Jean laid his hand against her cheek and let a few pent-up tears fall. Ralph cupped her chin in his free hand and smiled at his beloved tenderly.
“Tears for me?” he asked softly. “My little Jeannie, you mustn’t cry!”
Jean smiled and nodded. “It’s foolish to spoil your first evening at home this way.” She shook her head as if to forbid further tears.
Ralph laughed. “It’s not spoiled. If anything, it’s enhanced. You know, when you love someone as much as I love you, it’s hard to believe that she can care so much for you. It’s wonderful to find out.”
She grinned. “But there’s so much to talk about, Ralph! So much has happened in the past two years which we have to talk about. Tears don’t say anything!”
Ralph laughed again. “They say plenty, Jeannie. But if we must return to the world of mundane facts, let’s hear about your past two years.”
She giggled. “So my activities seem dull to you,” she teased.
Ralph tousled her curly hair. “You’re a flirt, aren’t you? The feminine mind can be so illogical!”
Jean sat down under a tall maple tree. She leaned against Ralph’s shoulder. “Now tell me,” she said. “Something happened while you were abroad which is bothering you. I could see it in your eyes all the time you were talking with the family.”
Ralph picked a blade of grass and put it between his teeth. “It’s strange how one can be impressed by having a new light thrown on something which he always knew but which never seemed important before.”