Romance symbolized by two candles.
Two Candles A Tender Romance
by Steve Presley ©
All the characters, action, and the places used in this tale were fictitious. No living human alive or passed away was characterized. Although cities and places were mentioned, no attempt was made
to accurately describe them. The events, locales, and persons mentioned were created from the writer’s imagination. They were not real or actual. This was a work of pure fiction.
Chapter List.
Chapter 1. The Night Window Chapter 2. The First Dinner Chapter 3. A Birthday Chapter 4. Valentine’s Day Chapter 5. A Church Service Chapter 6. An Orchestra Performance Chapter 7. Christmas Chapter
8. The Front Porch Chapter 9. Birth Chapter 10. Maturity
Forward: We all admit that love is a great force in the world. What the cause of it is and what makes it endure is a mystery to us all. In some instances it seems to be eternal.
Chapter 1. The Night Window
There was a cold dark night in mid winter. Some snow was on the ground in places, The sky was cloudy in a way that suggested falling weather might soon occur. The landscape was barren of color and
life that the warmer months had. Deep hues of gray covered the earth. A forest of trees blanketed part of the world. Evergreen trees stood with their cones pointing upwards. Leafy trees only showed
bare branches that rose up in many directions from the main trunk. Animal life was hidden to escape the cold air.
A house was positioned beside a roadway. A rock walkway joined the front door steps to the edge of the road. A peaked roof had patches of snow here and there. Smoke streamed from the red brick
chimney to rise upwards and vanish into the air. One window had six glass panes that looked out into the world outside. Two red candles stood on a table just inside the window. Each candle was
about three inches thick. Two flames flickered in brightness as the burning of the wick consumed the wax. These two fires made heat and light as if by some unseen spiritual magical process that
heaven was controlling. This was a miraculous event against all else. The ground outside of the house was dimly lit from the candlelight. The light could be seen from a distance. This beaming of
light was in contrast to all else that was there at night. It was as if the candles were the heartbeat of the house giving it light in an otherwise dead and cold world. They seemed to offer hope
and compassion to a time doomed to coldness and darkness.
Chapter 2. The First Dinner
It all began when Ann Hall, a friend of Betty Bishop’s, introduced her to Sam Palmer. He was someone Ann accidentally met at the post office a few years ago and became friends. Somewhere in the
intricate workings of Betty’s mind, she saw Mary, her sister, as a mate for Sam. There was no reason for this. It was more of a feeling that she had rather than a thought. So she and Ann set up a
blind dinner date for Sam and Mary. Maybe the sparks would fly.
Sam had neatly combed straight black hair that surrounded a cute boyish face. He had a part in the middle with bangs hanging down to just above his eyebrows. His eyes were gray. He wore a leather
belt, slacks, socks, and lace-up leather shoes that were all black. Sam accented his white button down collared shirt by wearing a blue and black striped tie. This was his semiformal first
impression that he thought best to have when meeting a new young woman. Sam was five feet eleven inches tall and weighed about a hundred and ninety pounds. Behind his lips, white teeth gave a
friendly but thoughtful smile for the world to see. He looked intelligent and friendly at the same time.
Mary wore a white cotton dress that was decorated on the blouse with small colorful flowers. Green stems and leaves backgrounded the flower blossoms. She has white knee socks and white leather pump
shoes. Her black curly hair had a white cotton ribbon tied into it on the right side. There was face powder and lipstick makeup that gave her more color. Her black eyes seemed to be small lumps of
coal. Mary was five feet six inches tall and weighed a hundred and forty-five pounds. There was something pure and honest about her that easy to appreciate.
Betty wore a tan slipover dress that had yellow and gold embroidered patterns on it. She had long curly red hair that came to the middle of her back. She wore tan stockings and had on white tennis
shoes. Her pale blue eyes glistened with charm and beauty. All over her were scattered brown freckles. Betty was five feet four and weighed a hundred and thirty pounds. At the same time she seemed
serious and humorous.
Ann was a tall slender blonde-headed lady. Her hair was cut to the bottom of her neck. She wore a blue pantsuit with brown socks and leather shoes. Her pale skin looked fresh and healthy. She had
brown eyes, weighed a hundred and twenty-five pounds and was five feet teen inches tall. Ann had a warm friendly personality that all seemed to like and appreciate.
