Lulu's Loves (38 page)

There you were…

From a distance,

I knew I had to know you.

There you were…

Walking in the sun…

My heart knew, it was you

There you were…

Smiling like an angel

When I said hello.

There you were…

A beacon on a dark night

Your smile aglow

There you were…

An unforgettable surprise

I’ve been waiting for you.

There you were…

Your smile was irresistible,

I knew I had to have you.

There you were…

Mixing up my emotions,

I knew I had to love you.

There you were…

My unforgettable

Irresistible love…

As they sang, Thom danced me toward the center of the room, holding me tight. I felt like I was floating on a cloud of love.

“Lulu, I told you long ago, in St. Augustine, that no one would ever sing that song but me, but as we were preparing for this shindig, I had a thought.” He whispered the words in my ear. “I called Mark and sang it to him. ‘Please come and sing this to Lulu.’ I sent it to him and Mark and the guys ran through it. He called a few days later to say they’d be here. I hope you’re happy.”

“What’s happier than ‘happy’?” I asked and moved closer. “Hidden Dreams should record it.”

“Really?” He acted surprised.

“It’s my song and I can do whatever I want with it, right?” He eased me back to find the grin on my face. “I think the whole world should know Lulu’s Love.”

In The End

June 2015

A year and a half had passed since my dad passed away. After his house sold, we settled some things financially, and decided that at the end of the school year I would give notice. It took a lot of prayer and many conversations, but I knew this was right for us, for my future with Thom. We decided to split our time between Jacksonville and Kiawah.

On my last day of teaching, Keelin cried like a baby.

“I’m still going to be around. You and Aaron can come to Kiawah and stay in the apartment any time you like. Keelin, I lost so much time with Thom that this is what we need. I learned that life is unexpected. Things can change in a second. I don’t want to have any regrets.”

My mom, Micah, and my dad…it all flashes before my eyes.

The look on his face told me that he understood.

“What will you do?” he asked.

“I’m not sure. You know I can’t do nothing.” He smiled, knowing. “I have to give myself the time to learn to be a wife to this amazing man, who wants to spend forever with me. I didn’t do so good at that my first go round.”

“You didn’t have a chance,” he said. Smiling, he pulled me into his arms for a hug. “Lulu Welk, you have been the second most important woman in my life. I will love you forever.”

“You and Dad have always been my safe haven. You’ll always be part of my life…I love you, Keelin.”

September 2016

We’re in Jacksonville this week. It’s a dreary morning as I open my eyes, until I look to my right and see him sleeping. His hair is a mess. He’s making this soft ‘puh’ sound, and I watch him. We’ve been married two and a half years. I know that this is where I belong. I think about him, think about how much I love him, and then I thank God that He saw that Thom Miller was my guy. I needed to go through some trials; some hurt, some confusion and pain, before He led me back to him. I slipped from the bed and went to the kitchen. He had a late night at the pub, so I let him sleep.

As I fix a cup of coffee, I look out the kitchen window. There’s a squirrel scurrying about and I can hear the birds welcoming the daylight. I take my coffee to the office and turn on the computer. The desk sits so that I can look out the front window. As I wait, I know.

I begin to type.

Life doesn’t come with an instruction manual. It just comes. I believe that there is a greater plan, and that we will be led to the path that is our destiny. Sometimes the path has twists and turns; sometimes it’s riddled with potholes and bumps, all causing you to slow down and make detours to avoid the hazards of the road ahead. There are places on the path that are smooth, and although you can speed through, you need to do so cautiously, so you don’t miss anything. At times, it seems that the path is steep, leading you to soaring places, and there are those times that are so low that you think you can never rise above.

But it all has a way of working out.

You end up where you are because every experience in your life brings you to that place.

I hear something and look up. Thom is standing there watching me, and my heart ‘thud-thud-thuds’ at the sight of him. It races, but I have to finish my thought before I lose it. I smile and he nods as though he understands.

The place where you know you were intended to be all along. This is the journey of Lulu’s Loves…

The End

About The Author

I'm Barbara, I read. I write. I come from the northeast, born in Havre de Grace, MD, and grew up in Pennsylvania. In my teens we moved to the Space Coast area of Florida. I now reside in Middleburg, Florida (Jacksonville area) with my husband, Gene.

I've worked in the electronics industry, and most recently in healthcare. I give back by volunteering whenever I can, and in 2009, I received The American Cancer Society's HOPE Award for volunteerism.

The stories I write come from my heart. I'm never sure where they are going until I get there. Most often, a song begins to paint a picture that becomes a love story. Sprinkled through my stories are humor and sadness based on real life experiences shared with family and friends. Readers tell me they feel like they know the characters I share with them. I like to call my writing 'the sound-track of my life.'

As a writer, I hope you continue this journey, travel with me, see what song inspires me next, and I hope that you see more growth with each page you turn.

Reading is a gift shared by my mom, Alis. She introduced me to her favorites like Little Women, Christy, and the Nancy Drew books. Books are an escape, a journey into new and different places. My favorite genre is romance. I try to explore and support other authors who paint a picture through words that allow me to feel the story. Some of my favorites are  Adriana Trigiani, Maggi Myers, and Nora Roberts.

You can reach Barbara by email [email protected]

http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-Stewart/e/B0076J5RHE/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

http://barbarastewartwrites.com