by G L Rockey
With you a part of me hath passed away;
For in the peopled forest of my mind
A tree made leafless by this wintry wind
Shall never don again its green array.
Chapel and fireside, country road and bay,
Have something of their friendliness resigned;
Another, if I would, I could not find,
And I am grown much older in a day.
But yet I treasure in my memory
Your gift of charity, and young heart's ease,
And the dear honor of your amity;
For these once mine, my life is rich with these.
And I scarce know which part may greater be,
What I keep of you, or you rob of me.
EPILOGUE
Monday, August 25
An unseasonable early frost rested upon the land and crispness held the morning air. It was the first day of fall classes at Michigan State. Rachelle, a halo of expectant calm about her, upbeat, arrived at the Olds Hall classroom where last year she had launched Com. 501. The course renewed for another year, twenty students had signed up. Scheduled this semester for Monday and Wednesday, the class began at 9:00 A.M.
Her honey-colored hair cascading loosely to her shoulders, Rachelle wore a brown knit suit. Unsure how she would react to the class, walking deliberately, she entered the class room. The students hushed. She placed her briefcase on the small wooden desk at the front and looked over the class. All the chairs were occupied except Seth's. She noticed, standing by the window, looking outward, a male student.
Numbness steeling her, she felt as if she stood in a giant vaulted cathedral, and she wanted to be there.
The male student at the window turned and sat in Seth's chair.
She took a piece of white chalk, and with a gentle flourish wrote on the chalkboard:
Dr. Rachelle Zannes
Com. 501
She put the chalk in the tray and, turned back to the class, smiled, took everyone in for a moment, then said, “Hi.”
“Hi, hello, good morning.”
“Before we get started, I wanted to read you a sample of writing that one of last year's students wrote for this class. Not only did he get an A, his story is to be published by Triune Books.”
The End
About the Author
TRUTHS OF THE HEART is G. L. Rockey's latest novel. He has written three other works of fiction: THE JOURNALIST (revised and re-released in paperback as REDACTED), a five star thriller with a "freighting ring of truth"; TIME & CHANCE, a mystery/suspense set in Nashville; and a collection of sixteen "off-the-wall" short stories, BATS IN THE BELFRY, BELLS IN THE ATTIC. Also published is a non fiction book, FROM THE BACK OF THE HOUSE: MEMORIES OF A STEAK HOUSE CLAN.
Reviews/more at www.glrockey.com
Rockey is currently at work on a fourth romance novel, FIVE STAR REVIEW.
From the Publisher
Thank you for purchasing and reading this Books We Love Book. Best Regards and Happy Reading, Jamie and Jude
Books We Love Ltd.
http://bookswelove.net