Betty introduced them, “Sam this is Mary Bishop, my sister. Mary this is Sam Palmer, a friend of Ann Hall’s.”
Sam said, “Hello. It is nice to meet you, Mary.”
Mary smiled and said, “It was nice to finally meet you. Betty had spoken of you a lot lately.”
Betty and Ann cooked a dinner for them and set the table with two tall slender candles. Their chairs were opposite each other. Steaks, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, peas, green beans, tossed
salad, hot rolls, butter, and apple jelly, chocolate caked with vanilla ice cream. The oval table had a white linen tablecloth, silverware, white bone china with a gold ring around the outer edge,
a clear glass vase with two pink roses, and two white candles in white china candlesticks. Silver salt and pepper shakers offered seasoning if needed. There were two white linen napkins neatly
folded to one side. The candles glowed with a soft yellow light that warmly lit up the dining room.
Sam looked at Mary and then peered over the table. Smiling he faced Batty and said, “Thank you. This looks like it will be a fine meal. Now I have some enjoyable company to dine with me.”
Betty and Ann went into the kitchen. Sam and Mary were alone for the first time.
An oval brown rug rested beside the dining room table on the shiny well-waxed wooden floor. A brass chandelier held frosted glass trumpet glasses that held conical light bulbs. These globes looked
like flower bells. This lighting fixture had elaborate floral patterns on the brass and on the glass trumpets. A mahogany buffet table was along one wall. On its top were stacks of china and a case
that contained silverware. An opened box of chocolates offered refreshing sweets. A white China teapot with a blue Oriental pattern on it was also on the buffet top. Hot steamy whips of moisture
came out of its spout that brewed a richly flavored blend of tea inside of the pot. Several teacups, saucers and cream and sugar service containers were nearby. They had the same blue pattern as
the pot. Thick cold cream filled one container. White granules of sugar filled the sugar container. A small silver spoon was stuck in the sugar to shovel out what was desired. A clear jar held many
teabags. A large rectangular mirror was hanging from the wall above the buffet. On opposite walls were two framed paintings. The frames were golden in color with curved scrolling designs carved in
them. One was a landscape and the other was a still life bowl of fruit. The landscape had in the foreground a lake with two white swans swimming in it. The rest was gentle hills of green with a
forest beyond. In the distance were mountains of bare gray rock. A sunny blue sky had several puffy white clouds floating along in the distance. The still life had apples, oranges, pears, bananas,
peaches, and nuts in a brown wooden bowl. They looked real and fresh enough. The texture of the fuzzy peaches was a masterpiece of art.
Lacy white chiffon curtains wrapped around the double window to add a formal but fancy touch to the dining room. The window looked out over a long grassy yard where sunlight beamed down from the
sky. At one edge, some multicolored flowers added beauty to the yard. An old oak tree provided shade to one side. Its trunk was large and divided into a dozen branches that ascended to heights.
Green leaves fluttered in the breeze. Several songbirds moved across the lawn looking for food. They either hopped or flew short distances. One red breasted robin was finding plenty of earthworms
there to eat.
The dining room looked through an arched doorway into a living room containing a couch and several matching stuffed armchairs. There was a large window that offered a view of the outside. There was
a white wooden mantle around a red brick fireplace. This mantle had Neoclassical Grecian accents that added a tasteful formality to the room. There were eight logs stacked on andirons. The room had
a full carpet that had an off- yellow color. On the mantle were six crushed marble statuettes. Over the mantle was a framed painting of the Swiss Alps. Snow capped mountains had green valleys to
the lower elevations. It was a very refreshing sight as people think of Switzerland as a very neat and clean place. A rectangular wooden table stood in mid room. It held tin containers of cookies,
peanuts, hard candy, peppermints, fruitcake slices, and fresh raisins. Popcorn filled a bowl to one side of the containers. Cold canned soft drinks were on a tray there as well. On one inside wall
was a spinet piano made of cherry. The bench had a red velvet cloth cover. Some music books were on the rack above the keyboard.
