My faerie tale...

Once upon a time...

(I've always loved stories that start that way.)

A girl was born, grew up, and got married, ten years later she had three beautiful children and a broken home.

She tried to go about her business of moving through the world and tripped on a couple of pieces of it along the way.

One day, the girl and the family of her choosing moved to the land of trees.

The girl was happy.

Same girl going about the same business of moving through the world, went to a bar for a Halloween karaoke party and met a boy going about his business of moving through the world.

He was charming, charasmatic, intelligent, funny, and a magician with knots in a neck.

She was in a happy relationship, in a happy little town, far far away from "home".

He was happily married, in a happy little town, not far from "home" at all.

Months pass. Girl and boy meet and talk at parties and gatherings. They sing, both separately and together. They become friends.

More months pass. Girl hurts boy carelessly. They stop talking.

Girl becomes unsettled in her relationship and dark events occur. She takes her children and moves back north to what was once "home".

More months pass.

Girl continues to go about her business moving through the world. She learns how to stand on her own two feet. She learns how to support herself and her children. She makes new friends and misses her old ones.

She learns to be comfortable in her own skin again.

She learns that "home" isn't a place.

Girl discovers that boy has changed his profile picture. She likes it and decides to try once more to apologize for being flippant with his feelings.

Boy accepts apology and together they form a friendship that is stronger for the bending on both sides.

Girl continues to move through the world on her side of the moon, while boy continues to move through the world on his side.

Every now and then they reconnect through technology both simple & complex, each time

allowing the other to become more dear to them.

Soon, it's time for a visit back to the "home" of her heart.

Boy tells girl to clear a day for him to show her around his town, educate her, enchant her with the place, the lore, and the boy. The love and care he shows the girl and his town is a rarity. She is educated and enchanted.

Then, boy shows girl the dragon and she is lost, the home of her heart cemented permanently.

Girl returns to the north once more.

Girl continues to make her way on her side of the moon, but discovers that things have become flat, dingy, out of focus, black and white. She loses her step a time or two.

Then, girl finds cancer.

Girl questions life, love, happiness.

Girl struggles through it with the help of her daughter and sons.

Girl calls boy. He is worried for her.

Girl schedules surgery. Girl decides before being put under, that she misses the home of her heart and must return.

Girl's children don't share the home of her heart, they must find their own. They give her their blessing as she makes plans to leave.

Girl goes to doctor for the last visit before leaving, all cancer is gone. Girl is blessed.

Girl loads all her hopes, dreams, and her fuzzy slippers into her car and heads south on I65 until she ends up in the land of trees once again.

Girl is happy. She sees everything in sharp focus. The colors are vibrant again. The hills, the trees, the awe of "home" seep into her again.

Technicolor does exist in Oz, Dorothy.

Boy is on vacation. Girl and patience don't get along.

Little by little over the months following the homecoming, girl and boy become really good friends.

He takes her to meet mom, there's poker, karaoke, Tuesday dinner, carwashes, truck stops, adventures, misadventures, silliness, and commraderie.

Holidays are never alone, there's always room at boy's table.

One day, many moons after arriving home, girl realizes she's fallen in love with boy, from the roots of her blonde hair to the tips of her blue toenails, in love.

Slowly, sweetly, he's grown in her heart so that it's almost if she has two hearts, beating in sync.

She is sad.

She realizes that someday she will have to find another boy that will always be second to the boy in her heart and she grieves for what can't be and celebrates what is.

Boy and girl continue to be friends. There are still Tuesday dinners and silliness.

Life gets in the way.

Boy's marriage ends.

Badly.

Boy grieves.

Girl grieves.

Boy grieves some more.

Girl never lets him drown. She cooks, she cleans, she cajoles, she pushes, she bullies, she labors, she jokes.

Girl is there when boy breaks.

She rubs his back, covers him when he's cold, uncovers him when he's not. She holds him when he needs holding and lets him go when he doesn't. She watches crappy reality tv with him. Laughs with him when he's laughing and cries with him when he's crying.

Boy tells girl, I cherish you more than salt.

Girl thinks that is silly.

Boy tells girl the story. Girl falls a little bit deeper into the abyss of boy.

Moons pass.

Boy continues healing.

Boy gives girl kitten. (She'll blame him for that decision in the future.)

Boy and girl and cat find cute little abode together.

Boy and girl make it homey, each placing the title of "home" on wherever the other one is.

Boy and girl stride toward happily ever after, after all, it's not a given, it takes work and there are no glass slippers.

Just the beginning...