Honeymoon Day Two!

Estimated reading time: 13 minutes, 22 seconds

Swimming in a Waterfall
As Our Love Grows Stronger

“This is the gravel path that I walked down to the hostel’s office and had my unfortunate encounter with the German Shepard,” I said to Jan as we stood in the hostel parking lot. Even though it had been two years since that encounter, I felt uncomfortable and fidgety as I looked at the place where a dog had mauled me. Jan squeezed my hand and stepped in front of me to partially block the view. “I am so happy that you survived. I love you and know I could not live without you.”

I pulled her toward me and hugged and kissed her. 

“I survived the fire the year before. I promised God that I would live a life of meaning and purpose….”

Jan nodded, and her lips covered my mouth with luscious kisses that only a bride could offer

With each smooch, my mind and body drifted into a tranquil mood as I focused on the joy of our honeymoon. I could only focus on Jan and our future days and nights together.

I hugged Jan tighter and wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of the day in her arms.

We can keep kissing, or we can….

Jan’s latest kiss kept me from finishing my thought.

If you want to take a break, I would love to see the waterfall,” Jan purred.

We separated and walked hand-in-hand across the field.

“Once upon a time,” I stated while pointing out the cabins, “this was a honeymoon retreat.”

“Very small and a little outdated,” she responded as we looked in the window of one of the cottages.

I explained that I had shared it with seven pre-teen boys while I tried to rest after the dog bit me. 

“When we returned from the hospital, the boys rode their bikes down the hill. I had asked a woman staying with her daughter to watch the boys. She believed that letting them do what they wanted was OK.” 

Jan shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

“There were not many options, in retrospect she was probably not the best choice. The county police arrived and wanted to know who was in charge of the kids.”

I paused for a moment and then continued.

“When I told the contables I was, but the dog had bitten me and I had only now returned from the hospital, the officer forgot about the kids and went to see the manager and the dog. They did not speak to me after that. Boys that did not look like them were only an issue until they could harass a woman for not keeping her dog on a tighter leash.


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7 comments add your comment

  1. What a beautiful love affair-you were lucky to have found each other.

    What about this dog bite-were you okay? Did you have to have a shot?

    • Thanks, Sue, for your comment. Jan and I had a love that I always thought was like everyone else’s. Jan and I had our souls divided at birth, and finding each other allowed us to reunite our souls and have one soul, one love, now and forever.

      Regarding the dog bite, I wrote about it in detail in Road Trippin in 1973. The dig bite was severe and could have been worse if I had listened to the hostel manager and accepted her plan to use band-aids.

      “Pretty bad. If the bite had been a fraction of an inch higher, it would have cracked your rib cage. That would have been a serious life-threatening situation.”

      I swallowed to control the pain and accept how serious it was.

      They gave me the two injections and started to sew me up.

      “How many stitches?”

      “A baker’s dozen at least.”

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Lila: A Novel

Read: April 2022

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Lila: A Novel

by Marilynne Robinson

Lila: A Novel by Marilynne Robinson is an unusual but believable love story. Although different than how I met Jan, this novel is about love and romance that, on the surface, should never have happened. Lila, homeless and alone after years of roaming the countryside, steps inside a small-town Iowa church – the only available shelter from the rain- ignites a romance and a debate that will reshape her life. She becomes the wife of a minister, John Ames, and begins a new existence while trying to make sense of the life that preceded her newfound security.

Lila is the third novel in the Gilead series. Previously I read Home, the second in the series, and Jack, the fourth. I highly recommend all three books.

Hopefully, one day I will read the Gilead and complete the series.

The Goodreads summary of the book provides an excellent overview.

Neglected as a toddler, Lila was rescued by Doll, a canny young drifter, and brought up by her in a hardscrabble childhood. Together they crafted a life on the run, living hand to mouth with nothing but their sisterly bond and a ragged blade to protect them. Despite bouts of petty violence and moments of desperation, their shared life was laced with moments of joy and love. When Lila arrives in Gilead, she struggles to reconcile the life of her makeshift family and their days of hardship with the gentle Christian worldview of her husband which paradoxically judges those she loves.

Revisiting the beloved characters and setting of Robinson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Gilead and Home, a National Book Award finalist, Lila is a moving expression of the mysteries of existence that is destined to become an American classic.

