This short story is not connected with either "The Lost and Found Series" or "The Real Dreams Series". It is in fact, a true story, one that I hope you will enjoy as much as I have living it.
The Lady and the Red Neck:
A Tale of Love
A Christmas Story
by
Fantasy
This is the story of two people, both searching, who met in cyberspace.
Christmas Day, 2000
My tale begins in September of the new millennium. Yet another bard made her way onto the Internet. She took her place among the hundreds, even thousands of Xenites who have taken up their quills, or in this case their keyboards, to record their versions of the adventures of Xena and Gabrielle. Of course the difference between fan fiction and the television show is that the duo are not only partners waging a war against the injustices of Ancient Greece, but they were best friends, soul mates, and lovers as well.
The new bard of my tale is me. Born and raised in the country, I have spent most of my life taking care of livestock. I have a particular fondness for my equine friends and fancy myself as a bit of a trainer, and teacher. My four footed buddies never made judgments, never had any preconceived notions about what is required to be popular. It didn’t matter to them if I didn’t wear designer clothes, make-up, or comb my hair in the approved style that happened to be in vogue at the time. The truth be told, most of the time, I wore either a cap or western hat, effectively hiding my unruly tresses. So it should be obvious to you who the red neck is in this little tale.
I had no illusions about my writing abilities. I have many rejection notices from publishers, who over the years, have critiqued my work and dubbed it unfit for publication, at least by their standards. So I expected little or no response from other Xenites regarding my work. In fact, I was so sure no one would post my work, I decided not to write another. Fortunately, the folks at ForevaXena were more accommodating that I would ever have imagined. And the response from readers was immediate, and to my surprise quite positive. Enter the lady in my tale.
The first email came on September 17th telling me how much she liked ‘Loss’ and it was she who encouraged me to write another installment continuing the story of Stacey and Becca. The rest as they say is history, and ‘The Lost and Found Series’ was born. But more importantly, from that one email a deep friendship began, a friendship that became a deep and abiding love.
How can I describe my lady? I pride myself on my ability to use the English Language quite well, but I find more often than not, my words are so inadequate. My lady lives in the city, close to a major US metropolitan center. In that, we are as different as night and day. She’s traveled the world, I’ve visited only a few neighboring states. She’s bright and intelligent, politically aware, I’m a political cynic. My lady is comfortable in crowds of people. I’m most comfortable in the horse barn. My lady has a beautiful face and a dazzling smile. Her green eyes light up my world. My lady is my best friend, my confessor, my guide, and my one true love. She is kind and caring, she is strong and sure. She’s protective and nurturing; she has a beautiful soul. She has brought a joy into my life I never knew before. She opened my heart and made me believe in the power of love to chase away the darkness.
Before my lady, I was empty. I’m not empty anymore. I look forward to the new day knowing I won’t have to spend it alone. I have been alone most all my life, but I was rarely lonely, or so I thought. I realized I didn’t know what alone meant. I didn’t realize what I had been missing. The simple joys of daily life were strangers to me because I had no one to share them with. Now I look forward to sharing a simple sunrise or a quiet time in a park. The mundane chores of life don’t seem so mundane any longer. Going to the grocery store becomes an adventure learning what the other likes or dislikes. Neither one of us likes liver or sauerkraut. We’ve found we’re both Disney fans. Of course Xena brought us together. We both make our living in the same profession. Our politics are even similar. There are differences of course, but I’m sure we will overcome them with our love.
You may wonder at the tone of this tale. It may seem odd the way I describe the relationship with my love. I mentioned that I looked forward to sharing simple pleasures. It’s true, for you see my lady and I have yet to meet. We’ve talked on the phone, we’ve emailed back and forth; we even emailed scans of our likenesses, but haven’t yet seen each other face to face. That wonderful event will take place tomorrow. The anxiety I feel at that prospect is makes me at once giddy and frightened with anticipation of it all. We have told each other our most intimate secrets, things we’ve never told another living soul. We know each other so well, yet not at all. I feel like I’ve know my lady forever, and still there is so much I’ve yet to learn.
Why am I sharing this with you? My lady asked me to write a Christmas story. I don’t know if this is what she had in mind, but this is where the muse has led me. This story is my gift to her on this our first Christmas together. I’ve told her I love her, and I’d shout it to the world. Well the Internet is a pretty powerful thing, so listen up world.
I Promise
My lady I love you with all my heart and soul,
And I’ll never forsake you for another.
I will spend my life with you, as we grow old together.
I want to watch the sun set on the shore.
I will cherish the gift you’ve given me.
I’ll not take you for granted.
Your feelings come first above all else.
I’ll never lie or cheat; I am yours alone.
Give me your heart and I’ll give mine in return.
All I am is yours forever and a day.
I love you.