Just throwing this in...I hope someone enjoys reading 
it as much as I did writing it.  

-Pami



The Sunset by Pami (pami1968@aol.com)


As the sun set, she leaned over and kissed him sweetly 
on the lips.  "Thank you," she simply said.  

He looked into her eyes and smiled, a wistful kind of 
smile, and simply replied "No, thank you."

They laid back on the hill, side by side, just holding 
hands and looking at the vivid pinks and fading 
purples of the sky.  If you looked closely, you could 
see the tears in her eyes, the ones that she blinked 
back, although one lone drop ran out of the corner of 
her eye and fell to the green grass.  It was a moment 
of sublime contentment for each of them.  The harsh 
realities of life were far away, and all that existed 
for these few stolen moments was the two of them and 
the beauty of the sunset.

She had made him promise last fall that they would go 
and see the sun set together.  She thought it was 
hokey and kind of stupid, but the kind of romantic 
outing that she yearned for, deep inside.  She never 
told anyone that she wanted something so...romantic.  
She had told him lots of things she never told anyone 
else.  And every time she did, she wondered if he 
would laugh at her.  He never did.  It was amazing to 
her that he actually seemed to understand her.

She had loved him from the moment they met.  Well, 
probably even before they met, she thought.  They had 
chatted on the phone and hit it off, so they decided 
to meet.  She remembered thinking she was crazy to do 
it.  She had another man who wanted to see her the 
same night, and she considered cancelling on him.  But 
she didn't.  She couldn't.  She explained it to the 
second man that she felt that there might be something 
special with this one.  She honestly felt that way, 
and she couldn't figure it out.  And sure enough, when 
they met that evening in July, she knew he was going 
to be special to her.  It just clicked.  Felt right.  
Despite the big silver wedding band on his finger, she 
had to keep seeing him.  Her soul cried out for it.

So, after only a few months, she knew that this was 
it.  IT.  Love.  What she had looked for, very 
unsuccessfully.  And inside she bitterly laughed at 
the irony that they one man she fell in love with was 
the one man she could never have as her own.  All of 
the others were as nothing to her.  She dated a few, 
had liasions with a couple.  Nothing felt right.  
Except for him.

She wasn't quite sure of the depth of his emotions.  
He told her he loved her.  But she found it difficult 
to believe.  Her insecurities ran too deep.  Oh, she 
was fairly positive that he cared for her.  Love?  
Well, maybe that was pushing too hard.  In the long 
run it wouldn't matter anyway.  The day would come 
that he would be tired of her, of their relationship, 
of the secret times he spent with her.  And then it 
would be over.  

But, before that time came, she wanted the sunset.  
The winter came, and she was annoyed that he had 
forgotten all about it.  And then spring finally 
arrived.  She was determined, this time.

Finally, on a clear sunny day, the kind with a few 
billowy clouds floating leisurely through the sky, he 
surprised her.  He took her somewhere far enough away 
that they could both pretend for a short hour or two 
that there were no obligations at home.  That it was 
indeed possible for them to be together.  And they 
both revelled in the freedom, short-lived as it was.  

For when the last fingers of sunlight disappeared over 
the horizon, the dream disappeared with them.