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Half in Shadow

Read: December 2021

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Half in Shadow: A Novel

by Gemma Liviero

Half in Shadow by Gemma Liviero is an unforgettable novel about courage, love, and consequences at the dawn of World War I. In German-occupied Belgium, a tragic loss forces Josephine Descharmes to navigate dangerous new territory. By day it’s compliance, serving German officers at the Hotel Métropole. By night it’s resistance, working with her brothers underground to help Allied soldiers and civilians across the border into Holland. Both paths put her and her family at significant risk.

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“Much of my aim in the stories I write is to put human faces, be they fictional, to the many who lived through these events and imagine the experiences and reactions by innocent parties thrust into such situations.”

Half in Shadow: A Novel by Gemma Liviero

Josephine’s involvement in the resistance begins slowly and gains strength with every page. Her brothers Eugene, Xavier, and her mother become realistic due to the precise writing of Ms. Liviero.

Arthur, the English soldier who falls in love with Josephine, becomes an equal member of the resistance and the family. Franz, the German in love with Josephine, is not as strongly defined as appropriate as he is the enemy.

The Amazon overview provides a brief overview of the novel.

As Josephine struggles to keep her family safe, Arthur, a grief-stricken English soldier trapped behind enemy lines, finds purpose and hope with Josephine and her work. Meanwhile, Franz, a German officer remorseful for war casualties, offers her protection and opportunity. These two men from opposing sides will open her heart and test her loyalties.

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The book’s conclusion, which I will not reveal, brings together all of the novel’s threads in a way that reminded me of the power of love and family.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. I highly recommend it.

Half in Shadow is the first time I have gotten a book from Amazon First Reads. I highly recommend First Reads as a way to read books earlier than their regular release. Half in Shadow is not scheduled to be published until January 1, 2022.

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Read: July 2024

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The God of the Woods: A Novel

by Liz Moore

I started reading “The God of the Woods: A Novel” by Liz Moore today. Several reviews recommended it as a great summer read. The story is set in August 1975, the same month and year my spouse Jan and I married. Liz Moore weaves a multi-threaded story, inviting readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances.

The novel begins with a camp counselor discovering an empty bunk at an Adirondack summer camp belonging to thirteen-year-old Barbara Van Laar, who has mysteriously vanished. Barbara is not just any teenager; she is the daughter of the family that owns the camp and employs many residents. What makes this disappearance even more intriguing is that Barbara’s older brother went missing similarly fourteen years ago and was never found.

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The Corrections: A Novel

Read: September 2024

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The Corrections: A Novel

by Jonathan Franzen

Today, I embarked on a profound exploration of the human condition through Jonathan Franzen‘s ‘The Corrections: A Novel.’ It guides us from the heart of the Midwest in the mid-century to the bustling streets of Wall Street and the enigmatic landscapes of Eastern Europe. It’s no surprise that it’s hailed as one of The New York Times 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.

Jonathan Franzen‘s ‘The Corrections: A Novel‘ is not just a family saga but a profound critique of our modern society. It’s a work of art that delves into the issues of our new century, enlightening us with its insights. Franzen masterfully juxtaposes the old-fashioned America of freight trains, civic responsibility, and holiday treats with the modern absurdities of neuroscience, home surveillance, hands-off parenting, DIY mental health care, and the anti-gravity New Economy. It’s a narrative that will evoke laughter, tears, and deep contemplation. Through ‘The Corrections,’ Franzen establishes himself as one of the leading interpreters of American society and the American spirit.

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The Once and Future Witches

Read: March 2022

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The Once and Future Witches

by Alix E. Harrow

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow was on hold at my library for several weeks. It arrived today, and I could not imagine a better book to read for Women’s History Month. An homage to women’s invincible power and persistence, The Once and Future Witches reimagines stories of revolution, motherhood, and women’s suffrage—the lost ways are calling.

Although I found the book at times a slow read, I enjoyed it very much and highly recommend it. My only regret is that it had less to do with the suffrage movement than expected. In the late 1800s, three sisters used witchcraft to change the course of history in this powerful novel of magic, family, and the suffragette movement.

Goodreads summary provides an overview.

In 1893, there was no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.

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There’s no such thing as witches. But there will be.

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Read: August 2022

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At the Villa Rose

by Major Alfred Edward Woodley Mason

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The Goodreads summary,

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