Tis the Season

There has been so much to do that I have been running constantly. The shopping and cleaning have me almost worn out. I have invited some of my best friends to come to the mansion to spend Christmas Eve with me.  Most of them have families and so on Christmas day, they are all with their loved ones.  I only have a few relatives, and we are so scattered around that we really don't see each other that often. Everyone has a family but me. I am the only one not married, and I really feel out of place at their homes. They are all happy and hugging and kissing one another, that it tugs at my heart that I have no one to do this with. So I just as soon stay in my own home. Go to Mass and worship the birth of Jesus and then come home and spend a quiet Christmas all by myself. 

I have purchased a hugh Christmas tree that will be delivered today sometime and I have purchased all the decorations for the tree and holly and some very beautiful flowers to be put around in the different rooms.  I have decided to put the tree in the large living room by the big bay window, and I have a few men coming to string lights all around the house too.  I want this first Christmas in my new home to be a memorial one. This is my very first home and I do so love it here.

This year I won't be alone on Christmas day. I know the Captain is here and I am hoping that he will spend some time with me so I won't be so lonely. Christmas should be spent with those that you love.

Oh! the doorbell!  It is the men delivering the tree. How wonderful! I can start to decorate it and put on the music I bought to play while I do this. I love decorating the tree. I love looking at all the special decorations and lights shining strung around the tree.  I have saved a few special ornaments that my mom and dad gave to me when I was very young. Dad used to pick me up and tell me to put my special ornament with my name on it unto a branch on the tree. We did this until I was way to big to be picked up , but even then dad would hand me the ornament and say, "Sweetie, put it high so the little ones won't break it." Every year he said that to me. I really miss my mom and dad. Especially at this time of year. All the wonderful memories I have of Christmas spent with my dad and mom. I am lucky to have had such good parents.

I could smell the pine scent from the tree as the men set it up for me.  I thanked them and they left me to my chore. 

I hadn't noticed but while I was humming with the music and putting the lights on the tree that the Captain had entered the room and was standing with his hands behind his back smiling and watching me as I scooted around the tree putting on the lights. My hair was all tangled and hanging down. I must have looked silly, because he began to laugh.

"Ah Lass, Let me help ye now." He said. "Seems ye are losing that battle with those strings of lights." "Ye have them all tangled around yourself and ye might fall into that tree." His smile was wide as he walked over and started to untangle the lights from around me.  He took them and strung them all around the tree with out a single word as I stepped back and watched him. I couldn't help but smile and feel wonderful as I watched this wonderful man helping me decorate my very first Christmas tree in my new home. 

After he was done,he told me he would be right back, and he vanished. I don't think I will ever get used to him being able to do that.  In a wink he was back and in his hands he had a box that he handed to me.

I opened it very carefully and looked inside. Then I looked up and into those beautiful dark eyes and they twinkled and smiled at me. I had never seen such beautiful ornaments in my life. They had to be hundreds of years old. Precious. I started to say that I couldn't possibly put these priceless ornaments on my tree. That what if they were broken. 

He looked at me and put his finger on my lips and said, "Hush, Hush now, these are meant to be placed on a tree." "It has been many many years since they have been out." "You must put them on this tree for me." "I will help you put them up high so that they will not be broken."

When he said that I could feel my eyes start to tear and he looked at me in a loving way. I knew that he had no idea how much those words meant to me.  He took my hand and walked me over to the tree and he lifted me up like I was a china doll and I put the ornaments near the top by the Christmas Angel that was on the very top.  Then he slowly put me down and turned me around. I did have a tear rolling down m cheek and he looked at me and asked me what was wrong as he wiped the tear away with his finger. I told him about my dad and our tradition that we had every year until the day he died. 

Gently,looking straight into my eyes with those piercing eyes of his, he pulled me close to him and wrapped those big arms around me and just held me. He held me for a long time, and kissed me on top of my head, as he said,"I know that you and your father must have been very close lass, but you have me now, now and forever." 

I looked at at him as the tears slowly slid down my face. Those sweet words filled my heart with joy. He smiled and took a handkerchief out of his back pocket and wipe the tears away and then he took my face in both of his hands and tilting my head he opened him mouth slightly and kissed my lips. I wrapped my hands around his wrists and just closed my eyes. As he deepened the kiss I took my hands off of his wrists and slipped them around his waist and held him tight. He removed his hands from my face and put his arms around my shoulders and drew me toward him and tightened his hold  as he deepened the kiss even more. 

The whole world stopped to exist as I was lost in his embrace. I opened my mouth slightly and he answered by kissing me deeper and tightening his arms even more. Oh! God! help me! I love this man so much. What is going to happen to us?  How can I possibly love a ghost? What can become of this love?

