Keresey Pearl
Aug 24, 2017 · 1 min read

Tender and fierce love

The infinite road stretches out ahead. Oceans turn to chiseled canyons to vast deserts. Betty Sue who runs The Rusty Nail off the famous Route 66 never married.

“I suppose I didn’t turn enough heads,” she reminisced, while stirring heavy cream from a stainless steel pitcher into her coffee. As she gazed into the milky swirls, I wondered who her loves may have been.

“Well, that ain’t entirely true,” she went on to explain. “There was a nice young man from Castle Point who would come around like a dog looking for a bone. I guess we just never had the courage to do anything about it…” her voice went soft. I could see the beginning of tears forming in her eyes.

“Billy…William Blackstone.”

Just then, the door to the small café opened. An older man in his mid 60s walked in. He looked at Betty Sue and I knew instantly it was Billy, her longtime, unspoken love. She waved him over to a corner booth as she grabbed a white porcelain coffee mug.

“Duty calls,” she shared, as she made her way over to his table. The tears gone.

I stood watching their interaction, wanting to jump in and tell them both, “Say it! Tell her you love her! Ask him to hold you!”

Instead, I quietly packed my shoulder bag and walked out into the waning light, that golden hour that makes everything feel possible. Love has many faces.

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