2003-05-14 at 1:37 p.m.
in-laws
there we sat. on the back porch of their house. the breeze slightly blowing. just enough to take the humid air away.
the grill was already hot and the tin foil wrapped potatoes cooked as the steaks still lay in their marinade.
�a little garlic, a little lemon pepper. no salt. that�s all you need,� said my father-in-law.
it was nice. to sit and converse with him. i�ve always loved my father-in-law. he�s a great man with a wonderful sense of humor. he never fails to make me smile. he has an infectious personality. one which rubs off on you anyway it possibly can. if he is in a good mood, chances are, that who ever is around him will be as well. but if he is sad (which, by the way, doesn�t happen very often) you can�t help but be sad too. if for no other reason than you miss his boisterous laugh.
he stands at about 6�3� in height. and he must weigh 350 lbs., if not more. as i said before, he is a �great� man. but of course, in more ways than one. his full beard covers half of his face and most of his neck. his hands are twice as large as mine. and he always wears a cap covering his brown curly hair.
in contrast, my mother-in-law is a quite small lady. she is petite with a short pixie-like hair cut. she has a sweetly shy demeanor and she only speaks when she really has something to contribute to the conversation. she works hard and is able to put up with many things that i know i would not be strong enough to.
at first glance, they look like two people who would never be together.
but they are.
they are perfect for each other.
he grabs her and pulls her close to him as he sits at the kitchen table, knocking the paper plate out of her hands. and at first she protests. but then, as always, she gives in to him. and hugs him close and he lays his head on her shoulder.
by then it was time for us to go home.
after we walked in the front door, chris reached for my arm.
�i love you, leigh�� he said as his arms enveloped me.
�i love you too, chris. i�m so glad you�re back,� i replied. i wondered if he knew what i meant by that.
�i�m glad i am too,� and with that i knew. maybe he really did understand.
his embrace tightened around me and i couldn�t help but to close my eyes and just hold him. i wanted to hold him forever. i felt his chin rest on the top of my head. our breathing became simultaneous and our slight swaying slowed to virtually a stop.
i could hear as well as feel his heart beating. i could feel his chest expanding with each breath he took.
he is back. he really is back.
xoxo
tell me i'm beautiful...
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