Chapter 31

It's true that Anna was beautiful on the outside. The first thing that struck you was those eyes. For me, they pierced right through into my very soul. Her eyes were a color of blue that is very difficult to describe. They were a shade that was like something from another world. The closest thing that I can think of would be those incredible pools in the ocean, which you see on the huge TV screens when you walk into a Costco warehouse.

Her face was flawless; it was as if it had been sculpted by an artist who demanded nothing but perfection. Her skin was so smooth, that I had never seen even one blemish. Her cheekbones were just high enough to give her face some additional character, not that she needed any.

Her nose was just right, not too sharp or with too much of an edge, and not too rounded. It was perfect for my taste. I figured I could lie next to her and just study her profile for hours. When the opportunity arose, I would marvel at my good fortune. Even without any makeup, and after a night of rest, she still looked incredible. The thought of having to wake up and go to work, leaving my Anna, would be something that I would have to deal with in the near future. But for the next few weeks, I could just lay back and be in awe.

Her hair had a kind of chameleon quality to it. At times it appeared to be red, and at other times I would say it was more auburn. It possessed a quality that would cause it to shine and shimmer when under the proper lighting. It was a color so distinctive to her, that I could always pick her out in a crowd. The smell, the softness, and the sensuality of her tresses, was such a delight to me. I would go crazy whenever she would cover my face with it. I was extremely pleased when I had the chance to enjoy and luxuriate in it.

Let's not forget the pure delight of waking up in the morning with Anna snuggled up next to me. I would run my hands over her body, stopping at strategic points. She would moan, and a smile would flicker across her face. Her soft skin, the supple curves, and her delicate scent, would quickly bring me to a point of passion that just had to be engaged.

Now you need to understand that I am looking at her through my eyes. These are eyes that have a lens which filters the light in a very special way. I believe the filter also passes through my heart. Of course, in that organ, I love Anna with every ounce of my being. For all I know, it probably filters out things that other people might not find so attractive. I don't know. I actually don't care. Anna is my wife and I love her.

I have known other people who are incredibly beautiful on the inside. It doesn't take long to get past the exterior and into the person that really resides in the body. I have made many friends, and ones which I have grown very close to. Most of them would never be on the cover of fashion magazine. I have discovered that the outward appearance is only for recognition, and that once I get past that, I can enjoy the real person that is inside.

It doesn't matter to me if the person is an elderly lady, an aging man, or a person that others would not take a second look at. If I find a warm and caring person, and one who is quick to laugh, I will try to build on that relationship and make a new friend. If you would come to one of my parties, you wouldn't find the beautiful people. That is, at least not on the outside. You would however, have a wonderful time because you would walk away with the realization that you had encountered real people. You would leave felling encouraged because you had talked to interesting folks who had something wonderful to share.

I once went to a party, down in Long Beach, with a colleague of mine from work. She was not what you would normally call beautiful, but I really liked her as a friend. Most of the people at the party were the beautiful people. The women were drop dead gorgeous, but there wasn't much else going on inside.

All they would talk about was their nails, their hair, or when they had the last manicure. The men in the party swarmed around my friend. She told stories of how she backpacked through the woods, canoed through the wilderness, or biked through a hilly river valley. The guys found her to be so refreshing compared to the women they were used to associating with. She even made some friends that she stills keeps in contact with to this day.

The fact that Anna was beautiful on the inside, as well as the outside, was not lost on me. To have searched all my life, and found her living in a country on the other side of the globe, just blew my mind. A part of me worried, that someday, my bubble might just break. Whenever those thoughts came, I tried my best to put them to the back of my mind and to dwell on my present good fortune.

Why would I even bring all that stuff up? I guess I want you to be able to understand some of the thoughts that ran through my mind. I will never be able to understand people who are so wrapped up in the own identity that they cannot enjoy the wonders of another person. To move to the next stage, where you would give anything because of your overwhelming concern for another being is truly an amazing thing.

When we were out and about, I knew the people around us where looking at Anna. I could even see the ladies checking her out. They didn't look at me, other than to see what kind of guy she was with. I really didn't care. Heck ... I was looking at her.

I truly believed I could give up everything I owned and go live in a hut somewhere, if it meant I could be with Anna. To give her a kidney, if needed, would not even require a moment's thought. To step in front of a bullet to save her life, would be pure instinct.

Now mind you, I really didn't want any of those things to happen, but those were some of ideas that had crossed my mind.

As it always happens in life, the time finally came for us to check out of the Inn. I took some photos so that we could reminisce at some point in the future. We paused briefly in the lobby and looked around. We both knew it would not be the last time that we would visit. I then helped Anna out to my vehicle, which I had brought around to the front. Within a few minutes, we were heading back to our house. I could finally call it "our" house.

The drive was uneventful, other than the additional ten inches of snow that had fallen the night before. The world around us was once more blanketed in a cover of white. I don't know that I could recall a winter when we had received so much snow. Some of the lots that we passed contained piles that were up to fifteen feet in height. It was definitely beautiful, but the thought of watching Anna run across a sunny beach didn't seem too bad either.

I was pleased to see that someone had plowed out my drive. That would enable us to get an earlier start on our trip up north. I figured it would take us about four hours of drive time and I hoped to arrive before it got too late. I carried Anna across the threshold and then kissed her tenderly. I paused for a moment, as I held her in my arms. She seemed to feel so small and frail. I did know, however, that she could change, at just a moment's notice, and be my equal in almost any challenge. That was exactly the kind of partner I had always been searching for.

"What do you think of our new home?" I asked.

"I guess I hadn't thought of it as mine, yet," Anna replied. "I like it."

"But I love you," she added.

"Pack anything you might think you will need for a couple days stay. I'll pack up the winter gear and we can head out. I'll see you at the Rover in about fifteen minutes." With that said, I headed for the garage.

Just before I opened the garage door, I thought I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. I stopped and looked. Sure enough, a deer began to slowly make its way between a fence and a mound of snow. It paused, looked around, and then hopped over a log that was blocking the path.

Then a second deer followed the first, then another, and then another, until there were four deer standing on the edge of the pond. They just stood there, looking around, like they didn't have a care in the world.

They really did look wonderful, standing there so tall and straight. The leader moved forward and began to carefully walk across the ice. I could see that their gait was somewhat different from what I had seen in the past. I also noticed that a hoof would occasionally slide on the ice.

When the group was about twenty feet out, another deer appeared in the opening, followed by two more. Soon there were seven deer walking across the pond. Eventually they all disappeared behind a tall stand of trees. As wonderful as it was to see the animals make their way through my yard, it did not bode well for my future flower and vegetable gardens. I made a mental note to do some additional planning on ways to protect my spring plantings. I sadly recalled how my lilies had only lasted one day, before being completely decimated by some wild animal.

Besides my emergency winter pack, I grabbed the snow shoes. I wasn't quite sure what to expect and thought it best to be prepared. I packed the five foot long, wood and sinew shoes, for myself. Those shoes required a little extra skill. I packed the aluminum ones for Anna. I had grown very fond of them and used them exclusively when I went out for my walks.

I had just finished loading up the car, when Anna appeared in the doorway of the house.

"Should I bring this?" Anna asked, with a little smirk on her face. There she stood; she was holding a black, sheer nighty that immediately sent my mind to other realms.

"You can bring it," I said. "But it won't last long." I saw her smile as she headed back into the house to finish packing.

Once she had settled into the vehicle, she asked if I had seen the deer.

"They were so pretty," she said, "and they just kept on coming. They would have made a great meal back home, when there was little food available."