Another doorway came into the dining room. It was from the adjoining kitchen. It had cabinets, counters with a double sink, a gas stove, a refrigerator, a freezer, a wooden preparations table,
black and white checkered tile floor, two windows with white lacy curtains and a silver metal refuse can.
Sam said a prayer, “Thank you Lord for this fine food and bless it to the nourishment of our bodies.” Each reached for food items and soon had full plates. They ate the food items and drank tea
with small talk added in here and there whenever possible. Betty left the room. The two candles filled the room with soft yellow light. Sam and Mary were alone. They were carefully looking each
other over stealing glances at the other as they may. Both smiled, as the company of the other was a warming experience.
As they sat at the dinner table, Sam decided to get up and move to her left side. He slid down in a chair there and looked into Mary’s eyes. Her left hand was on the tabletop. Sam placed his right
hand on top of her left hand. His right arm went behind her to rest on the top of her chair while barely touching her back. Desire made them reach and hold one another, as the touch of the other
was satisfying. Soon a warm glow filled them both. For Sam and Mary, love was reaching, touching, holding, hugging, kissing, caressing, speaking and listening to inside feelings, being beside the
other person most of the time all your life long, trusting, sharing, and learning more about the other.
Stiffness growing in his legs, Sam went to the mantle and looked at the white marble figurines.
After a while Mary stood and walked over to Sam. They stood side by side before the fireplace near the mantle. Then nature took over. Spontaneous actions occurred. He stood beside her and took her
left hand into his right. She halfway turned and caressed the left side of his neck and face with her left hand. He smiled, bent over, and kissed her. She responded with a flushed face and a sigh
of one long deep breath.
Momentarily they separated. He stood to face her, put both hands on her shoulders beside her neck, and for a while looked into her eyes. She looked into his. Then he kissed her. Cupid, the angel of
romance, had captured the hearts of these two innocent beings.
Mary sighed and relaxed. She moaned with delight,”Aaaaaaaugh!” This was about as much as she could stand.
Mary put both arms on his shoulders, and held his neck with both of her hands. He placed his right hand on the top of her left arm. With his left hand he grasped her waist. He looked down at her
and smiled. She looked at him glancing into his eyes. Then turning her head sideways to the left, she smiled.
Together side by side, they slowly walked about the living room.
Sam walked into the dining room, got the two pink roses in the vase, came back to Mary, gave her one, kissed her on her cheek, and said, “Our lives now together are like these two pink roses. There
is a new fragrance and delicateness to us now that never existed before. We seem to be cheerful and happy with each other and ourselves. It was as if God wanted us to meet as we did tonight. I see
a great future for the two of us.” He peered into her eyes. They were glistening with joy and excitement being with Sam. Slowly they walked in an arc about the room side by side.
Mary sat on the couch with her two legs lying sideways across it. He walked up from behind her and placed his right hand upon her right shoulder. Sam raised her right hand to hold and caress his
upper arm. He leaned down more. Mary turned to look at him. He kissed her on her cheek and lips.
Growing a little weary of being in the living room inside the house for so long a time, they walked out onto the lawn for some crisp fresh air. It was night with a half moon and a dark sky loaded
with shiny jeweled stars. They walked about on the grass and came to the large trunk of the oak tree. Then Sam sat down on the ground leaning his back against a large oak tree trunk. Mary sat next
to him and leaned her head back to rest on his chest. Her right hand grabbed his right wrist. Quiet and contented, they both looked into the other’s eyes. Next they just looked at the sky. There
was a pair of stars flickering with a soft yellow color that Sam saw. They looked like the two candles that were still burning at the dining room table. Sam spoke, “Look, Mary, at those to stars
there.” He pointed them out with his right hand. She saw them. He declared, “They are like the two candles at our dinner table tonight. They glow warmly like our hearts do now since when have been
together and found a liking for each other. I bet those two stars have been there together for millions of years!”
Seemingly their first meeting had established them as good companions with a likeable desire for one another. Being together, eating, talking, and touching one another was a most pleasant
experience for them. A lasting relationship had begun. A woman’s weakness was a man’s opportunity. A man’s desire was a woman’s community.
Chapter 3. A Birthday
The faithful day runs around every year. The birthday. Sam and Mary were both born on the same calendar day, August 21 but Sam was one year older. This was late summer about the time of harvest.
