ADJUSTING
Chapter Eight
Jack Tigges
April 3, 1913
Jack Tigges sluggishly opened his eyes to
reveal the colorful dawn outside his bedroom window. The sun was not yet
visible, but it cast its ever gentle waves of splendor on the world before it.
The colors were so brilliant that it left Jack in awe. Never had he seen a
sight more beautiful...save one thing. Even the beauty of the sunrise was no
match for his lovely Lynn. No. Lynn was the most beautiful thing he had ever
laid eyes on.
Jack wanted nothing more than to be with her
at that moment, to hold her in his arms and whisper sweet nothings in her ear.
But alas, Lynn wanted to be proper and wait to have any intimate relations
until their wedding night. Deep down inside, Jack knew that it would be better
that way, but right now it was driving him nearly out of his mind.
Jack took a pillow from the other side of the
bed and plopped it over his head. Just one more hour of sleep.
With that in mind, he fell into a light
sleep. A grin lay on his face as he dreamed.
*****
Lynn arose early on the morning of April third.
She had not been able to sleep well the night before; she was thinking about
things too much. Not necessarily bad thoughts. On the contrary rather. Her mind
had been clouded with so many wonderful thoughts of Jack and their future
together. Amazingly, the lack there of sleep did not leave her weary. In fact,
it had made her even more energetic.
As Lynn watched the sun rise, she decided
that she would drop by Jack’s house for a surprise visit that morning. Was he
up yet? Oh, well. She’d find out soon enough. To think that in a little less
than two months she would be able to wake up and see her darling Jack sleeping
there next to her.
She and Jack had decided on a date for the
wedding--June twenty-third seemed ideal. This spring was turning out quite lovely
for Denver, so it would not be too hot, nor too cold. Lynn had known April and
June to range from temperatures in the nineties to temperatures below zero and
still snowing. Colorado wasn’t exactly known for its stable and reliable
seasons. You got what you got and that was that. Thank goodness that this year
mother nature was cooperating with them.
Lynn dressed quickly and added a bit of
powder to her pale skin. She did not bother to pin up her long blonde hair.
Instead, she let it hang down past her shoulders. It accented her long neck and
her bright blue eyes, giving her a very angelic look.
She grabbed her handbag and tiptoed down the
stairs so that she would not wake anyone. Jack’s house was not terribly far, so
she decided to take the walk. She could probably use the exercise anyway.
*****
Jack’s sleep was disturbed by the doorbell
from downstairs. "Humph," he murmured from under the pillow.
The bell rang again.
Jack grumbled. Who would be visiting him at
this early hour? And why?
He pushed the covers off of his nude body and
grabbed the robe from his closet. Jack opened his bedroom door and turned right
down the hallway. He not-so-gracefully descended the staircase and headed
towards the door.
"Jack, darling, I know you’re in
there," Lynn commented from outside the door.
Jack’s expression turned from exhaustion to
pure excitement. Every time he saw Lynn, it was like the first time all over
again.
He opened the door to reveal a cheery Lynn
carrying a white paper bag.
"Pastry, darling?" she asked, holding
up the bag.
"Sure. Come in! You know, you don’t have
to use the doorbell. You’re welcome to just come in anytime you like. After
all, this will be your home, too, soon enough."
They both smiled and Lynn walked into the
house with rather impure thoughts running through her mind. She knew what Jack
had on under that robe...and that would be absolutely nothing.
Jack came up behind Lynn and pulled her close
to him from behind. He placed a gentle kiss on her neck. "So, what brings
you here so early, my sweet?"
"I just couldn’t wait to see you again,
so I thought that we could have breakfast together," she said softly. The
very sound of her voice made Jack feel completely at ease.
Lynn placed the bag down on the nearby coffee
table and turned to meet Jack’s gaze. His deep green eyes seemed to penetrate
into her very soul.
She ran her fingers through his dark brown
hair...it was baby soft. Jack placed his hands on the small of Lynn’s back and
pulled her close to him. He could feel the soft vibration of her heart.
She placed her head on Jack’s chest and
closed her eyes. She could hear the soft beating of his heart, and it set her
at peace. Neither wanted that moment to ever end. They held tightly to the love
they shared--they simply hung on for dear life.
"Would you like some coffee or tea,
darling?" asked Jack.
Lynn smiled. "I think some coffee would
go good with the pastries. What do you say?"
"I would say so, yes." Jack gave
Lynn a peck on the lips, then ventured into the kitchen to make the coffee.
Lynn took a seat on the hunter green sofa in
the living room. It was her favorite piece of furniture in Jack’s house. It was
so soft and fluffy, she sunk right into it. She kicked off her shoes and pulled
her legs up onto the sofa. Ah…there we go. Much more comfortable, she
thought.
She laid her head back onto the back of the
soft and closed her eyes. There was hint of lavender in the air. Perhaps Jack
kept sachets around. At any rate, it was very relaxing. So very relaxing...
She had fallen asleep.
"Here we go," Jack said as he
re-entered the living room carrying coffee. "Darling?"
There he saw her, her long blonde hair
draping over her shoulders. She looked so heavenly, there was no way he could
disturb her.
Jack went to the linen closet and pulled out
the extra blanket on the top shelf. He spread the blanket over Lynn and gently
kissed her forehead. "Have a good rest, my darling," he whispered.
Since Jack was already awake, he decided to
make use of it. He headed off to his study to see if he could finish what he
had been trying to find time for the past two weeks--his very own poem to Lynn.