Under the Cypress Moon (20 page)

"Do you wonder," Shylah began but soon interrupted by Mark.

"I wonder a lot of things."

"Let me finish, please.  I'm bein' dead serious here.  Do you wonder how many people came to this spot or what all was done here?  I mean, do you think it's kinda weird that your family once owned a part of my family and a lot of 'em may have worked near this very spot or been whipped here or who knows what else?  Is that weird?  Is it just me?"

"It's not weird," Mark reassured Shylah, "not weird at all.  I think about that a lot.  I can't make up for what my family did, but that's not me.  That's not who I am.  It explains why my dad is or was the way he was.  It's not me, though.  Never was, never will be.  Sometimes, I think about just selling this place or at least, bulldozin' the whole house.  It seems kinda like so many bad things are kept here and preserved.  It's kinda like a monument to all the horrible things that your family and all the people like your family had to go through.  Just know I love you.  You mean more to me than I could ever tell you.  I can't make up for what those people did to your people back then, but I can do what I can for you, which is love you.  I'll be better to you than anybody ever has.  I'll give you everything.  I'll lay down my life for you if I have to.  Know that.  Trust that.  I just hope you believe all this.  If you haven't seen it by now how I feel, I guess you never will."

"No!  I know, Baby.  I know.  I feel it.  I see it every day!  You're all I want.  I want you and love you just as much.  You don't have to worry.  I know you're not your family.  You're not one of those people, and I think that makes me love you even more.  Like I told you earlier, you're a good man, a really good man, the kind of man that most women couldn't even dream of meeting.  Who knew that the man of my dreams was just down the road from me all my life and best friends with my brother?!"  Shylah's look said everything.  She meant what she had said.  She had no doubts about Mark.  She felt more for him in such a short time than she had ever felt for any man before, even those that lasted a while.

All of a sudden, a drizzle began to rain down on the two lovers, slowly soaking them through, though the feeling was one of intense relief and almost mystic revelation.  It fell so softly and gently that neither could doubt that it was meant just for them.  It cleansed their souls in a way and rid them of their worries.  Much as it would renew the Earth and make it plentiful, it would renew and make plentiful the feelings shared between Mark and Shylah.

"This feel so good," Shylah screamed, so loudly that Mark's neighbors might have become alarmed, if he had had neighbors living close to him.

"It does, doesn't it.  We can head back now, though, if you want."

"No.  I wanna stay here and enjoy this!" 

Mark didn't really mind this request, as the rain was drenching Shylah's white tank top all the way through.  It was Mark's own private wet t-shirt contest with only one participant, the only one that he cared about seeing.

Shylah began to dance in a circle, her arms upraised, accepting the gentle rain for everything that it was.  "Don't you just love the rain?  Don't you just sometimes wanna dance in it?!"

"I guess," Mark replied, pulling up close to Shylah's wet and inviting form.

Lowering her arms and her head, Shylah stared straightway into Mark's green eyes, becoming lost in their beauty, knowing that this moment was for the two of them, and the two of them only.  "We could make love right here!"

"In the rain?"

"Why not," Shylah exasperated.  "It would feel so good!"

"We might get just a bit muddy!"

Laughing hysterically, Shylah lifted up her shirt and removed it, along with her bra, handing them to Mark.  "Come and catch me, if you can, Baby."  At that, she quickly ran away, ducking behind trees, waiting for Mark to give chase.  All that Mark could do, however, in his great disbelief, was smile immensely and stare down at the soaked clothing in his hands.

"You really want me to come catch you, huh?"

"Why would I hand you my clothes," Shylah exclaimed from a distance, a little too difficult to detect exactly where.

"What the hell," Mark mused to himself with the same stupid grin on his face. 

Mark ran after Shylah but had little idea where she might be, only the direction in which she had run.  "I'll find you, and when I find you, you're mine!"

"Ooohhh, big words, Big Boy!  You won't find me!  But maybe I'll still be yours even if you don't find me!"

"I think you're gonna let me find you," Mark bawled back.

"Maybe."

Mark took off once again in a hurry, running toward where he suspected Shylah to be, but looking around tree after tree, he found nothing.  Shylah, watching from a short distance, laughed, though not hard enough for Mark to hear her.

Around another tree, Mark fully expected Shylah to be there.  "Ha! I got you," he shouted, reaching blindly around without being able to see so far.