There was to be a party for them at Betty’s in the same dining room where they first met. Ann and Betty baked a cake. It was a vanilla three-layer cake with white coconut icing. There were two
small white candles on top. One for Sam. One for Mary. The candles were mounted in candy mints that let them stand up on the frosting. One mint was blue. The other was pink. The candles burned and
the wax melted to flow downwards. Sam was twenty and Mary nineteen. Sam wore a brown suit. Mary had on black slacks and a lacy white blouse. She tied a white ribbon in a bow in her hair. Betty wore
a yellow blouse and white slacks. Ann had a white blouse and black slacks.
Betty and Ann had cooked a fried chicken dinner. There was rice and gravy, corn on the cob, peas, strawberry Jell-O, sliced bread, and sweet iced tea. The dessert was to be last and was the
birthday cake.
All of them stood from the table for the ceremony. Ann and Betty sang, “Happy birthday, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Sam and Mary. Happy birthday to you.”
Sam and Mary smiled, blew out the candles and laughed. They hugged and kissed each other. Betty cut the cake and served four slices in china saucers with fresh cold milk to drink.
Sam picked up the two candles and put them in his pant’s pocket. He said, “Mary, there is something special about our candles. They light up our world and beings. There seems to be a candle burning
in each of our hearts for the other. This is the flame of true love and devotion. Our first dinner had two candles at the table. This was when we first met. We seem to keep running into more of
these all along our days. This must be good luck. Yes, I am sure that we will have lucky lives together, someday.”
Mary replied, “Yes Sam. There seems to be something to the candles. It seems to be a symbol for us. Maybe it is something spiritual. A golden angel of love is watching out for us.”
The four of them sat down at the table, ate the birthday cake, and drank the milk. They exchanged wrapped presents. Sam gave her a comb and brush set. Mary gave him three white shirts.
Chapter 4. Valentine’s Day
February 14 was Valentine’s Day. Mary and Sam sat in the den at her parent’s house on an old slightly worn brown couch. On a table in front of them was a red heart shaped cherry cake. There were
two lit red candles on the top of the cake. Beside it were two boxes of chocolates and a bouquet of small multicolored flowers in a clear glass vase. The two candles burned with a soft yellow
light.
Mary said, “Sam here in this envelope is a Valentine’s day card for you from me. It shows my complete admiration and trust for you. All the days of the year that I am with you are good days. You
have become an important part of me, my thoughts, and being.” She handed it to him. Sam opened the envelope, and pulled out the card. The card had on the front a picture of a cute fluffy white
bunny rabbit with about seven red hearts above it.
Opening the card, Sam read,
“Darling, you are my true love. The angels brought you to me from heaven above. Ours is a love so rich and true. My heart weeps only for you. Being next to you makes me feel fine. Please my
darling, be mine. Be my Valentine.”
Sam told Mary, “Thank you, my dear. On this day of pink and rosy red hearts you have made mine feel warm and divine.” Reaching into his coat pocket, Sam produced another white paper envelope that
he handed to Mary. He said, “Open and read the card, lady of my heart. There are some tender words that I have for you, Mary.”
She looked the envelope over. It said in blue ink, “To Mary on this Valentine’s day.” She opened it and pulled out a red heart shaped card with white lace around its edges. There was a lovely
golden angel with opened wings on the cover. Looking inside it, she read these words,
“Mary you are such a dear So lovely to be with you so near To have you for all time Would make me so rich and very fine So now I ask will you marry me? Then mine you will be And the world will see
That we love one another And let Cupid hover In our hearts To never be apart”
Mary looked shocked and told Sam, “Do you mean that you want to marry me? Well yes, I will. I will marry you Sam as I love you so dearly and want you to be mine”:
Sam yelled loudly, “Great!!!”
They kissed a long kiss. It seemed like a peak had been reached in their lives. Their relationship had grown into strong feelings for each other. A wedding and marriage would hold them together in
happiness for the rest of their days. Both of them were very pleased that a wedding would be upcoming
She leaned forward and kissed him at the bottom of his neck where it joined his shoulders. Sam grabbed her with both arms about her chest. She let him squeeze her and just relaxed. It was a very
thrilling. Intertwined, they stayed embraced for about ten minutes. It was a very thrilling experience for them both. A new warmth came over them. Their skin was flushed with hot passion. The
agreement they now had was a grateful conclusion to the time that they had spent together since they had met.
