96 The Morning After

"Feeling better?"

Mornings in the countryside, you can expect an early rise six out of seven days in the week. Living there, roosters were an abundant sight. Roaming the fields, sneaking into the backyard somehow. You'd know when they do. Because six out seven times… the crowing and cawing at day's break would do your alarm clock's job for you.

Seems as if city life wasn't so different, after all.

Minus the crowing, and maybe perhaps also the cawing. 

The rooster can be kept though, for she was right here… no backyard sneaking necessary, rousing me awake with such a tenderness to her words, contrasting so starkly with the stinging sensation she inflicted onto my still stirring eyes causing them to burn with the intensity of a thousand suns.

Ria was a very bright bird. Especially when basked in the rays of the early morning light.

And I still very much was aching to the most painful extent.