"Over here, Silly," Shylah exclaimed, though Mark could still not tell where she was.

"I have to cut down some of these damn trees," Mark stated, agitatedly. 
"You know you're not making this any easier on me!"

"That's the point," came a reply still quite distant.

"Give me a clue!"

"Why should I do that?!  If you want it, you'll find it!"

"I think I need to go to the house and take some pills.  I'm really starting to hurt, Baby!"

"Yeah.  I'm sure.  You're just hoping I'll come out and go with you.  Nice try!"

"Ok.  You got me.  I am hurting, though!"

"Bad enough to quit the game," Shylah questioned.

"I guess not.  Damnit!"

"That's what I thought, so come find me!"

Finally, after another minute of intense and fruitless search, Shylah popped out from behind a tree fifty feet ahead of Mark, exposing her uncovered upper body.  "I know you want me!  You gotta catch me first!"

Upon seeing the breathtaking sight, Mark took off in a dead sprint for the very spot from which Shylah had emerged, only once Mark found the place, Shylah was nowhere near.  In his intense anticipation, Mark had not noticed Shylah slip away and go behind another tree and then another and then another, staying the same distance from him as she had all along.

"Give me a chance here, Babe," Mark piteously heralded.

"Nope!  You gotta earn it!"

"Haven't I earned it already?"

"Nope!"

Shylah, growing a little tired of the situation and Mark's failing, decided to even the odds in Mark's favor, just a little, slowing her pace, decreasing the distance between them to half.

"Ok," Mark thought, "If she goes much farther, she's gonna end up near the road.  She won't do that half naked.  She's gonna have to double back sometime."  Mark then picked a tree slightly to the right of the middle of the grove, waiting behind it for Shylah to come back.  After a considerable time, Shylah decided to scope out the rest of the place and look for Mark, thinking that she could still easily elude him even if he spotted her.  Not long after, as Shylah slowly sauntered by, the kissing rain still dropping down the entirety of her body, wetting her hair, her skin, and her jeans completely, she was suddenly grabbed by two very strong hands and pulled behind a tree that she had not been watching.

"Got you," Mark shouted as he spun Shylah around to plant a passionate kiss on her lips.

Throwing her arms around Mark's neck, pressing her soft yet very wet skin against Mark's shirt, Shylah kissed him back with the same undying passion.  "I guess you win.  What do you want as your prize, Baby?"

"You," Mark stated, placing a hand firmly on Shylah's backside.  "I want this and these," Mark added, pointing down with his chin, "and you know what else."

"mmmmmm.  I think that can be arranged.  Here?"

"I don't see how.  I don't really want mud all over me.  Do you?"

"Sure.  I don't care if you get muddy."

"You know what I mean, smartass.  Let's go back to the house.  Ever done it near a fireplace?"

"Once," Shylah replied, a little confused.  "Why would you wanna do that?  You wanna build a fire in August?"

"It can't hurt.  It's a little chilly from the rain.  We don't have to, but it doesn't matter to me, so long as I get you home and get you naked."

"I'm already naked, Mark."

"Half.  Not enough.  C'mon, Beautiful, let's go get you out of the rest of those clothes!"

"Typical man.  Typical man."

"You started it."  Mark remained puzzled, thinking that Shylah might be changing her mind.

"I know.  I'm just messin'.  Let's go.  Believe me.  I want you out of your clothes just as much as you want me out of mine!"

The two ran toward the house, nearly tripping as the sky had become dismally darkened, making it difficult to see well enough.  When they reached the house, Mark didn't even wait to get inside before he began to squeeze and caress Shylah all over, then showering her entire upper body with a million tiny butterfly kisses.

"Here, I take it," Shylah gasped, leaning back, having to catch herself with one hand on the wall.

"Here it is then," Mark agreed.

"You can take me on the hood of my car, if you want," Shylah offered happily.

"Sounds good to me.  Now, let's get those damn pants off!"

In no time at all, the both of them were wearing nothing but smiles, losing themselves in overwhelming passion on the hood of Shylah's car, giving into complete temptation and desire.  The whole affair took on a level that neither had ever experienced previously, taking them both to new and amazing heights, soon leading inside the house, where they continued their escapade, leaving all of their clothes in the pouring rain.

