I’m glad my husband’s BMW6 series has darkened windows in the back.
I take a deep breath, ring the doorbell, hurry to the backseat and gaze at your front door. Finally it opens. You take two steps look around and shrug. I can’t breathe. I see how resilient you walk, your youthful appearance and the intensity in your eyes.
My face starts glowing and I feel shivers covering my body and wavelets running through my abdomen. My sensual pearl tingles. Involuntarily, I tilt my pelvis and spread my knees, but as soon as I realize it my body cramps. Softly I whisper “Never… sometime will never be.” Tears run down my heated face.
You spot the Christmas present hanging from your doorknob, look around again and tear away the paper. When you open my wedding-ring box and take out the ‘mood-ring’ - it is grey. You fall apart, aging 20 years in one second. You too can’t hold back your tears. Less than ten feet apart we mourn in solitude of what never has been.
Green
Actually I didn’t want to join the reunion of the Seaside High School. I had nothing in common with those people I didn’t speak to or saw in the past 25 years. Besides, I had loads of work to do as solicitor. Two inheritance cases, a nasty divorce and a complex property transfer. Not to mention my voluntary work for the Presbyterian community at the immigrants care. However, my assistant called off the divorce-meeting, so I had a couple of hours to spare.
Sighing I checked my make-up and drove to the diner. Everybody was already there, talking about the old days and boasting how well they did.
A soft touch, your hand on my shoulder.
“Eve, would you care to dance with me?”
“Rudolf? What are you doing here? Surely you didn’t attend the ‘Seesight’?”
“As a matter of fact I did, I had classes in the old building while you…”
Unbelievable, you looked the same! More masculine, intense, but as youthful and sparkling as twenty-five years ago. The love of my youth, my ballroom dancing partner. I blushed spontaneously. So often I abused the electric toothbrush with you in mind!
You asked what I wanted to drink and in a few moments we leaned on a table and talked about our work (you are a music director), our marriages (both in a rippling wedlock), well, just about everything. I felt the warmth of your presence, your attention invading my body. Delightful.
Then you said: ”To be honest Eve, the reason why I came was my silent wish to see you. As a boy I was too shy to tell, but, I was deeply in love with you. To dance a rumba with you was the highlight of the week, Rudolf-fine.”
I could hardly swallow and looked down. I whispered: “Rudolf-fine… I also was deeply in love with you.”
I looked up, right into your eyes. I was lost, the earth dropped beneath my feet, everything twirled around me. You picked me up and carried me to a bench outside.
Gently you laid me down and held out a glass of water, letting me drink sip by sip. I was the shy, seventeen year old girl again and so in love.
“How are you feeling?”
“Well, fine, I just didn’t have lunch, too busy.”
“Please, take good care of yourself,” you said smiling.
“Let’s have lunch together next Friday. I’ll pick you up at your office say, 1 P.M.?”
“No, maybe, well, yes,” I mumbled.
You bent over me and we kissed, our lips barely touched but I was nothing but lips, my lips on yours.
“I’m sorry, I’ll have to go, there’s an orchestra waiting for me.”
You walked away, almost danced, made one-and-a–half turn, rushed back, put something in my hand and closed my fingers around it.
“A little something for you, it was gathering dust in my cupboard for the last twenty-five years or so,” and you danced away…
In my hand a mood-ring decorated with dolphins.