Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 74450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
“I believe I’ve known you before. My soul recognizes you, so to that I say, ‘Welcome back, soulmate.” She sniffled and cleared her throat. “Caspian… You are my hero in times when I don’t think I need to be saved.
“You are the leveler of the rocky road I climb, when I refuse to believe it needs to be paved.
“You are a coloring book, full of shades yet to be named.
“You are my heart that is now owned, and forever claimed.
“You are my inspiration, my muse, my lover.
“You are the chapters, the binding, and the front and back cover.
“You are the sun, the rainbows, forever good weather.
“You are the doves, the swans that have lost their white feathers.
“You are discovery, innovation, and new goals.
“You are my heart. My mind. And my soul… I love you, baby.”
While the room burst in applause, he leaned forward and gently wiped a tear from her face.
“That’s a hard act to follow. I shoulda gone first.”
Bursts of laughter filled the room.
“You know, I’m just a country boy, y’all.”
More applause broke out.
“A country boy from Kentucky who did as my Aunt Angel suggested and made a way for myself. She was big on education, so I went out and followed my dreams. There was someone else in my life… My favorite teacher, Mrs. Florence.” He turned around to meet Legend and Axel’s gazes. The men looked so somber. “These two are my brothers.” His voice caught in his throat. “We’ve been through everything together, and when I say everything, I mean everything. We’ve watched where we each started, and where we are now. Growth. It wasn’t easy but we did it, and we’re continuing to do it.”
“Amen!” someone cried out.
He then faced Azure once again.
“All that education and growth were good, but I never forgot where I came from. Humble beginnings. I saw the strength in women at an early age. My aunt. My mother. My favorite teacher. I learned really fast that women are not the weaker sex. They’re the strongest, and the gentlest. That’s an amazing combination.”
Many nodded in agreement.
“I met Azure at a yard sale my cousin and I were havin’ for his mama, Aunt Angel, after she passed away. Azure kept flirting with me and comin’ on to me during my time of bereavement. She took advantage of me, used her feminine wiles… I had to beat her off with a stick.”
The crowd erupted in laughter. Azure rolled her eyes dramatically, then laughed.
“That’s a bunch of horse pucky for amusement’s sake. The truth is, it was love at first sight. And that’s on my end, for sure.” He took a deep breath, then continued, “I mean that sincerely. I looked at this woman walking around checking out old Tupperware dishes and deflated basketballs and couldn’t take my eyes off ’er to save my life.” Her cheeks plumped to his words. “You see how she looks today… she looks like this pretty much all the time, so I was done for as soon as I laid eyes on her. Contrary to being a journalist by trade and speakin’ for a living, I’ve struggled with things like this… talking… about emotions.”
A hush fell over the church.
“Those of you who know me well, you are aware of my history. My story. You know about my mama, who I believe wholeheartedly is here today with us, watching me marry the woman of my dreams. You know how much I loved my aunt, Angel, despite the hardships she and I had over the years. And you know how much I loved Mrs. Florence—a teacher who told me that if I didn’t want to use my voice to speak, then I could write it down… write down my thoughts and use my gifts to go far in life. She was right. She had this uncanny ability to spot talent in people. Folks that the world had written off.
“I lost my voice many times in my life… I could speak up for others but not for myself. I was silenced. And then, this woman came into my life and she sang my pain. She yelled my joy. She vocalized everything my heart wanted to say, but couldn’t. She said I was her cheerleader, her biggest fan, and that’s true. My bride is such a talented artist—a truly God given gift—and she’s made an amazing career out of it. But another talent she has is standin’ up for the downtrodden. The bullied. The underdog. She has this way of making you feel good and ashamed of yourself all at once.”
Pockets of laughter erupted all around.
“She speaks like nobody I’ve ever met in my life. She speaks in a way that gets through this thick skull of mine, so I can comprehend. She believes in both the logical and the illogical. She has faith in what she can’t see, and questions what she can. She hears what I fail to listen to. She is above me, below me, and on each side of me. She… she saved my life. I was drowning. I was… closed off. I was a lost little boy in a house that played the same song over and over, and a part of me remained there. Trapped. Alone.”