Water Signs: A Story of Love and Renewal

Ken wiped away a tear as he absorbed Maddy's heartbreakingly genuine revelations. It sure was a relief to know she still thought of

him, and more importantly, that she didn't hate him. He'd been plagued

with so many residual and conflicting emotions over the years-love,

guilt, concern, desire and regret-never quite knowing exactly how

Madeline's life had been affected by his decision to marry another.

He'd assumed she was doing well, though he'd come up short on

every online search he'd conducted recently. He had a vague idea that she

was writing, based on the articles she used to contribute to The Good News

Gazette, though that had been way back when Bonnie was an infant. And

their brief email correspondence from a few years ago had revealed she

lived in Boca Bayou.

But aside from that, there was very little he knew. And it went far

beyond her career and place of residence. In spite of staggered moments

of euphoria (which included the births of his daughter and son), and a

purposely hectic schedule over the last several years, he'd never once

forgotten about her. On the contrary, while he remained a faithful

husband to Erin and a devoted father to Bonnie and Brian, within the

sacred boundaries of his heart, he still harbored intense feelings of love

and desire for Madeline, as well as an abundance of regret for what might

have been.

In the tranquility of a tropical evening, he'd oftentimes lie awake in

bed while Erin slept, as visions of Maddy's smiling face haunted him.

Later, when he'd moved into the sanctuary of the spare bedroom

following his marital separation, these visualizations took on new and

uninhibited life as if now fully free to come into expression without fear

of reprisal.

Of course, he'd done everything in his power to make his marriage

work, mainly for the sake of his children. Occasional tensions

notwithstanding, Ken had always appreciated growing up in a stable home

with two parents who'd instilled traditional values. In fact, one of the

many things that attracted him to Maddy initially was her similar

upbringing. True, her dad was a professional who made a helluva lot more

money than his own father. However, when it came down to the things

that really mattered-close relationships, religious faith, love of country

and an abiding passion for life, the Rose family and the Lockheart family

were more alike than different.

But when Ken had stupidly abandoned all hope of him and Madeline

ever making it to the altar, Erin entered his life, bringing with her the

desired background, along with something else-a willingness to relocate

to Florida. And though ashamed to admit it, it hadn't hurt that Erin had

possessed no qualms about giving herself to a man before marriage. As a

young man, he would've gladly waited for Madeline; but when he'd also

grown to love another with whom he could satisfy his physical needs as

well, lust had won out, at least for a while.

Months of pleading with Maddy on the phone to move down here

with him, endless conversations during which he'd be moved to tears out

of a persistent longing for her, had accomplished nothing. Though

frustrated with her job and her life, Madeline had remained vehemently

opposed to leaving her family for sunnier skies and a real chance at

happiness. Erin, on the other hand, relished the thought of kissing Philly

goodbye. And it hadn't hurt that she was a beautiful woman, too, though

her statuesque frame, platinum blonde hair and deep blue eyes were a

striking contrast to Madeline's petite build and china doll looks.

In the beginning, Erin held true to her Catholic upbringing, having

been raised in a humble household in southwest Philadelphia. As an only

child, her parents had doted on her, nurturing her creative talents with

piano lessons, art classes and even a private acting coach. As she grew,

Erin also discovered a passion for business, leading her to combine a fine

arts degree with courses in marketing, advertising and management. By

the time she'd graduated from Drexel University after successful

completion of a five year co-op program, she'd garnered several lucrative

job offers.

She began her career with a prestigious firm in Center City, before the

Trump Corporation wooed her away by doubling her salary and

enhancing her already impressive resume. That move would impact her

life in more ways than one as it soon led to her meeting with Ken

Lockheart one evening, at the behest of a mutual friend. Ken had resisted

the idea of a blind date at first, still reeling from his mishandling of the

Madeline situation.

He remembered how they'd reconciled just before Christmas,

prompting Maddy to invite him to attend the Eagles-Vikings game with

her and Lori, for which they'd had an extra ticket. Since it had been a

spur-of-the-moment decision, suggested by none other than Monica Rose,

Ken had to do a lot of persuading to get someone to cover for him at the

plant before officially accepting her invitation. And though Madeline

hadn't formally apologized for writing him a Dear John letter several weeks

prior, when he'd called her on the phone, he sensed the regret in her

voice. He'd contacted her that evening to let her know he'd accepted her

decision and harbored no bitterness.

Awhile later, she'd called him back out of the blue to ask him about

driving to her house in Pennsylvania for the game, pointing out the irony

that the Eagles' opponent that week just happened to be Ken's secondfavorite

football team. And lingering resentment aside, he'd been ecstatic

about hearing from her again. No matter how much her rejection had

stung, his heart and soul still exuded nothing but unconditional love,

along with the indistinguishable hope of marrying her someday-once

he'd completed his education, of course.