They were weary of setting so long. Sam stood first and walked to one side of the couch to stretch. He looked out a window at the world outside. Mary sighed a deep breath, yawned, and slowly rode
up from the couch. She walked over to where Sam was.
Soon she was standing in front of him. He placed his right hand around her left upper arm and pushed his palm down on her back. He pulled her forward and looked into her eyes. She leaned forward
and kissed him.
Chapter 5. A Church Service
Several months went on by. Sam and Mary spent more time together. One Sunday they went to church. It was a special Sunday. It was their wedding day. Sam was in a black tuxedo. Mary wore a crème
white lacy wedding gown, a veil, and long trailing scarf. Two bridesmaids helped her move in that fluffy dress. Flower girls carried colorful blossoms.
The church was a white wood building with eight arched stained glass windows. The day was a sunny cheerful one. Light came through the large windows to put colored light everywhere. Many friends
sat in the pews. There were about a hundred of them. An organ played music that was a delight to hear. This was a loud and booming sound that had a most dramatic and devotional appeal to it.
Two white candles stood in brass holders at the altar in the front of the sanctuary. They burned tall flames nearly three inches long. This was a symbol of the love in the hearts of two young
people. Flames were feelings reaching upward to heaven. God was love. God gave man love. It brought warmth and light into otherwise drab and lonely beings. Love made us supernatural in some small
degree. The candles burned steadily during the ceremony and long after bit was over.
Sam and his friend, Dusty Draper, the best man, walked up to the front of the room to stand still before of the preacher. Mary with her maids came in later to walk up next to Sam. Her father,
Charles, walked with them, as he was to give her away to Sam. Mary’s mother, Elsie, was there. Sam’s parents, Joseph and Marsha Palmer, were present along with his brother, Timothy and sister,
Alice. Betty and her husband Jack Newton, Ann and her husband, Wilson Hall, were there as well. Friends of both Sam and Mary came to see them united.
The preacher began the ceremony with words from a black Bible he held in his hand. The words flowed out. The couple exchanged rings. They were pronounced man and wife. Sam kissed Mary. The crowd
applauded and cheered. The newlywed couple walked to the rear of the room. Mary tossed her bouquet in the air to land in the arms of one young and lovely blonde haired bride’s maid.
There was a reception and meal in a large meeting room. This was a four-course turkey dinner with tea, coffee, soft drinks, and champagne available. A seven-tier white wedding cake was served as
desert with three flavors of ice cream. The cake had two lit white candles on the top section.
After this under a cloud of thrown ride Sam and Mary left to get in a black rented sedan that took them to the airport for their two-week honeymoon at Las Vegas, Nevada.
Chapter 6. An Orchestra Performance
Sam and Mary walked into a red brick auditorium to stand in line at a ticket booth. Sam got tickets and a program. Walking down the hallway they passed double doors to an aisle. Finding suitable
seats they awaited for the performance to begin. About a hundred and fifty people were in the audience. They mostly were quiet but several times people coughed or sneezed. Mary sat at his right.
Sam placed his right hand on her right shoulder with his arm along her back. He turned too look her in the eyes, and gave her a kiss. There was a stage in front with eighty or so musicians sitting
on small chairs. They had various instruments and were getting them ready to be played by cleaning, oiling, or adjusting them. Some were reading over their music. All were in formal clothing with
the women in black dresses with white blouses and the men wearing tuxedos. The conductor stood on a stand that had a place to hold his many pages of sheet music. There were strings, woodwinds,
brass, drums, a grand piano and a large golden harp.
A wooden table stood between the audience and the conductor’s back. There were two tall white candles standing in brass holders. They were lighted with flames leaping up into the air. The audience
looked at all of this as it was a new sight to most of them. The candlelight added a softening to the stiff formal atmosphere of a serious classical music orchestra. Sam and Mary saw the two
candles. They took them as a symbol of welcome to them as part of the audience.
