Whispers in the Night

Buddy awoke in the middle of the night feeling the Lord tugging at his heart to pray. Over the years he had developed a close relationship with God, and he recognized the still small voice of his Father. He wasted no time. He slipped out of bed, fell on his knees, and went straight into prayer.

“Heavenly Father, I thank You for loving and saving me. I’m grateful for the relationship that I find in You. I could never thank You enough for my family. Ruthie, well she’s the best wife ever. I honestly don’t believe I could ask for a better wife. Lord, I thank You for blessing her with such a beautiful angelic voice. I pray that she will never lose her song. And, Lord, I pray that our marriage will continue to grow strong in Your grace. But, God, if You should take me home before You take her, well, please see fit to give her another chance at love. Lord, I pray that she will never have to face life alone. And I thank You for my Dassy. Please keep Your mighty hand of protection upon my baby girl. Please protect our family and allow our hearts to be joined together in Your love. And, Lord, I pray for T-Bone, that You would send a good woman his way. Please allow him to experience true love.”

Ruthie felt tears trickle down her face as she listened to her husband pray. Never, ever had she heard a more beautiful prayer. She was so proud of how far he had come over the years in his relationship with God, and yes, even his grammar.

She thanked God over and over again for allowing her to experience her happy ever after. My, how she felt the presence of the Almighty as Buddy prayed. She couldn’t refrain herself any longer; so she slipped out of bed, knelt down beside her husband, and she prayed along with him.

They returned back to bed after pouring their hearts out at the feet of Jesus. Oh, how his heart melted as Ruthie tenderly sang “The Old Rugged Cross”. She slowly allowed her angelic voice to go from singing with passion to softly humming in his ear. He took her in his arms and passionately made love to her. He couldn’t get enough of her love. He loved her like there was no tomorrow and their yesterdays would escape from her memory if he dared to stop.

The feel of her skin and smell of her hair made him crave her like a man starving from lack of nutrition. Their hearts and souls intertwined as one, and together they made beautiful music. Yes, it was the most beautiful love song he had ever heard. He knew in his heart of hearts, that he would remember this special night for the rest of his living days.

Before drifting off to sleep, Buddy whispered, “I love you my little lovebird, and thanks for giving me the strength that I need to face Dassy in the morning.” Ruthie yawned and purred, “That’s right, tomorrow is Saturday, your day to cook breakfast and my day to sleep in. Let me see, I think I’ll have bacon and blueberry pancakes—”

“Don’t push your luck, little missy.”

Buddy awoke bright and early to the sound of Hadassah calling for him. “Da, da, da, da.” He couldn’t help but smile at the sound of her cute little voice. “Daddy’s coming, Dassy.” He peeked his head in her room and started playing peek-a-boo with her from behind the door.

Her laughter filled the house and she gleefully responded by saying, “Mornin’ Daddeeee.”

Buddy walked over to her crib, and then he paused for a brief moment to take in everything about her. She pulled herself up and leaned against the railing of the crib. “Dassy . . . hungeee.”

He picked her up and kissed the top of her head. “Well, good morning, Dassy. Daddy is hungry too. How about some bacon and blueberry pancakes?”

She joyfully squealed out, “Yummy.”

He hugged her tight and whispered, “Shhhh, we don’t want to wake Mama up until we get breakfast ready.”

She pointed toward his bedroom and whispered, “Mama . . . sleepy . . .”

~*~

“So tell me, who came up with the idea of coming to the park?” Ruthie asked as she walked with Hadassah toward the swings

.

“I done told ya once that it was Dassy’s idea, wasn’t it sweet girl, huh?” Buddy playfully ran in front of Ruthie and walked backwards as he looked into her eyes. Hadassah pointed her little finger toward the swing and gleefully shouted, “Swingggg, Daddeee!”

He looked at Hadassah and replied, “Yes, baby, Daddy will swing with you.” He winked at Ruthie. “I bet we can swing higher than Mommy.” As Ruthie ran toward the swing, she teasingly remarked, “Buddy Nelson, you know we don’t believe in betting, but I wager to say that I’m the number one pro at swinging high.”

She jumped into a swing and playfully shouted, “Hadassah, Mommy can swing as high as the sky.”

Buddy jumped up in a swing next to Ruthie and placed Hadassah in his lap. “Dassy, let’s show Mommy who the true pros are.”

After Ruthie proved that she was the pro at swinging, they decided to go feed the ducks while waiting for Rex. Rex had agreed to meet them down by the pond at one o’clock. He insisted on surprising them with the trimmings for a picnic.

~*~

Marcy sat at the picnic table where Jake vowed to cherish her for the rest of her living days if she agreed to marry him. After almost eight years later, she was miserable and desperate for a way out of her marriage. She had bleached her hair blonde in hopes of turning the head of her husband because Jake loved blondes, but he only cared for the brat, J.T.

He complained about her weight all the time because she had gained thirty pounds and couldn’t seem to loss it. There was no doubt that the kid was Jake’s because he looked just like him. And now here she was, stuck married to a man that she hated, and she was sure that he felt the same about her.

So she came back to the very place where she first felt a spark of love ignite in her heart for Jake. She had high hopes that she would find peace of mind by coming to the park and reminiscing about old times. However, never in her wildest dreams did she think that she would see Buddy Nelson and his beautiful family here at the park.

The longer she sat watching them feeding the ducks, the sicker she felt to her stomach. She felt an icy wave of anger as Buddy played with who appeared to be his daughter. Her mind was spinning, struggling to grasp the pain that she felt as he threw his arms around Ruthie.