THE BRIDE & GROOM

 The following is a snippet of a book I'm working on as a coauthor with D. Rudi Schwartz. The book is not yet completed, but we are starting to think about finding a publisher and also getting a cover design done. Perhaps the finished item will have about 175,000 + words or something.

The PRELUDE below is not written in the style of the whole book. It merely seeks to capture the book's substance in a metaphorical way that we can all easily understand.

            

                

               The Unfaithful Bride  

And  

The FAIthful Groom 

 

 

The Biblical Story of COVENANT MAKING,  

Covenant BREAKING,  

and  

Covenant RESTORATION

Prelude 

The piano-man approached the woman as she sat alone at the bar nursing her drink.

 

Piano-man: “What’s a nice lady like you doing in a place like this?” 

  

Lady at bar: “I should be free to go anywhere I like!” With her right hand she unconsciously covered the ring finger of her left hand.

The piano-man subtly notices. An engagement-ring? Looking at her hands the piano-man almost sang the words, “Let me help you with that. Bartender, a cocktail for my beautiful new friend. Lots of ice.” 

The lady at the bar twiddled the stir stick in her fresh drink with her right hand and said, “There’s enough ice in here to sink the Titanic!” 

Piano-man: “And may it go down as well! Bottoms up!””     

She sipped the drink and their eyes locked unblinking. 

He spoke again. “They promise you the earth, even heaven on earth, but instead give you a whole bunch of rules. Then they threaten you with divorce if you break any of them. Did he really forbid you from going wherever you wanted? I mean look around. They’re all having a great time. How can you submit yourself to someone who forbids a bit of fun?” 

Lady at bar: “Well, the wedding is off. That’s why I’m here. I will not have that man rule over me! Is there somewhere else we can go? You know…” She tried in vain to remove the ring from her finger as she said this. 

Piano-man: "I know a quiet little place.” 

They left the bar by the back door and walked up a dark alleyway. In the dim light the lady could see a halfdead man on the ground with a needle sticking out of his arm. It looked like he was covered in vomit. She could hear a man and a woman in the shadows haggling over money. There was a smell of rotten garbage, even the stench of something dead. A rat was gnawing at whatever it once had been. She didn’t really care. She was too enamoured, smitten, by the flattery of charm. 

The lady spoke breathlessly, in her best seductive voice, “Why did you bring me here?” 

Piano-man: “You wanted rid of that straitjacket of a husband-to-be. Now you have me. Breathe the free air.”

Her breath quickened as she let him pull her closer to himself. The cold night air suddenly got all hot and steamy. Her paramour loosened his embrace and fastened his clothing. His partner, now exhausted, tried to catch her breath. They heard something. Footsteps. A man was approaching them. Then they saw the beam of his flashlight as it lit up their depravity and their debauched environment. He was calling for her, by name. She recognized the voice. The lady sought to cover the embarrassment of her nakedness. She tried to hide from him. It was her husband to be. However, instead of raging at her for her obvious act of fornication, he removed his coat and covered his unfaithful bride with it. Then he gently led her out of the darkness.