September 2002 First Prize "Legacy of Love" Granny was one of the few older women I knew who kept her hair long. She said that's the way Gramps had always liked it. I came over every Sunday to comb and set her hair. "Now, tell me about this beau of yours, Kate. You've been awful quiet about him lately. Is something wrong?" Granny queried as I sat behind her on the bed brushing. "He proposed to me two weeks ago." "When's the wedding?" "I haven't answered him yet." Granny turned to look me in the eye. "And why in the world not? You act like this boy hung the moon!" "I'm scared, Gran. What if I'm wrong? I don't want to end up like my parents, hating each other," I replied, blinking back tears. "Hon, your parents married for all the wrong reasons. Now, your ma is my daughter, and I love her, but she married your dad for what he had, and not for love, and that was a mistake. Now, I want you to close your eyes for me." "Gran..." I began. "Hush, child, just close your eyes and listen to me." I did as she asked, and felt her place her hand over my heart. "I want you to listen to your heart; it will never lie to you. What does it do when you think of him?" Granny asked. I felt a little foolish, but I answered. "It speeds up; I feel happy and warm when I think of him." "Good.. Now, I want you to think of your life if Paul wasn't in it. What does your heart tell you now?" "It feels empty and tight, cold. Like all the joy got sucked out." I opened my eyes and looked at Granny. She had a big smile on her face, one of those cat who ate the canary looks, but her eyes were misty. "Don't ever run from love, Kate. If you believe in it, it's worth every risk. When your granddad proposed to me, I had my doubts. Here he was, a poor farmboy who always had dirt under his nails and nary two cents to rub together. Sure, I had said I loved him, and I liked being with him. And being handsome didn't hurt any either, especially when you were the envy of every girl in the county. But did I want to spend the rest of my life with him?" "I thought about that for a long time. But when I thought of your granddad, the earnest look on his face when he was down on one knee, and the twinkle in his eyes whenever he saw me, my heart knew he was the one for me. I told him yes, and never looked back. We had hard times, didn't always have money, but we had each other and were rich in love. That's what counted for us, and it will be the same for you." "He's been gone for awhile now, but I can reach back into all those memories of him, and still feel his love for me as bright and warm as it was then. My only regret is that we didn't have more time together, but I have those golden shining moments to hold onto until we meet again. I listened to my heart and had a lifetime of love and happiness. I want you to have the same thing." I swallowed over the lump in my throat, and grabbed Granny's hands. "I do love him, and I can't picture a future without him in it. " Granny took her weddng band off, the band I had never seen leave her finger in all my life. "Your granddad scrimped and saved for over a year to buy this for me. It's been my most valuable worldly possession, because it stood for all the love he showed me." Granny took the ring and slipped it on my ring finger. "This is a legacy of love, and I want you to have it. You go find that boy, grab onto him, and never let him go, you hear me?" "But Gran," I said, inanely, still overwhelmed, "what about your hair?" "These gray wires can wait; true love can't! Now git!" Granny shooed me off the bed. I fairly ran from the room, pausing only briefly to give her a smile through my tears. Then I left, a past legacy of love behind me and heading towards a future full of love ahead of me. Contributed by Honor74 (W) Copyright © 2002 Cristie Gould. May not be used without the author's written permission. To return to the contest winners page, just close this window. We invite you to explore our other Constellations, designed to help you chart your course and destiny as members of Sisters of the Golden Moon. Beauty Unity Reception Wisdom Causes Membership Scribes Celestial Dusters Home Covenant Join Links Constellations Membership E-mailGuestbook Web Ring Submissions to Scribe contests are all offered by members of Sisters of the Golden Moon. If you are a member and would like to contribute to future contests, please contact Galaxy Star Honor74 . Except where noted, all articles, submissions and graphics are copyright © 2004, Sisters of the Golden Moon, all rights reserved. To the best of our knowledge, all entries submitted to Scribe contests are the original work of the person submitting them. Graphics created by Heronwing for Sisters of the Golden Moon. "Fragrant Memories" image copyright © 2002 Josephine Wall. Our thanks to this talented artist for making her works available.