Page 16 - Asheville NC Revised2

“You’re willing to forego one of the greatest glories of the modern age for a smidgen of added safety? But you do agree about creation?”
“Indubitably. Well, maybe I’d fly to Europe once more. But only because I’d rather die quickly in a plane than slowly in a sinking ship, to be eaten by sharks if I survived. And you’d fly in a thunderous snowstorm just to get home for the holidays?”
Correctomundo! Well, maybe.”
We mused a bit and soon were interrupted by the plumber yelling from downstairs. “Call if you have a problem. The water should be out of there in about an hour.”
Grace jumped up in her gangly, elegant way and headed downstairs.
“Don’t worry about it,” said the plumber from below. “I’ll put it on your bill and let myself out.”
“Thanks ever so much,” Grace said and sat back down.
I spun the globe again, landed near Maui and thought how fine it would be if I could get Grace in bikini on the beach I visited back in my reckless flying days. “Maybe I’ll fly with you to Kaanapali Beach,” I said.
“Come gently here,” she whispered. “It’s my favorite pileated woodpecker, Woodrow. Look how clumsily he has to cock his head so his long beck can grab the sunflower seeds.”
I carefully got up but knocked over the globe and Woodrow shot, dart-like, into the woods. “Oh shoot. You scared him,” Grace said. “Oh well, he’ll be back.” Together we picked up the globe and placed it back on the table.
“See, it takes humans to make the world turn properly,” I said with a breaking voice. Our little fingers were touching on the globe and when I rubbed hers she rubbed back. Fight or flight chemicals fizzed in my body. I rubbed my hand over hers and she responded with a squeeze. “Maybe we were placed here by God to traverse the vast chasm between Christians and Humanists,” I said, stroking her arm.
“Secular?” she said.
“Spiritual,” I said, “believing in mankind and miracles, but unconcerned from whence they ...” I shut up and aimed for her lips. She seized the initiative and swooped down from what seemed above, though we were the same height. Reminding me of that Correggio painting where Zeus, in the form of a cloud, surrounds naked Io. Except I was Io. Or was it like those terrifying advertisements for the multiple movies about that nasty creature Alien swooping out of the shadows. I recoiled a bit, put on the defensive, but she became so sweetly responsive that I quickly regained equilibrium.
In slo-mo we climbed the stairs to her bedroom. Soon we were smooching so