Page 52 - MailOrderBrideFlipBook

her heart to me.” Jim sat down on a crate and leaned against his cane. “Perhaps there are more important things than love.” “More important things than love?” Eli asked. “What could be more important than love?” Eli detected an unfamiliar look on Jim’s face. He seemed far away as he answered. “Trust, kindness, gentleness, patience.” “But aren’t those what love is built on?” Eli asked. Jim leaned back so he could look up at his young friend. “When I was your age, I thought so. But I’ve learned that you can love someone and still not like or trust them very much.” Jim seemed to understand things and know more than he ever told. Eli sat down beside Jim and looked out at the silvery path that was so inviting minutes before, the far distant end blurring as the moon rose higher, illuminating the nearby dock and ship in its yellow strands. The driftwood faded from view, following the moon’s vanishing path. Eli studied his friend. He had always been so dependable. Jim, his hair more silvery than the moonlight on the bay, seemed to be holding something back. “Jim,” Eli asked, “why have you never married?” Jim didn’t answer right away, but he didn’t just grunt either. He got up and walked slowly to the edge of the dock and looked down into the bay. The stillness of the evening was thick around them. Nature seemed to hold its breath, as if his secret was its own. His chiseled face shown in the moonlight. Finally, he looked up, but his mind still seemed far 49