Slowly he broke the kiss and set me away from him. He stood there just looking with those piercing dark eyes of his. He didn't say a word as he picked up a box of ornaments and walked back to the tree and started putting them on. He turned once, gave me a big grin and a wink, and went back to decorating the tree.

I picked up a box of ornaments and started to put them on the tree too, humming the Christmas songs that were playing.

 

 

 

WINTER IN THE COVE/CAPTAIN AND I

The weather has turned colder and I can see from my bedroom window that their is a fresh blanket of snow that has fallen during the night. How beautiful the cove and surrounding area looks. A rebirth of nature and a cleansing of the earth. I have always felt this way when the first real snow comes and covers everything as far as you can see. So beautiful and restful to see.

Dressed and sitting at my desk with my third cup of coffee, I have tried to write but I just can't seem to settle into my novel. I keep looking out the veranda doors at all that beauty below and my heart is telling me to just get out of here and go . Go and walk in all that sweet smelling wonderful snow.

Behind me like a whisper the Captain appears, I am not scared. I have become very used to having him appear out of nowhere. I can tell he is near by the scent that he wears.

I turn and smile as I see this wonderful man before me. He smiles back and we both walk up to the veranda doors and he  opens them and takes in a deep breath of fresh sweet smelling winter air. I look at him with so much longing it scares me sometimes.

He always knows what I am thinking. I swear he does. Because he turns to me and wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me close to him. With those dark beautiful eyes staring right into mine he lowers his head and gently kisses my forehead and tightens his hold on me. Not a word is said as we gaze out at all of the beauty before us.

"Now, Lass," he says. "Let's go and take a walk  into the woods in the back and enjoy the freshness of this glorious winter day." "Now off with you , and if ye are real good, I will tell ye another tale."

We can feel the crunch of the new fallen snow as we walk hand in hand and talk and laugh. Suddenly he stops me and points over to the west. There in plain view is a doe and a buck just standing and looking at us. Neither of them moved a muscle as we stood quietly and watched them. How lovely animals look in their nature habitat. The does huge eyes looked as if she could see right through me. I whispered to the captain."Why don't they run?" He said,"Nae, They know that there is no harm coming to them from you and me." "Animals can sense danger and if they felt ill at ease they would have fled before we even had seen them." 

"Now Lass, I promised you a tale." "Let me think for  a second which one to tell."

I looked at this mountain of a man and asked him,"When you are on your ship and the weather turns fowl, how do you handle it?"

He simply smiled at me and said,"I've learned lass, that yae don't try to reason with an ocean current, but simply travel with it." "Ye just do what is necessary and let the currents work for ye not against ye."

"Now that tale I promised to ye." There was a time that we had pulled into port and my crew and I were at the local pub having a meal and some brew when a drunken man became very abusive to a wench at the bar. My man and I did not want to interfere, but when I saw that he was going to strike this child, I no longer could tolerate him." "I walked up very calmly and took the young lass by the hand and told her to get back to her chores." "This angered the drunken sailor and he taped me on the shoulder and said what business was it of mine to send that wench away?"

"I turned very quietly and calmly and the look in my eyes was all that  that drunk needed to see." "He drank up his mug and hurried out of the door."

I was amazed and asked."All it took was one look from you to send him scurrying away without a fuss?"

That amazing smile reappeared and he said,"Aye", he said giving my shoulder a squeeze."Ya might want to keep that in mind in the future. The more furious I am, the calmer I get." He winked and gave me that mischievous smile and threw his head back and laughed. 

Gosh! This mountain of a man is so magnificent! Just looking at him turns my insides to jelly. Head thrown back as he laughs his deep throated laugh with his long hair flowing in the breeze, takes my breath away.I could spend my whole day just looking at him and feeling the warmth of his hand holding mine sends tingles up and down my body.

Slowly we walked the land and talked till I became very chilled. He noticed that I was shivering and wrapped his arm around me and we headed back to the house.

Once inside he walked up to the fireplace in the office and snapped his fingers and the fireplace glowed with flames. My mouth dropped open and he laughed at me once more. Walked over and with the tip  of his finger under my chin closed my mouth. Smiling he kept his finger there and gazed into my eyes. I could see myself reflected there and I was hypnoized with the sight of the flicking flames of the fire and sparkles I saw there. A slow smile spread across his face and he dipped his head down and opened his mouth slightly and kissed my lips so softly I wasn't sure he even touched them.  Then he stepped back , turned and left the room. I hadn't realized that I was holding my breath and it came out in a swoosh!

I sat down by my desk and enjoyed the warmth of the room as I started to type the tale that the Captain had told me as we walked in the new fallen snow. What a wonderful feeling of peace and serenity over came me and I began to hum a song from a time when I was very young.