Another Chance Book I of III

Book III-Chapter 2, Heaven and Earth

Heaven and Earth

Bella's POV

Bella woke from her nap and knew that she had slept about 2 hours. She went to the bathroom and washed her hands and brushed her teeth. She slipped back into her pants and shirt and combed her hair. She then went into the kitchen to start dinner. She took the Au Gratin Potatoes out of the refrigerator and turned the oven to 350 degrees. Once the temperature was achieved Bella put the potatoes in the oven. She then pulled out the salad and with a teaspoon tasted the juice the tomatoes and cucumbers were floating in. She added some salt and some freshly ground pepper and sealed the bowl tightly again and returned it to the refrigerator. Once the potatoes were done she would put the chops under the broiler. She went into the living room and sat down and turned on her recorder to listen to some of Prince's music. As she turned it on she realized something had been recorded a few days earlier. They had been so busy that she had not listened to any music for a while. She clicked on the new recording and in doing so heard the unmistakable voice of her Prince.

"Bella, I do not know how long I will remain here in Paradise with you but there are some things that I want you to know. Until I met you, I had never been in love. Like , most people, I thought I had, but I had not. I had also never trusted anyone completely having learned early in my life that to do so was very unwise. But you Bella, changed all that and you did it by simply loving me completely every single day, one day at a time. I am leaving to go into the unknown soon, but I am not afraid. I am determined to do whatever it takes to find you, love you, be successful for you, marry you, have and raise babies with you. I want to leave a different legacy in this new life. Children who know they were loved and are successful as human beings, and meaningful work that shares among other things the story of the beautiful Bella who changed my life and made me a very happy man and a better living being. I wrote a song long ago Bella, and I want you to remember it because when you hear it on earth I will be nearby and will have discovered you. The Song is called Journey 2 the Center of Your Heart. I love you Bella and I always will".

As Prince sang the song, Bella's eyes became wet with tears. She had discovered the song a mere 6 years before she died and it had become one of her favorites. She would lay in her bed at night before her death and wonder what it would feel like for this beautiful man to sing this song to her...from his heart to her own as a gift and a reminder of his lasting love for her and now he had done exactly that. She listened until the last note had faded out and then she whispered, "Prince I love you too and I always will". She carefully saved the recording with a password so it could only be erased by her and then put the recorder away wiped her eyes and went back into the kitchen to finish the dinner.

The potatoes were ready to come out of the oven. She turned up the flame to broil and then placed the seasoned chops on the broiling pan and put them into the oven. She then pulled some rolls out of the freezer and set them on the sideboard. She would heat them up just before serving the meal. Amiir woke up and came into the kitchen. "Hi Bella...I really slept hard" he said. "That just means you needed it", Bella replied. "Go get ready for dinner. Our guests should be here in a few minutes". Bella set the table, put the rolls into a warming tin and checked the chops...they were almost done. She pulled the chops out of the oven just as there was a knock on the door. Amiir got it and Uncle Henry and JR came in. They fist bumped and JR hugged Bella. She told them to wash their hands and come into the kitchen and sit. Bella heated up the rolls and put the softened butter on the table. They sat and Bella asked Uncle Henry to say grace and he did. They served their plates and began to eat. "Uncle I wanted to tell you what a wonderful job you did for the family gathering. The food was wonderful and it was a perfect send off for Prince". Henry said "anything for you two baby. He is a very special guy". JR said, "yup he is. He can sure play that music too." "The chops are delicious Bella", Henry said . "So how are you holding up Bella" Henry asked? It is moment to moment right now. It is what we want to be together in life as a family but, the being apart is hard. We really miss him. "How are you doing Amiir", Henry asked? "About the same as Bella. I know to be together on earth we have to go through this but it hurts to be separated". "Uncle, I have some of your wonderful Sweet Potato Pie for dessert. "That sounds great", Henry said. Bella cleared the dishes away and served the pie. They visited for some time and enjoyed each others company. JR and Amiir took dish duty and Bella and her Uncle visited in the living room.