I had gotten the woman pregnant, or so she had claimed. Uncle Tito had discovered the truth before I slipped a ring on her finger and vowed my entire life to her. She had been untrue tome. The child,mine, that she claimed was growing in her womb was a lie. Her womb was as empty as my heart of its one true love.
I sighed, and a cloud of smoke purled from my mouth as my feet led me toward the witch’s tower. It had expansive views of the land, but more than that, it was the celestial view that most people flocked to gaze at. For as far as my eyes could see, the sky was overwhelmed with cold stars burning in the darkness.
The sun warms the earth. I often wondered, on a night such as this one, whether the stars cause the temperature to be frigid. As the full moon has the power to move tides and people, does the burning of the stars have the power to make people feel the cold radiating in the air so deeply, it makes a man hunch his shoulders and keep his hands tucked deep into his pockets, even if a furnace usually burns deep inside of him?
Mother Nature.
She is a force unlike any other.
It all comes down to a woman, ah?
It did for me.
Onewoman.
Thewoman my body longed to protect and serve.
Thewoman my heart longed to be protected by.
To give love.
To know love.
The smoke purling out of my mouth seemed to come faster, and it did not have anything to do with climbing the stone steps. My heart reacted to the thought as though it was pure truth, and it was determined to force my body to feel the power in it.
Even if my body understood the notion, my cock seemed to have a mind of its own and refused to stand down until the lion inside of my chest roared. A flood of truth commanded me to serve the one woman who would capture my eyes, my heart, and ultimately my body for the rest of my life.
For a man such as myself, the cock was harder to tame than the rest of me. It was created for pleasure, and it demanded a central role in the searching nature of my heart on this journey to eternity, since it was the wildest thing about me.
My entire being would agree. Or it would not.
If the agreement was made, a lifelong deal would be set in stone, a stone as unforgiving as the grave, existing as long as eternity. Neither heart nor cock would be at war, and neither would battle to wear the crown.
I felt in the pocket of my suit for the photos. All were there.
My feet brought me to a glassless window in the tower. The view of the stars was as long as eternity. If it was even possible, the cold felt as if it was sticking to my bones instead of stabbing them. Instead of blood, ice water seemed to run through my veins, though my skin was still hot from the furnace inside of me. It was an odd feeling, almost like being sick, down with fever. I had it once. Only once. It did not last long, but it was enough time to remember, to never forget the clashing of teeth and shivering of bones.
Forcing myself to remove my hands from my pockets, I set the photos down on the ledge, staring at the women my father had sent for me to choose from.
One of these women would be my wife.
One of these women would have my vows.
The problem?
The pacing lion in my heart paced some more. After my eyes fed the images to it for the hundredth time, he settled on the ground and yawned, getting comfortable. There was no excitement, no thrill running through my blood. No roar. No reason to hold a hand to my chest, holding him back from taking on the world and claiming his spot next to his one true mate.
My cock was ahead in this battle of the body. If it had a woman, it was satisfied to do the satisfying.
My eyes watched the photos carefully, and when a gust of wind swept up, strong enough to almost push me back, two of the three pictures took flight and disappeared into the darkness.
That was not good enough.
Strong enough.
The picture that remained, even if twirling violently inside of the stone room, was of Rosaria Caffi, the songbird of Italy. I had never heard her sing and would make a date to be at her next performance. I slipped the picture back in my pocket, close to my heart, closing my eyes.
I offered up a prayer.
