One Day On Our Mountain. . .

Charles was graceful in his movements. He had a smooth stride when he walked. If I wasn't watching him move around the house, I would never know which room he entered. We were totally opposites. He was tall I was small. He moved quietly, while I sounded if I weighed the size of an elephant. He put things together by picture, I read instructions. He trusted everyone, I was skeptical. He liked loud TV and music, I preferred lip reading the television. He liked bass I liked treble. Everything imaginable two people could be so opposite. The list is long. One day he said he wanted a hammock, Ok. I want a swing. He looked at me with his eyes boring into my soul, I had to look away from smiling and being embarrassed from I don't know, he could do that to anybody. I knew him though, other people felt uncomfortable when they first met him, until he would speak and tell them he was so very happy to make their acquaintance. The relief and relaxation from handshakes. I could see the agonization immediately go away from people he first met. We saved our money. We offloaded the box which the hammock was in and set it under the large mapletree in our yard and the box with the swing in it we sat on the opposite side of the house. Of course. Now it was the battle of the straws to see who got to put which present together first. I said mine. He asked why should I get to go first since he was older. We were both on our knees in front of "his" box. I told him "If he loved me...." I knew it was going to come to this. We started out in the morning, came home mid-day, and it was hot outside. So if he put his hammock up first it was over for the day. "If you love me..." Trying my best not to whine. So I told him, "I feel you might go away on your hammock and leave me alone and my box unopened." He reached behind his back suddenly and very quick like, he produced two straws. He had moved them so close to my face I was cross eyed trying to focus. Charming. I don't think he heard a word I said. I drew the short straw. He said here let me help you up and we will be on our way to prepare the box. I lost my balance. I rolled down the hill. "Uhgg," He said. I lay motionless next to the tree. He was at my side immediately. He rolled me over gently and in his caressing voice asked, "If I was Ok? Am I broken anywhere?." I looked up at him said no asked him why he didn't catch me from the perils of tumbling down the hill. It was a forever roll. I thought I would never stop. I went on. He put his finger on my mouth as gentle as a butterfly landing. I melted again and embarrassed from his compassion. He let go of me and like taking flight he was standing over me with his hands in his pockets and he smiled so big and with a gentle laugh, "Your perilous journey as you so called it was a 6 foot roll. The tree stopped you from "Tumbling" down into the dangerous road below." Him signing quotations marks around the word perilous, and then quickly put his hands back into his pockets. The road was maybe 300 feet away and our mountain maybe a 15 degree slope. Minor hill, major workout. He went on again, "I'm slow to move, how do you expect me to catch you when you are rolling at the speed of light?" He strode away. I looked away. Turned to say he was full of.^*^&* and he was gone. I got up not hurt went to the shed to get my tools. I say that because he played mechanic and I played builder. He was really good with cars. So good he knew when a REAL mechanic should work on the cars. He was in charge of the car maintenance though. I was the handy girl with house maintenance. And I was so good I knew when to call in the PROFESSIONALS.  I turned around and he was half way to his box already. I didn't hear him come out of the house. I was running to catch him. He stopped and looked at the tree, turned around to where I was and waved Hi. And that's what he said Hi. Not am I Ok or let's open your box first. But there he was changed into carpenter's shorts black tee shirt, blacksneakers head visor, sunglasses and to make the complete look he was wearing my toolbelt, hammer in stock. His hair flowing on this hot day. Wow. I started laughing because it wasn't his handsome look, it was the tray with the pitcher of lemonade and glasses he was carrying like it was an everyday thing. I came over to him, he set the tray down and picked me up and hugged me and kissed me and twirled me around. I was laughing so hard. He put me down said, "Let's start." Just like that.  I went to open his box. I held out my hand and said, "Scalpel." He produced a steak knife. So now with everything out of his box his hammock was ready to be assembled. I have the instructions in hand he looks at one picture and immediately sets off to operate. I'm glad this man isn't a doctor. "Gray's Anatomy" would become "Grave's Gravity." I'm reading out loud to him. Instructions were all the same to me. Push this, pull that, screw this, and hold that. Up until I met him instructions were instructions. He started laughing and turning red in the face. He said all assembly instructions should have a M rating and do not open for minors.  I finally took over the tool belt, this was getting nowhere quickly and we were going to lose light. His mind was in the gutter and mine was on my box with the swing waiting to be assembled. Finally, we set his hammock up under the shade tree I fell into. We do live on a slope so the stand had to be stabilized by flat rock. We leveled it. He was so happy with pride. Just like he accomplished a gold metal. I did most of the work. He said asked if I wanted to join him on his first "hammock time" as he called it. Then he did a side to side dance for a minute. What he thought looked cool and poppy, was pure elegance. If he was only on iceskates. He could have been a dancer if he chose. When we were dating he said he would take me ballroom dancing. "Let's hammcock," he yelled, what sounded like song to me. He had a beautiful singing voice.  He could have made it big in music if he chose to.  He got on effortlessly. Wow again. How did he do that with out falling over the other side? He reached out his arms and told me to gently climb on him so we don't twist over. I did. It was a rocky ride for a moment. Then we were still. He kissed my hand and said, "I'm in love with you and I'm a very happy man." We just laid there in the afternoon. The sun was going down. He helped me to the ground. He stayed in his hammock. I took in the tools to the shed and the remains of the lemonade to the kitchen.  I was also responsible for bending boxes and wrapping plastic to fit in our trash bins. There are never enough creases in a packing box.  The are never  bender friendly.  I looked out the window, he looked content. I felt content. He had a slight smile on his face. He was asleep. I left him to his time. I went to the bathroom to take a shower and on the counter were two straws the same length. I never checked his straw. He cheated. He knew it was going to get late. I looked up and there was a card taped to the mirror. I opened it and inside it read: Don't be mad. Look into the next room. So I opened the door to the next room and there he had set up a videocamera taping everything we did from the time we were offloading the boxes to the time he was sleeping. My life with him was always full of surprises. We were a pair that had the love that came directly from heaven through to our hearts.