first chapter

I wanted to write you a story, but not any story: the best story.

I wanted to write you a love story, but not any love story: the love story that would bolster your faith in love, in how what is meant to be can come to pass.

I wanted to give you all of my words, and for a month now, I have struggled with just how to harness them from my heart and arrange them for you.

So I was patient through all of these days, patient with the pen, patient as it hovered above the page, as my hand shivered and stilled in turns.

And while my head was briefly turned, he began to write the story. Not any story: the best story. Not any love story: the love story.

Eight years ago, I left the life I knew and moved to San Francisco. Four years ago, the love of my life moved to Scotland. And tomorrow …

Tomorrow our hands will entwine on the same pen, and put it to the same page.

This is our first chapter.

About Halsted M. Bernard

Halsted, a/k/a cygnoir, does stuff with words. Her favourite things to do with words are keeping this diary, writing stories, and organising information. She lives in Edinburgh with her husband, two cats, a few gadgets, several fountain pens, and many books.

Posted on 3 Aug 2007 in Diary
  • Velma

    This is beautiful, and I wish the best to continue for the two of you.

  • http://blog.mittenartworks.com mitten

    You don’t know me from Eve, but warm wishes to you and your beloved. It wasn’t too long ago that the distance was closed between me and mine, and it’s wonderful to relive those feelings in your beautiful prose.

  • Fawn

    I think he likes you, that’s what I think.

  • john

    Unbottle thee thine selfsame messages to be and unsend them as hands clasped

  • jen

    OH JESUS. I read this quickly and thought it was a snippet from someone else’s website/journal, then clicked on his link and thought immediately “NO! He got married?!? To whom?!? WHY???!” because I’d always sort of hoped, though I didn’t know much about you. I’m glad you’re the whom and not some Scottish lass. It always pays to wait for what you really deserve :)

  • http://allura.net Allura

    ‘Sted, I am so excited for you. :) Enjoy every moment and keep us all posted in your usual, eloquent way. :)

  • image415

    best. story. evah

  • http://www.vicster.net/blog/thinking/ Vicster

    Happy. Just Happy.

  • caller#6

    !

  • http://darkshifter.livejournal.com darkshifter

    When Darren told me you two were talking again, I thought “Awww, that’s nifty.” Didn’t know that you two were “talking” again! So happy for you two! Two of the coolest kids out there deserve to be together.

  • http://funkyplaid.livejournal.com/ Darren

    Oh, Jen, your comment here is just splendid.

    You said it so well: she is *definitely* the whom.

  • http://www.librarisaurus.net jen

    Darren –
    I’m glad you are her whom, too. I haven’t met you, but I know how she wrote about you, and I was always curious…

    A year ago Halsted visited me up here in Seattle; we were both starting new jobs and examining our lives. We went on this great long walk and talked about love and I had this nagging thought that neither one of us was really getting we really REALLY should be getting in that department. Glad to see it’s changed for all of us.

  • roe

    YES!!!!!! That is so *wonderful!* I’m so excited for you!

  • Pingback: One day I will have my first chapter « CR

  • steph

    wow – I was just checking in today (lurking again, as I do once in a while) and found all this. Congratulations! May you have a very happy forever together. :)