Henry and Jim
By J.M. Snyder
Published by JMS Books LLC at Smashwords
This story is included in the print book So In Love by J.M. Snyder.
Visit http://www.jmsnyder.net for more information.
Copyright 2010 J.M. Snyder
ISBN 978-1-93575-307-0
For more titles by J.M. Snyder at Smashwords visit https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jmsnyder
Cover Photo Credit: Brett Mulcahy, Elena Ray
Used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.
Cover Design: J.M. Snyder
All Rights Reserved
WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.
This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It contains substantial sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which may be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Published in the United States of America.
NOTE: “Henry and Jim” was originally published online through Amazon.com’s Amazon Shorts program and appears in the anthologies Best Gay Romance 2008, published by Cleis Press, and Best Gay Stories 2009, published by Lethe Press.
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Henry and Jim
By J.M. Snyder
His folded hands are pale and fragile in the early morning light, the faint veins beneath translucent skin like faded ink on forgotten love letters written long ago. His fingers lace through mine; his body curves along my back, still asleep despite the sun that spills between the shades. I lie awake for long minutes, clasped tight against him, unable or unwilling to move and bring the day crashing in. Only in sleep am I sure that he fully remembers me. When he wakes, the sun will burn that memory away and I’ll have to watch him struggle to recall my name. After a moment or two he’ll get it without my prompting but one day I know it will be gone, lost like the dozen other little things he no longer remembers, and no matter how long I stare into his weathered blue eyes, he won’t be able to get it back.
Cradled in his arms, I squeeze his hands in my arthritic fists and pray this isn’t that day.
After some time he stirs, his even breath breaking with a shuddery sigh that tells me he’s up. There’s a scary moment when he freezes against me, unsure of where he is or who I am. I hold my breath and wait for the moment it all falls into place. His thumb smoothes along my wrist, and an eternity passes before he kisses behind my ear, my name a whisper on his lips. “Henry.”
I sigh, relieved. Today he still remembers, and that gives me the strength to get out of bed. “Morning, Jim.” I stretch like an old cat, first one arm then the other, feeling the blush of energy as my blood stirs and familiar aches settle into place. Over my shoulder I see Jim watching, a half smile on his face that tells me he still likes what he sees. As I reach for my robe, I ask him, “How about some eggs this morning? That sound good?”
“You know how I like them,” he says, voice still graveled from sleep. His reply wearies me—I don’t know if he’s forgotten how he prefers his eggs or if he simply trusts me to get them right. I want to believe in his trust, so I don’t push it. After fifty years of living with Jim, of loving him, I choose my battles carefully, and this isn’t one either of us would win.