gratitude

Heather stood in disbelief, mouth agape. She barely noticed the cold nipping at her toes or the billow of white vapor expelling rapidly from her mouth and nose. A warmth emanated from her chest that would have quenched any frozen morning that Milwaukee in December could throw at her.

The car was more beautiful than she could ever have imagined, the glossy advertisements in the magazines did it no justice at all. Sculpted lines of black stood out dramatically against the glistening snow. Chrome trim rivaled the sparkle of the icicles hanging from the gutters in the sunlight.

"Oh. My. GOD!" she exclaimed breathlessly. "I can't believe it this! You were paying attention all this time?!" Her words came a mile a minute. She let out a squeal whose shrill volume startled the birds from the power lines across the street. She tread carefully toward the glorious machine occupying the driveway. Jeff followed closely behind her, still leveraging her balance with a supportive hand.

She grabbed for him, tugging him furiously by the bathrobe, enveloping him in the tightest hug she could produce. The sting of tears in the cold morning set off a chain reaction within her. A sob choked in her throat, and she raised a hand to cover her mouth. The warmth that had originated in her chest spilled throughout the rest of her body. She felt her cheeks flush.

Closing her eyes, she laughed in his ear. The smile that had plastered itself to her face was beginning to make her cheeks ache, but she didn't care.

Eyes still brimming, she searched his expression and saw almost embarrassment there. "It was really easy to find..." he began to offer timidly but she cut him off with a passionate kiss. She pulled away from him again, taking a moment to process the overwhelming wave of emotion that threatened to turn her knees to jelly. Suddenly unsure of what to do with herself physically, she felt compelled to look at the ground, all the while sniffling and wiping the freezing tears from her cheeks. All of the words swirling through her mind abandoned her, ineffective at conveying her feelings. Movement to her legs returned and she began to hop. Another shriek worked it's way from her diaphragm and escaped her mouth. The birds scattered from the telephone wires for the second time that morning.