Golden Bird

The crisp, Autumn air made Sara wrap the thin windbreaker jacket closer to her body. She loved this time of year with the leaves colored in brilliant hues of gold, and orange, and red. The sky always seemed clearer to her, and the clouds were different than those of any other season, and Sara felt vital and alive. She knew that for most people autumn was a depressing season, it being the end of a warm, carefree summer and the beginning of a cold, dreary winter-but with the trees so bright, and the squirrels so busy scurrying around collecting food for the winter, the woods seemed alive to her, and she found that comforting.

Although David never mentioned it again, she knew he had been serious when he had asked her to marry him before they had gone to Atlantic City. And she knew he would ask again, this time expecting an answer. What would she say? She certainly enjoyed living with him; they got along so well together, they had fun, and they were relaxed and comfortable with each other. Thinking back to her first marriage, she realized that as much as she had loved Bob, there had always seemed to be a certain tension between them, almost as if they had been afraid to be themselves. They had been the perfect couple for six years, and it had all been a fraud. Sara realized that now. Part of her devastation had been due to the shattering of her image of the perfect marriage she had created, but there had been no perfect marriage. She had been blinded by passion. She had been young.

She knew David loved her; she could see it in his eyes whenever she walked into a room. It was there even when she broke his breakfast eggs, or forgot to buy milk, or if she came home late from some 'emergency' at the hardware store. And he was so kind and understanding during that time of the month when she could burst into tears over a broken fingernail, or snap at him for no reason at all.

Their lovemaking was more than satisfying, and he would often suggest little romantic trips like this last one to Atlantic City. He was so good to her, and she loved him for that, but was she in love with him? Or did that really matter?

Oh God, she appealed to the heavens, what am I going to do? Perhaps she could think this out logically. So what did David have going for him? He was kind, gentle, loving, romantic, and generous. Oh, and don't forget his being financially comfortable, as well as extremely handsome. She must be crazy not to want to drag him to the church before he changed his mind, and yet ... she still wasn't sure.