I Want A Simple Love Like That

We made it back to her house shortly after her shift was over and I never realized how much I’d missed the place till I sat down with her at the familiar kitchen table. It felt like coming home to grandma’s after being gone for so long. But in the silence, there was something eating at my brain.
“So tell…what does ‘love for the longing’ mean?” She turned from her refrigerator.
“It’s a saying from a song I sing. Look…all I wanted was a simple love between us. I love you, you love me, marriage, happiness, when we had this whole sex, crazy touring thing going on…I didn’t feel that simple love anymore, all I felt was love that was having to be worked for.”
“Is that why you asked me if I’d regret my decision?”
“Yes. I don’t want you regretting anything in this, because what we’ve got, according to my pastor, is pure. We need to keep it pure so the love lasts.”
“I get it now.” I didn’t really, are southerners really observant, or is it just me?
“I’m glad you understand…I need to stay here, be with my family and friends. You need to tour. They’ll come a time and a place for us to be together all the time, we just gotta keep a heads up on when that’ll be. Alright?”
“I guess that’s okay.” I said, sad now that she’d suggest such a thing.
“It’s not that I don’t want to spend every waking moment with you, I just need to be here and you need to keep doing what you’re doing. I’ve prayed long and hard, and fought God awfully hard on this, but I know He knows what’s right.”
“That is true. Alright then…well, I can stay tonight, but I have to go back tomorrow.”
“That’s fine, let’s enjoy our time tonight then. I’ll cook us some supper like old times, and we’ll play music together again.” She smiled, resting her hand on my cheek. I smiled back at her, remembering playing music with her that first night together.
We ate dinner in silence…I just wanted to focus on the fact we were back together in her home, eating together. I think she wasn’t talking because she didn’t know what to say. After supper, I walked outside and looked into the distant mountains, she went and wanted to change for bedtime.
When she came outside, she was wearing the same nightgown from that night, but then weather being colder, she wore a thicker robe. She sat down with her guitar, and started picking small chords.
“Hazel?”
“Yes sir?” She looked at me from her guitar.
“I love you, I don’t know if I’ve told you that since I got here.”
“I love you, too.” Her cheeks turned pinker and I wanted to chuckle.
“So when’s the wedding?” I asked her as she started playing an unfamiliar song.
“When can you come to Boone for a week again?” She looked at me. I was a little shocked at her haste in the marriage, but figured if she thinks she knows what she’s doing, then let her.
“I don’t know…I wasn’t expecting that response.”
She twirled my ring, which was a little too big for her, on her finger and looked at it. She broke into a song that I hadn’t heard yet from her.

“Two children born
A beautiful wife
Four walls and livin's all he needed in life
Always giving, never asking back
I wish I had a simple love like that

I want a simple love like that
Always giving, never askin' back
For when I'm in my final hour lookin' back
I hope I had a simple love like that

My momma was his only little girl
If he'd had the money he'd have given her the world
Sittin' on the front porch together they would sing
Oh how I long to hear that harmony

I want a simple love like that
Always giving never asking back
When I'm in my final hour looking back
I hope I had a simple love like that.”

I listened to the lyrics, and everything clicked for me at that moment. The love I felt blossomed bigger than before after hearing that song.
I stood up and sat her guitar down beside her, she just looked at me as I put my hand on her cheek. I leaned down and kissed her softly on the mouth. I felt her gasp a little, and it made my stomach feel like it was full of warm oatmeal because I could do that to her. We ended up in her bed that night, making love till the morning broke.