAPTER THREE
It was a crisp, autumn day in mid-November. Nora was feeling pretty good about beginning her Christmas shopping early. She knew that with the painting, decorating, and moving she would be hard-pressed to get it done later. With her arms filled with packages, she fumbled with the house key. They hadn’t officially moved into the “dream house”, but she decided it would be a great place to hide the Christmas gifts. It was so hard to hide things in that tiny garret. Bo hadn’t been surprised by a Christmas gift since they had remarried two years ago. He always found them before she wrapped them. She promised herself this year would be different.
She was surprised to find the door unlocked. A little hesitant, she stepped inside to be greeted by pounding coming from upstairs. “Bo?,” she shouted. “Bo, are you here?” No answer. Still juggling the packages, she made her way up the wooden stairs. She peeked into their bedroom to find Bo, hammer in hand, trying to assemble their bed.
“Oh, Red. You’re just in time. Can you hold this tight while I pound it from the other side? I need three hands for this job.”
“You moved the bed over here first? What were you thinking?” she asked a little dumbfounded.
“I was thinking it would motivate us to get things moved over here more quickly if we moved our favorite piece of furniture first,” he said raising his eyebrows at her.
“Bo Buchanan, you have a one-track mind,” she said teasingly.
“You can blame that on my old man,” Bo replied. “Are you complaining?”
She gave him a familiar smile. “No...not complaining. Let me go unload these packages, then I’ll help.”
Returning a few moments later and tossing her suit jacket across a box, she was ready to lend a hand.
“Let me guess...you hid those packages in the closet in that tiny bedroom at the end of the hall,” Bo said.
“What makes you think that?” she asked, irritated that he could always figure her out. He laughed as she fussed, “You stay away from that closet, Bo Buchanan. This year you are going to be surprised on Christmas morning.”
With the two of them working together, they were soon done with the job. The bed was placed by the windows where their old one had been many years before. They fumbled with the box springs and mattress until they were placed also.
“Well,” Bo said, “test it out. Make sure it feels right.”
Nora climbed in and lay quietly for a moment while Bo put tools back in his toolbox.
“Well?” he asked glancing at her.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure it feels right,” she said quietly.
“Why? Honey, I think we have it right where the old one was…” Bo began.
“No...it’s not that,” she said slowly. “First of all...it’s lonely,” she said patting the other side of the mattress.
“Well, that’s an easy fix,” he said putting down his tools and crawling in beside her.
They lay on their backs staring at the ceiling. He entwined his fingers with hers and glanced over at her.
“What’s the matter, Red?” he questioned softly.
“Oh,” she shrugged, “just wondering…do you think it will be the same?” she asked quietly. “Will living here be as magical as it was before? I know we’re in the same place, the same house… but, can we really recapture how it was for us?”
He turned toward her and wrapped her tight in his arms. “I think we already have, Red….recaptured the magic, that is. We did that when we got back together. We found that the magic that was Bo and Nora was still here, within us. It’s not dependent on a physical place like this house...but on a place in our hearts. There was still a place in your heart for me and one in mine for you. It was always there...we just found it again.”
She turned and looked at him intently.
He continued, “Will it be exactly the same? No...it won’t.” he said shaking his head gently. “Our lives are different now. We’re different now. We’re a little more settled. We’re grandparents! And...I can’t wait to put a swingset in the backyard for Drew...and to spend holidays here again. Remember how beautiful it is here when the snow is deep on the ground? How cozy it is by the fireplace? And how we danced? We’ll dance again...and we’ll get to do it here...where we had our start. I’m so excited about this, Red. Sure, we have great memories here. Now we have the chance to make new memories. Don’t expect it to be the same. Expect more! The best is yet to come, Red. I can feel it,” he finished with a glow in his eyes.
The glow was contagious. She ran a finger softly down his jawline and snuggled closer to him. “I’m so glad I have the chance to make more memories with you, Bo Buchanan...and, here...in our first real home together.” She kissed his neck and murmured, “How about... “ She nibbled his earlobe. “...if we start making those memories...right now?” She finished with a soft kiss building with a fiery intensity. He responded with an intensity matching her own. And so, as they wrapped themselves in each other’s arms, began their first new memory in the not-so-empty house.