It's Bliss (30 page)

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It had occurred to Sheldon earlier that if he were going to make the delivery himself tonight, he couldn’t make the Friday night Project Success meeting. Hastily calling Nettie, he requested that she conduct the meeting and excuse his absence.

At last—the moment had arrived. He was personally taking this last offering to his beloved Bliss.

Parking his car a block away, he pulled out the long, white box and headed for the Bliss home. His heart clubbed against his chest as he moved warily across the lawn. At the corner of the porch, he stopped a moment, listening, checking to see if it was safe. Deciding it was, he stealthily walked up the steps. Placing the box in front of the door, he rang the bell, ran around the corner of the porch, and hunkered down. He held his breath, waiting. The door opened and closed very quickly. Presently he heard the squeak of the porch swing. Whoever had come to the door, had remained outside! His heart thumped as he listened intently. Soon, he heard an audible gasp.

Billie had dropped the lid of the box onto the porch as she counted the roses. Three dozen! She picked up the envelope and carefully laid the box of roses down on the porch. The moon was full and bright enough to read what was in the envelope. Her heart raced with excitement as she opened it. Was she foolish to hope? The moment she began to read, her eyes blurred with tears. The words “TO BLISS” leapt from the page. It was! It was from Dodds.

It was Dodds who had been sending the mysterious notes and roses. Her heart bursting with joy, she blinked away the tears and read :

TO BLISS

Sheldon, nervously waiting and listening, thought he heard a sob. He jumped up, moved around the porch—and there she was—on the walk! Was she looking for him? Before he could truly formulate the question, she was running towards him.

“
Dodds, it
was
you! You sent the flowers and poems.” Reaching him, she gazed up into his face. Her voice soft as velvet, her smile radiant as the early morning sun, she repeated, “It was you. It was
you
who wrote these last poems.”

Sheldon looked down at her. Suddenly he felt awkward. The old inadequacies had surfaced. Then just as quickly as they came, he found them swallowed up in the joy of the moment. All was gone—the old replaced by the new—leaving only a smile of joy on his face. He breathed in her presence.

With gentle fingers, he wiped the tears from her cheeks. Slipping his forefinger under her chin, he held her face up and gazed into her brown eyes, glistening with a mixture of moonlight and tears.

“
I love you, too, Dodds,” she whispered.

“
You do?” He gazed at her, incredulous, trying to internalize the miracle of it.

“
Yes.”

He slowly bent down, burning with anticipation, and touched her lips tenderly with his. A searing emotion propelled his arms around her. He pulled her close, pressing his lips onto the softness of hers. They clung together, enthralled in a glorious rapture that they each felt life had denied them—until now. Some moments later, they reluctantly parted, gazing into each other’s eyes.

“
I did hear you say that you—” he began, wanting to hear it again.

“
You did, my wonderful Dodds. I said, I love you.”

A feeling of awe overcame him. He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly, trying to capture forever what still felt like a dream. He bent down and kissed her again, then gazed at her in wonder. “Never in my wildest imaginings did I think I would ever be loved by the most unique and beautiful girl in the world.”

They remained wrapped in each other’s arms, feeling unspeakable joy for many moments. Releasing her, he took both of her hands in his and stepped back. “I want to marry you, Bliss, if I’m worthy of you.”

It seemed like many minutes passed before Bliss replied. His heart pounded uneasily as he waited.

In reality it was only a moment before a smile of joy spread across her face. “Oh yes, Dodds. You are! You are.”

They moved together. The fragrance of her filling his senses, he murmured, “Oh, Bliss.” He sealed his joy with another long and passionate kiss.

When he released her, he said, “I have a ring for you, Bliss. It’s my mother’s.

I didn’t bring it because I needed to ask you first if that was all right.”

“
I would love to wear your mother’s ring.”

Sheldon smiled with relief and happiness. “Then let’s not tell anyone yet until I bring you the ring and make it official.”

“
It will be difficult for me to keep such wonderful news from my curious family, but I will.”

“
Good. Now, how about we sit in that porch swing for a while?”

“
Oh, let’s,” Billie replied, eagerly taking his hand and leading him up the steps. Hands locked, they gently moved back and forth on the swing, contemplating the unbelievable thing that had just happened.

After a few moments Sheldon put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. His heart raced at how soft and responsive she felt. The slanting light of the moon under the eve of the porch lit Billie’s face as she looked up at him. The expression on her face caused a hitch in his breath.

