Excerpt from Chapter 17 of "The Man Who Cheated Death" For all my Neo friends

“How many times did you say you had been married, Cord?”

“Three times Song. I was only married three times.”

“All three ended tragically?”

“I guess you could say that. My last marriage was in the 1800’s. We had five children, three girls and two boys. We were also blessed with nine grandkids and at least five great grandchildren.”

“At least five, don’t you know for sure?”

I slammed my beer to the ground and stomped it so hard it buried itself in the soft earth.

“No dammit, I don’t know! She died and I lost interest in life! We were married for fifty years. I watched her age day by stinking day, while I stayed young and vigorous. I watched her hair turn gray - her skin wrinkled - eyes hazy, hands become gnarled and almost useless. I stayed by her side as she became unable to get out of bed. She was the joy of my life and I watched her wither away like a grape in the sun. One day, I made her coffin, dug her grave, and laid her in the cold hard ground along with my heart. That’s where I left my heart Song! That’s why I am this cold, unfeeling bastard you see before you. That’s why I hate this fucking world, this damn life and all you normal people who have what I can’t ever have! That’s why I can’t love you…”

I picked up my chair and threw it as hard as I could, then I stalked off into the woods. I didn’t know where I was going, couldn’t half see. The moon was out, but it didn’t penetrate far into the darkness of the woods or my heart. I found a rock and sat on it while I cried and cussed myself. She had died in 1868 and I had never gotten involved again. Oh, I wasn’t celibate, I was still young no matter my years and there are always women to fulfill a need for an hour, a night, a day or a week. I never lacked for female companionship, but always it was just a passing fling. I just wasn’t going to let myself be hurt again. I couldn’t bear to watch another wife die before my eyes.