Yacht Club Dreams- V
As the light turned red, she reached for the door handle
About to jumpt out of the car
When all of a sudden
He slammed on the brakes
Reaching passed her,
He pulled the opening door shut.
She felt his weight against her chest
His close proximity unnerved her
And she pressed as far back into her seat as she dared
Hoping to create space, so he wouldn’t sense
The mad pounding of her heart.
“That was not wise,” he said. His voice was not angry, but tired, sad.
“You could have gotten hurt if a motorcyclist was passing by.”
“I’m a big girl,” she shot back hotly. “I think I can handle myself.”
He sighed..
“Listen, whether you like it or not
Or you find my presence repulsive or not,
I promised your brother to get you home safely
And I will honor my word.”
The light changed, and he continued driving,
But not before he said softly, “I’m sorry I reacted strongly.
My wife died in a car crash. It was avoidable.”
She could hear the anguish in his voice
And as she turned to look at him
She noticed that the cloud of memory
Was producing rain out of those sky blue eyes
“I’m...I'm so sorry,” she whispered.
Without even thinking…
She reached across and touched his arm.
He looked at her
His expression pained and yet,
There was a tenderness in his eyes
He seemed to be looking right into her heart
Knowing about her pain
Reading her frustration with disappointed love
But how could he know
“Love like that comes once in a lifetime,” she whispered
Shocked at her impulsiveness
She looked down at her hands
“You are so like her,” his voice was pained.
This was one confession she did not want to hear
Nor would she absolve it.
“You have her spirit: carefree, bold, passionate, full of life, wild, and”…..
He looked straight at her, “amazingly beautiful.”
He pulled into her street and parked the car outside
Her apartment building.
Before she could thank him, he was out of the car.
Coming to her side, he opened the door
Gave her his hand and helped her out.
“This is not necessary, really,” she protested.
“I’m a man of my word. I said I’d see you home safely.
I won’t leave till you are inside.”
Eileen Manassian Ghali
To be continued....
Copyright © Eileen Manassian | Year Posted 2013
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