Chapter Five
Julianna slowly and gently placed her hand on Joshua’s. He could tell that it took every bit of energy she had just to make that gesture. It reminded him once more of how weak he had become after being gunned down and left for dead. He was so fragile and helpless then. The memory of the pain became strong in his mind and heavy on his heart as he watched his dying wife suffer as he did all those years ago. “I am tired, my dear Joshua. I must take my rest now. But please, I do want to hear more. I want to hear your whole story, my love. Every detail of your life is what I need to know before I leave this world. It is my right, and my desire. Please, return to me in a few hours.”
Joshua looked upon his dear Julianna, nodded, took her hand, and kissed it. “Nothing on this green Earth can stop me. I shall return, my darling, and make amends for all the grief that I’ve caused you over these years. I will tell you all you want to know. You will learn every detail. Anything and everything,” he said before kissing Julianna’s lips tenderly. She closed her tired eyes as the ageless man looked on, shedding a tear. He sat quietly and watched her as she quickly drifted off to sleep. His thoughts turned to memories of the first time he had watched her do so.
Joshua and his young girlfriend, Julianna, had driven up to the lake one summer’s afternoon. They had been dating for two weeks at that time and had decided to get out of the city for the day. Their car was packed with food, blankets, water and wine. The couple parked right by the water’s edge and set out to have the most fun day of their early relationship. She suggested that they first go for a swim to which Joshua eagerly agreed. He knelt down to get their bathing suits out of the basket but by the time he had turned around she had already stripped out of her clothes. Her small, tan frame, barely over 5’5”, stood over her sundress to which she kicked out of the way.
Joshua’s jaw dropped at her beauty and her boldness.
“Close your mouth, handsome, you’re letting flies in,” she said as she sauntered over to him.
“I thought…thought we would…you know, change…in the…the…” he stammered.
She laughed out loud as she wrapped her arms around his waist and pushed her body tightly against his. She then planted a quick kiss upon his lips. “In the stalls?” she asked; her thin red lips pursed firmly together, trying to hold back the laughter. “There’s no one around, baby; just me and you, and nothing in between.”
Joshua put his firm hands on her lower back and kissed her to which she pushed him back a step with a shake of her head. “No, big daddy, I didn’t strip down for you. This is just how I like to swim.” With that she ran away from the immortal and jumped into the water.
Joshua stood, stunned for another moment before hastily stripping off his clothes and joining her.
After swimming for a while, the couple decided to work on their tans. She had often declared herself a fashion queen and loved sitting in the sun to work on her color. Joshua laid out the towels after they put their bathing suits on in case anybody else showed up. After some time, they ate their picnic dinner and decided to partake of the quite illegal alcohol, making sure they were still alone first.
