El Paso - DGH

Corinna was crying and I put my arm around her. She must be really sentimental.

"Grandpa, was Feleena really as beautiful and mysterious as everyone says?"

Grandpa asked Corinna to go get something. "Billy, there are very few photographs of Feleena. I have one that was passed down through our descendants. It isn't a photograph but a portrait that was painted of her when she was young. According to the records it was painted right after her son Harley was born. It would put her in her twenties."

Corinna came out with this portrait and took it out of its wrapping. She was very careful with it. The frame itself was worth a lot of money. Everyone who hadn't seen this portrait waited to see it with bated breath.

Grandpa said, "Okay, Corinna, hold up the portrait and let Billy decide if Feleena was really that mysteriously beautiful."

Corinna held the portrait to her side resting it on the table. "Well, Billy, you asked the question. What do you think? Beautiful and mysterious or not?" asked Grandpa.

"My God, Grandpa! She looks just like Corinna. I mean, look at Corinna and then at the picture. If Corinna had that dress on, she would be Feleena." I couldn't believe what I was seeing. My eyes started watering.

Grandpa replied, "That's because Corrina is - I don't remember how many greats any more but Corrina is a great granddaughter of Feleena."

I had goose bumps looking at the portrait. Corrina set down the portrait and was crying. I knew she was crying because of the story grandpa had told and how she so resembled the woman of mystery. She was every bit as beautiful as Feleena. I walked up to her and wrapped my arms around her. It would be a moment in my life and a story that I would never forget.

Now, I understood why grandpa told me to never let her get away. Why her mother said she was a special lady that made her own choices. Why her talking to people made me jealous. She had a lot of the charisma and mystery about her of her great-grandmother Feleena. The dancing, the beautiful eyes, it explained to me why everything about her was so exciting. I promised myself that I would never let her get away. A woman that I had just met three days ago completely changed my life.

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Over the next few months, a day didn't go by that Corinna and I didn't see each other. I couldn't get myself to leave El Paso, not any more. I had my room in the basement and my grandparents said I could stay with them as long as I wanted. I repaired my grandparents' house and everyone remarked how nice it looked. I was getting repair jobs like crazy. I hired one of Corrina's younger brothers and taught him the trade. I now had a business in El Paso.

Corrina and I became as close as two people could without making love. One evening I said to her, "Corinna, I love you with all my heart. I want to make passionate love to you. What's stopping you? If you want to be married first, then let's do it. Let's get married."

"I need to find out something first before I can marry you," replied Corinna.

"What is it?" I asked. "Corinna, I'm deeply in love with you, you know that. You say you love me too. What could you possibly need to find out? You know all about me and my family. There is nothing that I wouldn't do for you."

"Remember I told you there was a third song about El Paso? It was called El Paso City. It's about a man who comes back to El Paso and goes to where the young cowboy and Feleena were last together. Near the end of the song the man says this.

'My mind is down there somewhere as I fly above the badlands of New Mexico
I can't explain why I should know the very trail he rode back to El Paso
Can it be that man can disappear from life and live another time
And does the mystery deepen 'cause you think that you yourself lived in that other time.

'Somewhere in my deepest thoughts familiar scenes and memories unfold
These wild and unexplained emotions that I've had so long, but I have never told.'

"In the song the man says, 'Can it be that man can disappear from life and live another time? And does the mystery deepen 'cause you think that you yourself lived in that other time?' Billy, I believe that man has come back for me and I believe you are that man."

"I don't quite understand. You think I'm this cowboy reincarnated and have come back to you and you're really Feleena?" I asked.

"Something like that, but I'm not crazy. I feel strongly bound with Feleena and feel goose bumps when she is mentioned. It's as though she has been telling me that my love will be coming for me. I feel her soul won't rest till this man comes and finds me. So, I've been waiting for the right man. When I first met you I felt that bond with you also. I truly believe that you are my true soul mate, but I need to be sure.

"I want you to go out with me into the desert and see what happens if anything. I need you to believe in me. I so want you to be my young soul mate," said Corinna.

"This is so crazy. We're two people in love who want each other. Isn't that enough?" I asked Corinna.

She began to cry. "Ever since I was seventeen I felt this spirit guiding me. Call it my conscience, Feleena's soul or whatever you want. All I know is that it kept telling me to wait, the right man will come and I will know it's him; how I'm suppose to know, I don't know. When I started dating this spirit was telling me, 'No, it's not him.' For the last seven years I felt this with every man that I have gone out with. I fought my conscience and dated some of these men anyway. It led me into the desert where I found that the spirit was right. I was trying too hard to find the right man.

"I gave up going out with most men. I thought I was going crazy. I talked to my mom and then to Grandpa Bill. They were the only two who seemed to understand. They both told me to wait and things would work out. My soul mate is out there. Grandpa Bill talked about you and my whole being, if you will, felt excited. Please say you'll go with me sometime into the desert," said Corinna.

I didn't know what to think. I know I felt different towards her than any woman I've ever been with. Every time I watched her dance I get odd feelings. Maybe she is right. I knew I wasn't going to let her get away. My feelings for her were too strong.

"Get your coat and let's go for that ride right now. I need to find out what's out there that's bothering you so much. I love you too much to not go," I told Corrina.

