Trust

We stood by the sea, you and I, and you asked me to trust you. And I wondered, "trust," what did that mean? What did you mean? I pretended to know both, although I did not. Just as I had pretended to know you...which I did not.

Here is what I did know. I knew that the sea air felt cool on my face and that my hair had gone tangled and sticky from the salt. I turned toward the jetty and felt your breath on the back of my neck. "Trust me," you whispered, and as you slipped the band over my head and raised it to cover my eyes, I felt the first twinge of doubt.

"Stand here. Be still. No, don't move," you cautioned as I shifted from one foot to the other feeling suddenly off balance and uncertain. But, I felt your hand on my cheek, your lips brush mine, and I knew that you were facing me, your nearness drawing me like a magnet. And, the chill of air as you moved away.

I did as you asked and remained standing as the gulls overhead grew weary of their games, leaving only the rush of the waves and the rise of the tide. I waited until the water reached my ankles and the light no longer shone through the band.

Trust

Lifting it off, I felt the sharp pull where my hair had caught in the knot you had tied so well. Once I had freed my hair from its grip, I looked up to see that the sun had set and the moon had risen and my way would be lit by its glow.

I thank you every day for leaving me there and teaching me to find my own way. You knew better than I that before I could trust you, I must first trust myself. That before I could love you, I must first love myself and trust myself to withstand the uncertainties that lay ahead.