The conductor started the show by tuning up the performers. This was an odd mixture of scales, odd notes, booms, plunks, twangs, reed squawks, and horn toots. There were both sour and sweet notes.
After a quiet momentary pause the conductor raised his baton and the music of Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Schubert, Haydn, Chopin, and Mendelssohn came pouring fourth for a long time. The show
continued for two hours. There was a thirty minute intermission. Then another ninety minute show followed. The intelligence, precision, timeliness, and force of what the classical geniuses had
composed and left to the world for humanity to enjoy was very impressive. The beauty, storm and stress, and human emotion expressed in sound were showcased by the almost one hundred instruments. It
was a delightful experience for all to enjoy.
Chapter 7. Christmas
Winter gripped the world. Thick snow covered the land. It was Christmas day with decorations, the tree, and wrapped presents under it. There was a table in their living room with holiday
refreshments to eat and drink. There were two lit red candles in brass holders on the table. They were surrounded by green holly with red berries. The light glowed and lit up that room sending out
the spirit of the holiday.
Mary sat on the center of the table with her legs outstretched. Sam moved forward to stand between her knees. She placed her left hand behind his neck. With her right hand, she caressed his chest.
Each of his hands held first her elbows and then her waist. They looked each other in the eye and then he pulled himself forward to kiss her gently on her waiting lips.
They stayed there, arm in arm. Both looked down at the burning candles. The shining light leaped into the room making it somehow more cheerful. There was a beaming in their hearts that was similar
to that coming out from the two candles. This beaming warmed Sam and Mary and made them feel happy inside.
Chapter 8. The Front Porch
On the front porch of their house, Sam and Mary spent one leisurely afternoon at rest together. This porch looked out upon the world. The porch was the changeover place between the outside and
inside of the house. It was an in between.
Twilight was not very far away. It was late spring and the cool air was warming as the day went along. Sequential breezes blew through the air. Shade trees blocked the sunlight to cool the air
further.
She was leaning against a wall. Mary stood in front of him, put both of her hands on his forearms, bent forward and kissed him. He pushed his right arm behind her shoulders, put his left hand on
her left shoulder, leaned forward and looked her in the eyes. There was a gleam to those four eyes that reflected the rich love inside of their beating hearts and glowing in their very souls. Being
alive was being in love. This made them stronger and better than they would be if the two of them had never met. For a time they stayed still in that warm embrace.
There were two wooden chairs with a small wooden table to one side. Sam and Mary grew weary of the weight their legs carried standing still. Settling into the chairs, they rested. There were some
ham and egg sandwiches and cold black coffee on the table. The two of them ate these as a short needed refreshing meal.
Daylight was leaving. It was sundown. Yellow light turned to pale shades of gray that in time darkened into blackness of the night. Stars and a crescent moon appeared in the heavens above. Colors
and objects seen in the daylight were gone.
On the wooden table also were two white candles in brass holders. Striking a match, Mary had both lit to bring some light to that part of the porch near them. The light was welcomed. It was a soft
pale yellow glow that made the night much less of a threat. Mary held Sam’s hand. Sam put his other hand on her shoulder. A glow grew between them, which was a flush of tender emotional feelings.
As the two candles glowed in the darkness, Sam and Mary warmed each other as a complete escape from loneliness. Happiness filled them both with joy. They passed some of the night there together on
the porch in complete contentment. Two candles lit the lives of these two people.
Chapter 9. Birth
As live goes it reproduces itself. This is a fundamental part of nature. This was no different for Sam and Mary. She became pregnant, grew a large baby bump, went into labor, and gave birth to
twins. There were brother and sister, Paul and Polly. Sam stood at her maternity bedside looking at the wrinkled pink newborn babies.
Sam said to her, “Well Mary, now we are mother and father to our children, Paul and Polly. We have a family to raise. This adds much to our lives and happiness. We will take good care of them, see
that they are safe, and get all that they need.”
Mary answered, ”Yes, I am grateful that they are healthy. They put a lot of weight on me. I was surprised to learn that they were twins. We will be busy caring for them these next years. It is so
nice now to have a family.”