She stopped crying and we got into my truck. I headed for the desert area beyond El Paso. I just drove and continually looked over at Corinna. I drove past the new Rosa's cafe. The old one burned down many years ago. I kept going past part of the old ghost town that was still partly there. As I passed it, I got a strange feeling. I can't tell you what happened but my thoughts changed. It was like I had been here before. I felt the breeze in the air. I heard voices leading me. I drove another few miles and stopped in front of some cactus and balled up tumble weeds.

"Why are you stopping, Billy?" asked Corinna with tears in her eyes.

"This is the spot where Feleena and her young lover consummated their love for each other. I don't understand but I feel like I've been here before. This is the spot where you and I are going to make love, just like Felenna and her lover did."

I took out a blanket and spread it on the sand near the cactus. Corinna was standing by me not saying a word. We laid together upon the blanket and we kissed. I slowly unbuttoned Corinna's blouse and started kissing her breasts. I didn't feel like Billy anymore. I felt like a young cowboy about to make love to the woman he worshiped. Corinna didn't stop me as we consummated our love for each other.

I wasn't sure who we were but our love for each other was there. As we both climaxed Corinna looked into my eyes and said, "Billy, I love you with all my heart and soul. My conscience is telling me that Feleena's soul is finally at rest. She had found her true love again through you and they are now both once again together forever."

The next day we announced our engagement to be married. No one seemed surprised, but everyone seemed happy for us. Neither Corinna or I wanted to wait so we let everyone know we were going to get married within a month.

Two weeks went by and it was probably the best two weeks of my life. Whenever Corinna and I were alone, we made love. We couldn't get enough of each other. Then one day Corinna called me to my grandparents' house to tell me that my Grandmother was taken to the hospital. She suffered another stroke and it didn't look like she was going to make it.

When I got home Grandpa told me to take him to the hospital. He wanted to be at his wife's side. She was in intensive care but Corinna said it was just a matter of time, maybe an hour, maybe a day. Grandpa sat there in a chair next to Grandma and just held her hand. He didn't need to say anything. She knew he was there for her. He wanted to be left alone with her.

A lot of the relatives showed up at the hospital. I called dad and he and mom were flying down on the first flight. Grandma lasted about six more hours. All of the time Grandpa held her hand till she took her last breath. It was then that I saw my Grandfather cry for the first time. My Aunt Helen and Corinna sat with my Grandpa. When he had calmed down we took him back to the house. Corinna gave him some medication to help him sleep.

The funeral was a couple of days later and most of the townspeople showed up to pay their respects to my grandmother. Corinna and I talked with Grandpa and told him we were going to postpone our wedding since it was to be the following week.

"No way in hell are you two postponing your wedding. I waited too many years to see someone from these two families unite. I know your grandmother will be there in spirit to see it. You two will be getting married as planned," said Grandpa.

My Mom and Dad stayed on till after the wedding. It was a happy occasion for us but at the same time a sad one due to the recent loss of Grandma. Grandpa said he was as happy for us as any man could be. He told us that something in his mind told him that we were meant to be together. He never told anyone because they would have thought that he was just an old man who was losing his marbles. I had to laugh when he said that it was the reason he agreed to the birthday party.

We moved in with Grandpa after we were married. He told us that is what he wanted. We knew that he couldn't live alone after the loss of Grandma. We made life for him as comfortable as we could. He slowly went downhill which we almost expected. He told us that he knew he was going to die soon.

"Please don't feel sorry for me. I lived a full and great life. My job here is complete. I wanted to see you two get hitched before I left this world. Don't worry about me. I'm going to go join Louise again and we will continue our life together. I'll also see my great-grandfather Doc Hoyt and make sure I got the story right. Corinna, I'll say hi to your grandmother Feleena for you. Billy, to you I leave the woman of your dreams. Take good care of her. She has spent the last seven years looking for you." With all that said, my Grandpa passed away in his sleep that night.

Epilogue:

It's been three years since the passing of Grandpa and Grandma. His house went up for auction and Corinna and I bought it. Grandpa left the portrait of Feleena to Corinna. He wanted it to stay in the family and he knew Corinna would never let it go. It sits above our fireplace. I can't help but stare at it every time I sit in that room.

Our life together is great. We don't argue and we are soul mates. Neither of us has any distrust of the other. Is there such a thing as a perfect couple? A perfect marriage? If there is, it's what Corinna and I have together.

We have a little boy and Corinna named him William the fourth. She said she wouldn't even consider another name. She is due to have our second child any day now. It's going to be a girl and I didn't even ask what her name was going to be. It's written in stone - 'Feleena'.

The last verse of El Paso City says:
"Out in El Paso, whenever the wind blows
If you listen closely at night, you'll hear in the wind
A woman is cryin', it's not the wind sighin'
Old timer's tell you, Feleena is callin' for him;
You'll hear them talkin' and you'll hear them walkin'
You'll hear them laugh and you'll look, but there's no one around
Don't be alarmed - there is really no harm there
It's only the young cowboy, showin' Falenna the town"

Thank you for reading my story.
Please read the submissions 'El Paso' by the other authors.

Note:
The facts about 'Deadwood' were taken from a book titled 'The Real Deadwood' by John Ames. Some of the facts for El Paso were taken from this book also. The rest of the facts were made up by the author.

Comments are welcome and appreciated.
DG Hear.