The Pond

The late morning was warm with little breeze. The pond was nestled in the middle of of the city park. It was surrounded by large weeping willow trees and a lovers walk. On the far side of the pond on a path that led to a hidden part of the pond was a bench that my wife and I had discovered a long time prior.

On Sunday mornings, after church, my wife and I like to walked to that hidden place and read in the warmth of the sun. Sometimes we talked but mostly we buried our minds in our own kinds of escape.

My butt was getting a little tired so I stood up, stretched and walked to the edge of the pond. I noticed a water snake glide into the grass close to the shore. A frog croaked and a loon swam peacefully near by, diving now and then for some tidbit in the mud below.

I threw a stone into the pond and watched the rippled water distort my face and body.

My wife sat on the bench peacefully reading one of her romance novels.

I returned to the bench and picked up my mystery novel.

She reached over and squeezed my hand.

"You know I love you very much but sometimes I wish you were more like the men in my novels."

I paused, looked at her out of the corner of  my eye and thought a minute.

"Impossible," I replied.

"Not if you tried."

Again, I thought for some time before I responded. I think I was hoping she might be thinking I was actually giving her request some serious consideration.

She waited patiently for my response.

"No, I'm sure it would be impossible.  They are not really alive.  Everything they say and everything they do is planned out for them.

"But, don't you think it would be fun to try?"

"I guess I could if you really wanted a puppet...maybe a Pinocchio...a man whose nose would grow if he didn't behave.

"No, not like that...but, maybe just a little more romantic."

"Well the men in those novels are perfect. I don't think I want to be perfect. I don't think I can be perfect. Besides you would grow to hate perfect. You need to have someone with a few flaws so you can try to fix them."

She smiled and said, "You certainly are performing your side of the bargain. But, you have to admit I haven't done very well."

I took her hand and replied, "I have flaws but I am doing my best to make you happy where those men would only agree with everything you say. You would soon tire of that."

She took her turn to think for a while. "Okay, I guess you have a point but you could try it for one day."

I took my turn to think. "No, it can't happen. I wouldn't last four hours before I screwed up."

She smiled. "Okay, I accept."

"accept what?"

"The three hours of being the perfect lover. You can start by rubbing my feet."

and...I knew I had been out maneuvered again...

                                                                                                   gs batty/August 2013