A week later after birth recovery was over, Mary was up and walking around. Sam came in to visit her. He stood behind her. Placing his left hand on her left shoulder, he pulled her closer. Reaching
down Sam grabbed her right wrist with his right hand. He hugged her and placed his chin on her left shoulder. They stood still hugging each other for several minutes.
Four years later the double birthday came. Mary made a chocolate birthday cake that had Paul and Polly names written across the top. There were also two candles on it, a blue and a pink one. The
candles glowed with a golden light that was cheerful to see. The four of them ate slices of the cake with cold fresh milk.
Chapter 10. Maturity
Decades came and went. Sam and Mary at age 60 became senior citizens reaching old age and elderly bodies with wrinkles, gray white hair, bent over posture, and scratchy voices. They were still able
to move and get about but that quick springy nature they had years ago was now gone. They took a walk on a path through a grassy meadow on the edge of a wooded area near where they lived. Part of
an hour passed. Entering a shady spot under a large maple tree, they stopped for a rest.
Mary leaned back on the maple tree’s thick trunk. Sam stood before her. Placing both of his hands on her back at her shoulder blades, he pulled her forward. Mary placed her hands on either sides of
his neck. He kissed her right chin, lips, left chin, and the left side of her neck. To all of this, she responded with contentment and relaxed joy. They stayed there embraced for a long time. Out
of his pant’s pocket, Sam pulled out a folded sheet of paper. Opening it he read a poem he wrote about the two of them.
Two candles glow together bright They give warmth and light to the night Romance is as pure white as a dove. Do you believe in love? A little love is no love at all. Pray that the angel of love
will soon call, And sing you a beautiful love song. Anyone who gets in the way of great love is wrong. Love will put about you a foggy sweet mist. Does true romance exist? How can you know? Do
feelings between man and woman start to grow? Does life offer feelings for one another? Roses and violets your heart love will cover. Can we learn the meaning of love? It gives your heart such a
sweet shove. Are we too young to know? When we meet will out love grow? Will a love last through the years? Will our separation cause sad tears? It is upsetting to be apart. Love must come from the
center of the heart Love is the blossoming of beautiful fragrant flowers in the heart of the soul. Two admirers shall be together until they are old Your winsome heart My fanciful dreams Two now
together Were apart Happiness was now here, it seems Two candles were lit by love Feelings of warmth carried them above Light dances about Flickering flames that shout Our love lights two candles
The glow of the lantern’s mantles Our love lights two candles bright A new brilliance seen in the dark, dark night Two candles glow together bright They give warmth and light to the night Their
golden light intertwined Two hearts warmly combined Two candles Two candles Two candles
Listening to it, Mary enjoyed the words that she heard. She said, “Yes Sam, that seems likely that our lives are two candles next to one another burning in the darkness side by side lighting the
worlds that we live in. Two candles have followed us ever since we first met. Some spiritual meaning might be behind this. Life is like a spirit. Love definitely is spiritual. Something outside of
us brought us together and made us stay by the other’s side. That was a thoughtful and wonderful poem. I greatly enjoyed it.”
On their fiftieth anniversary celebration they made a three layered white coconut cake. There were two small white candles on the top of it. They ate slices of the cake with warm coffee, crème, and
sugar. The sweetness of the cake was most pleasant. The two of the watched the burning candles glow throwing out light in a most magical way. The cake and candlelight made them both feel good
inside. Happiness was a large part of their lives.
Time as it is never does rest nor stop. Years came and went. Sam and Mary Palmer grew into their twilight years. Old age was cruel. Sam suffered a stroke and died at age ninety-one. Mary lived five
more years to die at age ninety-six from pancreatic cancer. Buried together in a remote rural cemetery, their natural lives on earth were over. Every so often, the twins came out to set and light
two white candles that were set in holders fixed to the tombstone. The candles would burn for time as a symbol of the great love that Sam and Mary possessed for each other in their lives.
Seemingly, the feelings that they had were eternal and ended not at death. The two bodies in the grave were close to each other. It was likely that their love was still there with those dead cold
bodies. Death did not end it. They were two candles while alive. They were two candles in their after lives.
The End.
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Steve Presley
A nice romance with a soft touch on words.
Thu, July 29th, 2021 12:32pm