When all was said and done, and the two lie on the floor near the fireplace, they embraced lovingly, taking turns kissing one another on the chest and neck.  It was as if Eros himself had let fly his mighty arrows.  Neither Mark nor Shylah could remember a time when they had been any happier, nor could they imagine it being possible. 

"I'll take that fire now," Shylah requested, smiling harder than she had for a long time. 

Mark quickly rose to build the fire, Shylah gazing hungrily at the sight.  "Now, who gets to admire the view?!"

Mark laughed as he stacked the logs, knowing that Shylah loved him as much as he did her and desired him just the same.  It would be a night like no other before and hopefully, much like many more to come.

Chapter 10

Mark and Shylah remained on the floor throughout the night, sleeping in each other's embrace, unclothed, under only a thin sheet near the fireplace.  It was a Heavenly experience for both.  When they awoke the following morning, they awoke to envision the life that set itself out before them, a life of peace and happiness together.  Both hoped that their relationship would sprawl to become an unstoppable force that would result in the exchange of matrimonial vows, though Shylah believed in it all far more than did Mark, not that he did not believe it possible.

The downside was that both of them knew the day to be one of overwhelming requirement and duty.  Not only would they have to journey to see Mark's doctor in another town, but they would have to stop by the hospital to see Thomas and likely, deal with some kind of bad news, or even more, have to bring Thomas home in his frail state. 

"What time's your appointment, Babe," Shylah casually asked as she rose from the floor and headed toward the bathroom. 

Hoping that Shylah would actually hear him, Mark shouted back, "nine-forty-five!"

Coming back to the living room, Shylah, standing in all of her unmatchable and uncovered beauty, remarked, "Oh shit, Baby!  It's already eight-thirty!  We slept kinda late.  We're gonna have to hurry to get ready and get anything to eat!"

"Let's get at it then."

As Mark stood while saying this, Shylah moved toward him and quickly threw her arms around his neck, jumping into his. 

"Ugh," Mark exclaimed.

"What?!  You sayin' I'm heavy,"
Shylah retorted, more than a little hurt.

"No!  No!  No!  You're not heavy at all, Babe.  In fact, you're skinny as hell.  You just caught me off guard is all.  I swear.  There is nothin' to complain about when it comes to this body of yours!"

"You better say somethin' like that, Mister, or you ain't gettin' nothin'!"

"I'm not that stupid, Hon.  I'd never say it, even if I thought it!"

Shylah could only shake her head.  She couldn't believe what Mark had just said to her.  Though it seemed a very smart thing for a man to say, it was also a very dumb thing for a man to say, leaving Shylah to wonder if Mark were being honest.

Mark immediately lowered his hand to cup Shylah's bare buttock.  "What does that tell you?"

"I think you're wantin' some morning lovin'!  If we had more time, I'd say hell yeah!  After last night, oh my... Yeah, I'll leave it at that.  You know what I mean.  But we don't have time, Baby.  We gotta eat and get ready and head out the door a.s.a.p.  You can let me down now."  Shylah did not really want Mark to have to put her down, but time was of the essence and placing demands that neither party wanted to have to meet.

"Alright, Babe.  You go start gettin' ready, and I'll fix us up some breakfast.  It's not gonna be much.  I'm not a good cook."  Mark already headed toward the kitchen before Shylah could respond.

"Anything will be fine, but you're not gonna give me a kiss?  I'm hurt!"

"Sorry, Baby.  Just not thinkin' yet.  I need coffee.  Come here to me, Beautiful."  Mark eagerly awaited as Shylah's naked form headed in his direction. 

Shylah soon threw her arms back around Mark's neck and gave him the longest, deepest kiss that they had yet had.

"Better," Shylah happily stated.

"Good.  I'm gonna get started.  I'll make us some coffee and eggs.  Just go do what you gotta do, and it'll be waiting."

"I'm so lucky to have a man that wants to take care of me!  I just hope your food is edible."  With that, Shylah began to laugh and walk away toward Mark's private bathroom to take a shower.

Mark shrugged off the remark and busied himself with the tasks at hand.  He needed coffee desperately in order to begin his day.  Not thinking much about it, Mark made a full pot, though neither he nor Shylah would be there to drink so much. 

When Shylah emerged from the bathroom and went into the kitchen, her hair was a bit of a mess, and she had wantonly thrown on clothes, paying little attention to any details.

