Loved Like Her

"I had kind of got the idea that there's not going to be some fabulous perfect soulmate out there for me, so I'll just make him up."
- Audrey Niffeneger, author of The Time Traveler's Wife

 

At one time or another, haven't we all felt like Audrey? Aching to find true love and (sometimes impatiently or manically) waiting for it to come. As a writer, Audrey reached into the imagination of her heart and created the love she desired. Many of us have benefited from her efforts, as well as the romantic works of others like her. While I devotedly remain hopeful that mine is out there and appearing in due time, it is nice (and comforting) to have literary loves in the interim.

I for one not only enjoy the "vicarious living" distraction, but by reading these stories I also understand more clearly what it is to love someone. Love isn't just a feeling, it's an action. It's dwelling in a state of being that is selflessly dependent on another. 

If I can give one word of advice to the male species out there, it is this :
DO NOT overlook the lessons behind these stories. Instead of making fun of them, study them. Read them, watch them. They hold the secrets as to how to love a woman and make her happy. Why do you think we all obsess, devour, pine over the fictional male characters in these novels? It isn't because of the way they look, but about the way they love. Women long for that sense of loyalty, protection, and devotion from a man. They yearn to be seen as idealistic, not threatened by wayward compromises, and worth all the work it takes to be with someone.

Unlike the others, this work of novetry isn't tied to just one story. It's inspired by a grouping of my favorite novels that contain epic love stories. Each line (well lines 1-8) is a summary/reflection of the love that the man has for his one-and-only lady.
Line 1 - Henry in The Time Traveler's Wife
Line 2 - Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights
Line 3 - Ian in The Host

Line 4 - Peeta in The Hunger Games Trilogy

Line 5 - Landon in A Walk to Remember

Line 6 - Noah in The Notebook

Line 7 - Edward in The Twilight Saga

Line 8 - Dr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice

And the final lines (9 and 10) are a summary/reflection of a woman's heart and how it feels each time she encounters a love of this magnitude. A love that I believe in my heart of hearts IS possible. Truthfully, I am tired of being told it isn't. To everyone who says "Don't get your hopes up and live in a fairytale, love isn't like the storybooks," I fiercely challenge that with "well, why not?!" I say if we can dream it, we can create it. And to the argument that it takes both a man and a women with the capacity to create this type of love (how stories written by women for women can't realistically happen because men aren't like the creations nor do they think that way). Two words : Nicholas Sparks. If one man can get it, the potential is there for all to get it. You just have to find the right love. You have to find The One. (I know, I know such a cliche...still doesn't make it any less poignant)

So after that (longer than expected) introduction, please enjoy "Loved Like Her"

An anchor during an uncontrollable storm of time and space

Relied upon as a sole redeeming quality, a saving grace

Able to see past the surface to adore the soul within

Protection and promise liken to dandelion in spring

Conquered the impossibility of two places at once

A bird unfailingly singing their song of remembrance

Saved a soul from a life of endless night and sin

Desire steadfast despite or amidst affairs of kin

His love defies odds and manifests a dream come true

To be loved like her cannot come ‘all too soon’

As always, thanks for reading!

xo Krista Marie Rose

p.s. if any of you are unfamiliar with any of these 8 stories, I HIGHLY recommend you read them (...or at least visit their Wikipedia pages!)

"For I Marry My Best Friend"

Ok, so I realize I have been gone a while...but I had a push the other week and I am coming back around! My sister's wedding in October, the holidays, my 9-5, and other little life events have kept me distracted and my writing efforts on the back-burner, but I decided I need to make time for what I love to do. 

So to kicks things off, my first novetry entry post-hiatus isn't one based off another story. It's based on my own. This novelette and poem were inspired by my sister's wedding. As her maid of honor, the poem was a part of my speech/gift to them. In turn, I felt moved to write an slightly altered version (for respecting privacy's sake) of their love story as a background for the poem's substance and references. 

It's important to know that the song referenced in the story is "Wonderwall" by Oasis. So here is the story followed by the poem... I really hope you enjoy them! (I admit, it's a bit nerve-wracking to share my work each and every time)

xo Krista

For I Marry My Best Friend : Novelette and Poem

“And I now introduce for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Westley!!!!”

