[IN PROGRESS]
Martha and James are soulmates trapped together in a never-ending reincarnation loop. Not a bad way to spend eternity, but they wanted more. They wanted a child. Serafina is born and Martha and James are elated to love and raise her a...
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July 3, 2002 |31|
Standing in the middle of her back yard as the midday sun beat down upon her, Martha counted off, "Two, three, four..." Then she bent her legs before springing up and back. James, who'd been positioned behind her, caught and heaved her up into the air. Her backward rotation continued until she was fully inverted above him, then she reached down and he, up and the two locked their outstretched arms. James trembled slightly, steadying himself beneath her as Martha made herself nearly vertical above.
Beads of sweat trickled down Martha's cheeks and collected at the tip of her nose and she was thankful she'd dusted her hands with chalk. James smiled up at her and grunted out, "You ready?"
"Yep," she grunted back, then slowly began to bend her arms and lower herself toward James. He, in turn, slowly bent his, adding to her descent. Inch by inch, their faces came closer. The strain on her hands, shoulders – and pretty much my whole damn body – was intense.
The pair smiled at one another as they struggled to keep their twitching muscles from giving out. "Almost," James said, then pursed his lips.
"Yep," she said, then pursed hers.
In the distance, their front door closed. James' eyes darted toward the sound and his balance wavered. The back door slid open then closed and Serafina said, "Phew!"
In an instant, the tension of James' hold vanished and Martha crashed down upon him. "You okay?" she asked him after she'd gathered herself.
"Mm-hmm... Sure..." he said, wincing. "Just give me a minute... or ten."
"Sorry," Serafina said, walking toward them.
"No. I'm okay," he said, then took a deep breath. "All pain is temporary, right?"
"That's the spirit," Martha heartened.
"It's just a good thing we weren't planning to give Ser-Bear a little brother or sister."
"Ain't that the truth?" Serafina said as they sat next to them. "You guys going for the Impossible Kiss?"
"The what?" Martha asked.
"It's what you eventually call it – your competitive cheer, slash Chinese circus, slash two bored immortals trying to keep the spark alive stunt. Looks like you were pretty close."
"Have we ever pulled it off?" James asked, his grimace dissipating.
Serafina looked at their parents for a moment, then said, "You call it the Impossible Kiss..."
"Oh," Martha said, disappointed.
"But hey," Serafina said. "There's a first time for everything, I guess. And honestly, this isn't the life for it. You're a little off your game."