He kissed the top of her head. Feeling the warmth of her body next to his, Sheldon realized that for the first time in his adult life, he felt whole, complete, and free of loneliness.

Billie lay her head upon his shoulder and sighed. “I’ve had such yearnings, Dodds. Lately, every time you left after one of our meetings, I felt lost, lonely and confused. I didn’t know what was happening to me. I talked to Grandpa about it and he said that sometimes students get crushes on their professors.

I denied it. Now, I know that it was more than a crush. I was falling in love with you.”

Sheldon was surprised. “I never entertained the thought that you could be feeling that way about me. I was too troubled by my own confusing emotions concerning you.”

“
Really, Dodds?” Billie clapped her hands. “And here so many of the class members had a crush on you and it was
me
you actually chose! Imagine that—and even after I called you pompous and demeaning.”

They laughed.

“
I didn’t realize it then,” Sheldon began, “but when I called you into my office to explain that note, it was the beginning of my downfall as a bachelor.”

“
That far back?”

“
Yes.” He laughed. “That was also the downfall of my orderly thinking, and the orderly control of my life.”

“
Oh dear. I’m sorry,” she said grinning.

“
You don’t look sorry,” Sheldon said, chuckling and hugging. “But if you are, don’t be. I needed shaking up.” He looked at his watch. Reluctantly he stood, pulling her up with him. “I hate bringing this up Bliss, but I have to leave now in order to catch a commuter plane to St. Louis. I have pressing business I have to take care of. May I come over next Tuesday night around seven-thirty.?”

Billie frowned in distress. “Why that long? That’s four days away!”

Her distress over their being parted for a few days enveloped him with happiness. “I know, but I won’t be back until late Sunday night. Then, I have some important things to do Monday and Tuesday before I see you again.”

“
All right,” she said hesitantly. “If I must wait that long, I’ll see you Tuesday night.”

He kissed her hands, her brow, and then her lips. “Goodnight, my Bliss. I love you more than I thought possible.”

“
Goodnight, my dear Dodds. I love you too,” she murmured breathlessly.

He ran down the steps, across the lawn to the sidewalk, and up the block.

Billie watched him go, feeling bereft—yet gloriously happy.

Running up the front steps, she picked up the box of roses and the poems and went into the house. As she closed the door, her family seemed to appear from all directions, anxious to hear the latest from her secret admirer.

She smiled at them. “Come into the library, I have something to tell you.”

They followed her in and stood, looking at her expectantly. “Sit down, everyone.”

When they were all seated, she sat down, opened the box, and showed them the roses. Her mother gasped. “How many roses this time?”

Billie sighed, “Three dozen.”

“
My goodness, my goodness!” exclaimed Matilda, clasping her hands together.

“
Did he dare show his face tonight, or was still he hiding like a scared tomcat?” Henry blurted out, trying to sound his usual, caustic self.

“
Uncle Henry, do you want to hear the poems or do you want to just grouse? Do all of you want to hear?” she asked.

“
How can you ask that, Billie? Of course we do,” answered her mother.

Her father and grandfather were both silent, but smiling. Billie began, purposely omitting the title, “To Bliss,” looking up now and then to see if any one of them was beginning to guess the author, but saw only eager attention.

When she was through, she looked at each one.

“
Do any of you know who wrote them?”

Grandfather smiled, nodding yes. Her father said, still a little puzzled, “I think I do, but I can’t imagine
him
writing a poem.”

“
Is it Sheldon Ackerman?” her mother asked, her eyes wide with hope.

“
It is!” Billie said, beaming. “It is, Mother.”

“
How do you know? Did he finally show his face?” persisted Henry.

“
He did, Uncle Henry. He waited for me to read the poems, and then he appeared.”

Matilda, spellbound, bounced up and down in the chair. “So what happened?”

Billie, hesitant to reveal those gloriously private moments, looked down.

Bill Bliss spoke for the first time, “And what would you expect would happen?

He gave her a resounding kiss on the lips.”

Matilda squealed, “Is that true, Billie?”

“
Yes. And I told him that—I loved him.”

Bill Bliss clapped his hands. “Good for you, snooks!”

“
Oh, Billie,” her mother said, tears in her eyes, “I’m so happy for you, we all like Sheldon so much.”