The music swells and doors swing open to unveil the beaming couple. The cheers and applause of their loved ones envelop them, reflecting the excitement that is plain on their faces. They reach the dance floor and he spins her into his arms as a familiar song starts to play. Once the giggles subside from the unexpected twirl, the first line reaches her ears and time spins back as well.

Today is gonna be the day that their gonna throw it back to you…

Jen is 17 years old and standing off to the side of the dance floor. No one else is around so she allows herself to look dejected. She has kept up appearances in the sight of her friends (and Eric), but now she is given a slight reprieve. It’s the last dance so everyone is distracted by his or her need to end the evening with someone. Another mutual friend has kidnapped her date so she’s taken the opportunity to reflect on the irony of the evening. She wasn’t supposed to be here with her friend Scott…she should be with Eric! He wasn’t supposed to break up with her before the prom, show up with another date, and act like she doesn’t exist. Six months ago she was his angel, and now her wings have been clipped. Tears well up in her eyes, but before they can spill over the shock of movement dry them up.

            “Ah!” she exclaims as a familiar hand sweeps her onto the dance floor.

            “May I have this dance?” Jeff asks with a friendly smile.

            “Well since you kind of stole it already, sure.”

            “You were looking like you could use a pick-me-up…”

            She hesitates, but decides to take the bait anyway. It’s not like they haven’t been sharing mutual heartbreak misery, but she hoped to spend one night avoiding it. Plus he hasn’t been so willing to talk about it lately and is the only one who completely understands. “Well as you know too well, this night has turned out differently than expected.”

            “It’s true. But since Katie and Eric have become such close friends after they broke up with us…”

            “Best friends,” she interrupts curtly.

            “…I thought maybe we could try to end the evening on a high note. It’s better than standing on the sidelines alone and looking pathetic.”

“Oh thanks. I’m glad to know I can still get a pity dance. Is that why we’ve been hanging out so much lately? Does it make you feel better just to not be alone?”

“No, actually something else has made me feel better lately. I’ve been meaning to tell you that I…I decided I’m okay with the end of my relationship. You and I have both taken all the blame, but it really was out of our control. We didn’t see the point in giving up so easily when we had something good, but they did because they saw something better. And now…I’ve come to understand that.”

She looks at him skeptically, confused by his newly found wisdom. “How so?”

“Something better was presented to me, too. That maybe it was there all along and I would have realized it sooner if we both weren’t so distracted…” At this, he looks at her with an intensity she can’t deny. Her head begins to spin with questions (even doubtful speculation) but she decides to start with something simple.

“So… you didn’t just ask me to dance because we’ve been friends these four years and I looked pathetic standing all alone?”

“No. I asked you because it’s my last shot tonight to dance with the most beautiful woman in the room. And I decided to follow Katie’s footsteps and take a risk for my better opportunity. Unfortunately the song is about to end, but maybe there’s hope it was just a beginning…?” He says this calmly and even with a hint of playful charm, but she can sense how it’s a mask for his nervousness being kept at bay.

She looks at him with a slightly confused and shocked expression, but then allows a shy smile to surface. Maybe this end could be the start of a new beginning.

I don’t believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now…

Time spins forward and she finds herself in the same set of arms as if time stood still. “Do you realize it’s been 10 years since we last danced together to this song?”

He pauses and replies with a bemused expression “wow, you’re right, I can’t believe it’s been that long. I feel old.”

She says wryly, “I know, together a whole decade. A lot has changed, but apparently I am still stuck with you. Well, you can’t have it all” A playful smile briefly sneaks its way onto her lips.

He laughs softly, “One thing hasn’t changed. I am still dancing with the most beautiful woman in the room. Only now she’s my best friend and I’m lucky enough to call her my wife. So I say you can have it all.”

She lifts her head from his chest to look at him with a tearful eye as the song softly plays out, You’re gonna be the one that saves me…

She quotes the last line that perfectly mirrors her own heart, “And after all, you’re my wonderwall."

A fortress of security

One to save me assuredly

A protection from life’s all

For I marry my wonderwall

A decade has passed

Since a life changing dance

But that song plays on without an end

For I marry my best friend