I held my hand out to her. She was crying and her head was jerking in a negative rhythm to my spoken request.
"If you won't do it for me then do it for yourself. The sand is warm. I know you'll like it."
For the first time I saw her waver a little and I pressed with more encouragement, "I know how hard it is to face your greatest fear Keturah, but let me tell you there's fresh air on the other side. It's worth it. For me a future spent with you is worth letting go of what's long since been gone from my life."
She then looked up at me and before she could let herself think otherwise she slid off the raft to stand in the shallows of the lagoon. I could see it then, her immediate knee-jerk reaction of panic with contact of the sand beneath her was to get back on the raft.
"Keturah stop! Look at me! Look over here!" I said, as I clapped my hands loudly and the sharp sound seemed to jar her enough out of the panic of the moment to glance at me.
I stepped to the side and pointed up towards the tree line to something I had been blocking from her view.
"Do you see that Keturah?"
She glanced to what I pointed to and then back to me puzzled looking, "A bed?" She asked.
"That's right a bed. I'm going to make love to you on that bed, but first you have to come to me right where I'm standing and then I'll carry you the rest of the way, I promise darling!"
She looked from me to the bed with such a look of longing that it was heartbreaking to behold.
"Don't you want to make love with me Keturah?"
"Yes!" She screamed out striking the water with a fist.
"Then take a step forward honey."
She moved. I'm not sure you could call it a step, but it was movement. Any movement as long as it wasn't backward was a good thing.
I kept my voice warm and even, while inside I was panicking with the lack of what to say next to keep compelling her forward. I never broke eye contact with her though, "You know you were right about something Keturah. I'm a man experienced by the love of a great woman and thus you have the assurance of just how lovingly I'm going to treat you all the days of your life, because I understand just how rare truly great women are in this life."
She took a step forward and I rejoiced inside, but kept talking as my brain scrambled for what to say next.