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(Page 2 of 2) Man ... Certain Celtic Women by Dan Bieger "Returning to my question, why would ye be such a skeptic o' me own expectations when it comes to immortality? Well I know that ye lack the properties such a condition requires. Ye will die on yer given day and nothing in all this creation can stand against the occurrence. There now, sir, are ye satisfied that I am aware of and ken the nature o' this reality ye take such pride in?" The challenge sounded serious but the twinkle in the emerald eyes that danced behind the words belied any sobriety in the speaker's make-up. Sean responded to this reality.
"Well, now, madam, I know you to be as aware of this world as any who walk its surface and I would not have you believe any less of me. Still, I hear in your protests a caveat that an emptor in good standing ought be aware; is this not so?"
Margaret nodded her agreement with his stated position but said not a word in reply forcing Sean to ask the requisite follow-on question: "What, pray tell, is the nature of your caveat, fair maid?"
They smiled their mutual recognition that such a caveat existed and that she had, indeed, failed to make its nature to known.
"Ah, me boyo, ye said it yourself, did ye not? Ye said - and I quote ye here, sir - ye said ye'r no immortal and I said – and here I quote my own self – that nothing in all this creation can stand against this occurrence. And ye, yer own self, accepted such a statement without contradiction. Would ye not agree that this is how things stand?"
"I think I see I where this is heading..." Sean began but could not ignore the fire in Margaret's eyes so that he continued with: "... and, yes, Maggie, my love, I agree this is how things stand." And, then, he shut up, a most wise strategy even if he did keep this praise to himself.
"Well, as yer own self is beginning to expect, I, me own self, do not necessarily accept the statement minus a minor contradiction or two. What these minor contradictions might be I reserve until such time as the time is right to make them known, if ye get my thought, here. Some things in this world o' ours object to what ye might call a premature disclosure and, I believe, my reservations are o' this disposition."
"In other words, if I understand you correctly, and I believe I do: ‘nuff said.'"
Lifting her wine glass in toast, Margaret grinned her agreement. Sean lifted his scotch, clinked it against Margaret's wine, and the two moved on to other topics of interest.
In his corner of the bar, carving a lemon against some future need, Senor Viejo chuckled to himself. As I always said: "To be one with the Dao is to endure forever."
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