breaking.

"Shhh! You'll break it."

"Break what?" she asks, laughing again.

"The silence."

Her golden laugh trips over his words. He tries to look stern, but fails, breaking into a huge grin.

"Why'd they let you go?" he asks, catching her in his arms -- never wanting to let her go.

"Let me go? From what?"

"The zoo, you strange creature."

Again, she laughs. There's a mysterious quality in her laughter that makes it both boisterous and soft. It's for this mystery that he allows its shimmery tones to go on breaking the precious silence of the sunset. They take a seat on a park bench -- his arms still around her.

"Oh, you're silly," she tells him, snuggling closer to him on the bench. "No one would pay anything to see me. At least, not the outrageously expensive prices that most zoos charge."

He smiles. What else is there to do when she takes his jest so seriously?

"Ooh, let's go to the zoo. This weekend. Friday morning through Sunday night. Just you and me. The Bronx is close-by and it's always lovely this time of year."

"It's spring, darling. All it does is rain in New York this time of year. How could it be lovely? And it's expensive, dear. You just described the ticket price as 'outrageous.'"

She smiles at him, with that sly little grin.

"Oh, you just want to jump in the puddles of New York... am I right?" he looks at her, wondering how her eyes can sparkle so brilliantly. It must be the setting sun -- sparking a gleam in her eyes, setting her hair on fire, giving fuel to her dreams and love.

"You know me too well," she says, sighing into his arms.

Ahh, but he doesn't. She's such a mystery to him. Always was and always will be. They watch the rest of the sunset in peace, their weekend plans already set. There's nothing to ruin the moment... nothing to break the silence. Until a thought comes to his mind.

"Wait a second, darling. Your second chemo treatment is on Thursday. You won't be able to walk, let alone j--"

"Shhh!" she interrupts him, putting her fingers to his lips. "You'll break it."

"Break what?"

"My dream."

Her laugh, once more, interrupts the silence.