Because we can

At 9:00 this morning, Honey sat at the dining room table, prepping for a phone interview; I was working at my desk on the front porch. It's been a week since he lost his job, and today the weight of that seems to be pressing on both of us. Unspoken anxieties hang in the air next to whispered reassurances. It's a lot of work keeping the gremlins at bay.

A local radio station played in the background faintly, a DJ periodically yammering about temperature shifts or local bands. My ears perked up: the lilting opening guitar chords of "Power of Two," a song by the Indigo Girls that one doesn't hear often, except on my iTunes shuffle. 

"Hey," I smiled, "it's our wedding song." A really long song for a first dance, and we took some ribbing from friends because it's not a traditional wedding choice for straight couples. But when I picked it all those years ago, I thought the lyrics were perfect for us -- and they still are:

So we're okay, we're fine
baby I'm here to stop your crying.
I'll chase all the ghosts from your head
I'm stronger than the monsters beneath your bed, 
smarter than the tricks played on your heart.
We'll look at them together then we'll tear them apart.
Adding up the total of a love that's true.
Multiply life by the power of two. 

Chris pushed back from the table, walked out to my porch-perch and took my hand. "Dance with me," he whispered, leading me to the living room. And I did.

We danced, slow and huggy, not speaking, simply breathing and swaying. We're okay, we're fine, baby I'm here to stop your crying. When I'm barefoot and he's in sneakers, we're the same height and I can fit my face into the curve of his neck. I'll chase all the ghosts from your head, I'm stronger than the monsters beneath your bed, smarter than the tricks played on your heart. He smelled like syrup from the toaster waffles he ate with Zippy before school. We'll look at them together then we'll tear them apart. I haven't washed my hair in days - working from home allows for such things - yet he ran his fingers over my curls just the same. Adding up the total of a love that's true...multiply life by the power of two. Breathe. Sway. Breathe.

On our wedding day, Honey joked that the song was so long, we'd be dancing to it in an alternate universe until the end of time. I hope that's true. This is us, still, 20 years in, slow dancing on a Thursday morning, just because we can.

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*I'm participating in the Slice of Life writing challenge this month, sharing a small piece of each day, in an attempt to restrengthen my writing muscles. Read more about the challenge here  and read other Slicers' stories by following #SOL18 on social media.