"You look amazing, Baby," Mark exclaimed immediately.  "Woo-hoo!"

"Whatever.  I look like shit.  I haven't fixed my hair yet or put on makeup."

"Baby, you look good to me.  You don't need all that to look good.  I think you're the most beautiful woman ever, just the way you are."  Mark smiled so big that Shylah almost wanted to believe his words.

"I still gotta do it.  I can't go out in public lookin' like this.  I just need to eat and have a cup of coffee real quick."

"Well, there it is," Mark pointed out, his finger aimed toward a plate and a cup on the kitchen counter.

"Thank you so much, Baby.  I need it!  You're such a good man!  You know just how to take care of me!"

Shylah hurriedly grabbed the plate and cup off of the counter and sat down, nearly inhaling her food and even the steaming hot coffee.  "Ow!"

"What," Mark concernedly asked.

"I burned myself, drank a little too fast."

"Well, don't do that."

"Thanks.  You're a big help.  You're so concerned for me.  You tell me don't do that after I already did it."

"That's what I'm here for, support," Mark said, hiding the laughter building within him.

"It shows.  Well," Shylah announced, smiling, rising from the table, and gulping down the second half of her cup of coffee, "It doesn't matter.  I gotta finish gettin' ready.  You showerin', or are you goin' naked and smellin' like sex?"

"I think this works.  I hope they don't mind seein' me naked."

"I sure don't," Shylah adamantly chimed.

As soon as Mark had finished his eggs and his cup of coffee, he marched to the bathroom, immediately getting in Shylah's way as she attempted to finish her process.  "Sorry, Babe."

"You just made me smear my makeup.  Thanks."

"I didn't mean to, Babe.  I gotta get in the shower and get ready fast.  I'm really sorry.  You know I didn't mean to do it.  If you want, I'll fix it for you."

"Oh hell no," Shylah snapped.  "You think I'd let a man do my makeup?  I wanna look pretty, not like somethin' that crawled out of your swamp."

"It's not really my swamp," Mark retorted, climbing into the shower.  "It's part my dad's and part owned by the neighbors."

"Well, whatever," Shylah added.  "You know what I'm talkin' about.  I don't wanna look like Swamp Thing."

Mark agreed in his mind that he would leave Shylah alone to finish, focusing on his own steps to get ready to go.  When Mark finished, he knew that he still had a while until Shylah would be ready and busied himself with other things, turning off the coffee pot, cleaning up the breakfast dishes, putting away the sheet that the two of them had slept under, and a few other small things.  It was nine-twenty-four by the time that Mark stepped toward the front door, but Shylah was still nowhere to be seen. 

"We gotta go, Babe," Mark screamed at the top of his lungs.

"I know!  I know!  I'm almost done!  I promise!"  The shouts from the bathroom were muffled but still audible enough for Mark to get the point.

Mark decided to step outside and wait, lighting a cigarette in the process.  He was afraid that he would be late for his appointment and either have it moved to another day or at least, have to wait much longer than he would have to if he were there on time.  At the moment that Mark stamped the cigarette out with his foot, Shylah finally emerged through the front door, looking as radiant as ever.

"You know," Mark began, "I would almost be upset about you takin' so long and possibly makin' me late, but wow!  You look too good for words!"

"Thank you, Baby.  See, I told you!  I do need to do my hair and makeup to look good!"

"No.  No, you don't.  You look amazing without it, but you also look amazing with it.  I'm not complainin' either way."

"Let's get goin'," Shylah quickly demanded, walking around her car, as if Mark had not planned on it.

"Really?  No shit."

"Ok, smartass.  Get in."

As soon as Mark was inside the car and before he could fasten his seatbelt, Shylah peeled away, sending rocks flying in all directions. 

"Damn, Speedy," Mark stated right away.

"Well, we gotta get there, don't we?"

"We wouldn't have to hurry if someone didn't take forever, now would we?"

"Hey.  It's not my fault we slept so late.  Don't blame me.  We'll get there.  Don't worry."  Shylah felt annoyed at Mark's comments but decided to let them go, thinking that her recent response had settled the matter, which it did, as Mark saw no need to fight over the matter.

"Shit," Mark suddenly cried.

"What?"

"I forgot to bring my pills with me."

"Do you need 'em?"

"Well, I might not need the pain pills, but I'm supposed to have the antibiotics.  Shit."

"Want me to go back?"