I said I love you
And that's forever
And this I promise
From the heart
I could not love you
Any better
I love you
Just the way you are…
-Billy Joel, “Just the Way You Are”
Taryn had a hard time getting back into the groove
of things after the holidays. She could scarcely concentrate, her thoughts were so consumed with missing Isaac.
Isaac was busy writing songs, and he too was having difficulty keeping his head in the game. He knew that he and Taryn couldn’t see each other often, but he was willing to do whatever he could to see that it happened as frequently as possible. That was why he had come up with the idea of the Valentine’s Day weekend getaway.
It was less than a week before the actual holiday when Isaac firmed up his plans. After he had decided it was feasible on his end, he called Taryn’s office.
When her phone rang, she was doing a piece on Cleopatra, and was irritated by the interruption until she discovered who it was.
“Are you okay?” Isaac asked.
“I’m just really stressed,” Taryn said. “I hate Mondays. What’s up with you?”
“Well,” Isaac said, “It just so happens that I have a little free time this weekend, and I thought maybe you might like to join me.”
“Isaac, I have to work on Monday. I can’t jet off to Tulsa. I’d no more than get there and I’d have to turn around and come home. If I had even one extra day, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
“Actually, I’ve taken the liberty of booking a charter flight for you out of New York for Chicago, where I’ve made hotel reservations for the weekend.”
Taryn took off her glasses and propped her head in her hand.
“You’re serious.”
“Yes, and I will be abjectly humiliated if you turn me down. Although I love Iris dearly, I would like some time with her mother.”
And so it was that Taryn arrived in Chicago on the evening of February 12.
Isaac was waiting for her when her plane landed. It escaped neither of them that this was the longest they had been apart since they met, and they both were flooded with emotions.
Taryn ran into Isaac’s arms.
“I have missed you so much,” she exclaimed, as she took in the scent of his brown leather jacket. “We can’t go this long again.”
“I’m with you,” Isaac agreed.
They rode back to the hotel, which Taryn found to be very impressive.
“Wow, this is a nice place,” she said, looking in awe at the shiny chrome and marble lobby.
“Wait until you see the suite,” Isaac said.
The suite literally took Taryn’s breath away.
The door opened into a sitting room, which boasted a mauve crushed velvet sofa and a fireplace. The walls were covered with delicate ivory-colored paper, and the plush carpeting was the exact same shade of mauve as the sofa.
The bed in the sleeping quarters was the biggest one Taryn had ever seen, and she wondered if she wouldn’t need a footstool to climb into it, as it was so high up off the floor. The tall canopy posts were draped with gauzy ivory material, and the bed itself was covered with an ivory-colored Battenburg lace spread and numerous matching pillows.
Taryn dropped her overnight bag beside the bed, and wandered aimlessly through the suite for a good 15 minutes.
“God, Isaac, this place looks like something out of a fairytale.”
“That must make me Prince Charming.”
Taryn laughed. “Ha ha.”
Isaac put his arms around her.
“You don’t think I’m charming?”
“Ask me after I’ve eaten. I’m starved. Right now the only thing I could possibly be in love with would be a big plate of pasta.”
