Tears of Heaven - A Love Story

Tears -

Sixteen

It was on the anniversary of our second month of marriage that it happened. And like the violence of a tornado, it came without warning, turning my world upside down and leaving me to wonder if I would ever be able to piece it back together again.

I had spent the morning cleaning the house, and most of the afternoon packing. We'd surprised Oksana and Nikolai a couple of days before when we called them and told them we were coming to visit them for a week. I looked forward with anticipation to visiting the country of my husband's birth, and I was excited to see his family again. Sergei was excited as well. He told me about all the places he wanted to show me when we got there. I looked forward to seeing the famous Red Square and touring The Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral. Until marrying Sergei, I'd never had a desire to visit Russia. I was sure this was going to prove to be an educational experience.

After we finished packing, Sergei surprised me by putting together a picnic dinner for us. He kept my hand in his as we walked down to the harbor. We spread a blanket out on a grassy knoll and lay on our backs, taking in the sounds that surrounded us.

At one point we laughed as the cry of the seagulls seemed to compete with the loud hum of the boat engines. Then as quickly as the two sounds came, they were gone, leaving the soothing sound of waves lightly lapping against the shore.

Sergei turned to me and smiled, gently cupping my face with his warm hand. “Have I told you how much I love you?”

I smiled back, covering his hand with mine. “Yes, my love, you have.”

“Well, he said, pulling me closer, “Have I told you how happy you have made me?”

I nodded, tears slowly filling my eyes. “You not only tell me those things every day, you show me too.” I caressed his lips softly. “Have I told you how much I love you, and how happy you have made me?”

He pressed my fingers to his lips, kissing them lightly. “Every day,” he said softly. He gazed at me a moment longer and asked in a raspy voice, “Are you really hungry right now?”

I shook my head with a smile, warmed by the look in his eyes.

“Neither am I.” He stood and held out a hand to me. I took it and he pulled me up. Looking longingly into each other's eyes, we picked up the picnic basket and blanket and quickly walked back to the house.

 * * *

Neither of us wanted to get back out of bed, so we decided to turn in early. Sergei laughed and joked about how lazy we had both become. I told him I enjoyed being lazy with him and he echoed my sentiments.

After a while, the warmth of my husband's arms combined with the blissful memories of all we'd shared that day filled my thoughts and slowly lulled me to sleep.

I hadn't been asleep long when the telephone rang. I turned over and glanced at the clock, wondering who would be calling, but when the time finally registered in my mind, I realized it wasn't really that late.

“Hej,” I answered slightly groggy. My greeting was met with silence. “Hello,” I said once more.

“You shouldn't have left me, honey.”

Upon hearing the sound of the voice, I pressed a hand to my pounding heart and literally felt the blood drain from my face. “How did you get this number?” My voice and body were suddenly alert and I was shaking with fear.

By now Sergei had awakened fully and was sitting up. I gripped his arm tightly, moved the phone away slightly and whispered, “It's Ross.”

Sergei swore softly and grabbed my hand.