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She waits impatiently
For him to leave the house
Under the basement stairs
As quiet as a mouse
He drinks his coffee
And he reads the daily news
Another robbery, another wife abused
And somewhere deep inside his heart he feels her there
Feels her everywhere
His beautiful young bride
And sadness forces him to play a crazy game
Just once he calls her name
Theres no reply

He folds the paper
Puts the cup down in the sink
Avoids her picture
So he will not have to think
Of summer evenings
By the lake under the stars
The way he loved her
And the day he went too far
It haunts him
Came home early
Heard a strangers voice
He didnt make a choice
He acted out of rage and madness
At her funeral he sang every hymn
No one suspected him
Nobody would

And he remembers
How her eyes danced in the light
The day she promised
Before God shed be his wife
Forsaking all others
Shed cling to him for life
Thats what she promised him
Forgot it all

The 911 call made the operator cringe
Send someone quickly
Dear God, someones broken in
He killed my wife
I found her lying on the floor
Ten minutes earlier
I could have saved her
Lord, I failed her
Heard her screaming and I found my gun
Saw the intruder run
I shot him as he fled the bedroom
Weve got two cars on the way, she said.
Is the intruder dead?
I think he is.

But he remembers
How her eyes they danced with fright
The way she promised
They would break it off that night
The way she stood before him
Begging for their lives
The way she reached for him
Before the fall

He puts the car in gear
Starts backing down the drive
He sees the curtains move
And swears that shes alive
The house is burning
An inferno climbing higher
He rushes back to save
The ghost that lit the fire
And finds her dancing safely
Through the burning rooms
And though the danger looms
He follows her through smoke-filled hallways
Til he falls among the crackling flames
Just once she calls his name
Theres no reply