What a night. She thought as she looked over the balcony railing. Below her was a straight drop to the bottom of the cliff, stretching out from there were other houses, a hospital and maze of stop lights and shops. And even still with all the light the stars were so bright. How beautiful.
"What are you doing out here?" The voice broke into her thoughts. She turned and smiled at her ex-husband.
"Just looking at the stars. It's so pretty out here, I can never get over it." She tossed her hair lightly over her shoulder and watched as his eyes travled the length of her body. Her heart skipped, it was almost as if they had never been married the way he looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time. She caught her reflection in the windows of the french doors behind him. Well I guess when we were married I never looked like this. She studied the smaller toned body in the snug fitting red backless dress. It hugged her in what she now called 'all the right places'. Her black hair fell in soft waves down her back, accented with blonde highlights. The face looking back at her was slimmer with perfectly waxed eyebrows and smokey eyeshadow. Yes, I'm different now.
"How have you been?" She asked softly. Suddenly it hit her that this was the first time in months they had spoken.
"All right. You?" His voice was the same soothing tones it had been all those years ago, when things were better. He took a step towards her.
"I'm good. I've been really busy, with work and everything. But it's been going well." She smiled slightly glancing up into his eyes.
"That's good..." He slid his hand into his pocket. This time it was her that let her eyes roam. She took in his white dress shirt with the front tucked into the belt on his crip jeans. She smile remembering a time when they would have been dying to leave the party so they could tear eachothers clothes off. "I miss you." Startled she jerked her eyes back to his face. His eyes were misted and pleading.
"I...I miss you too." She managed. He smiled slightly, he licked his lips and then pulled his bottom lip in showing a small line of white teeth. Her heart fluttered and it must have shown on her face, because in the next instant he had closed the space between them and she was in his arms.
He kissed her softly at first as if she might break, then more passionately as she returned the kisses. One hand ran up her back and tangled in her hair, while the other pulled her closer to him.
"Baby, I want you back." She leaned back slightly and looked into his eyes. Everything in them told her that there was something different about him. "I love you." He said staring deep into her eyes. She bit her lip unsure how to responed. She wanted him, wanted to be with him. Her eyes misted a bit, tears threating to spill down her cheeks. As one escaped and made its way down her face he reached up and brushed it away with his thumb. "You won't cry any more. I'm sorry baby, I am and I want you back." He stepped back from her then knelt in front of her. She looked down at him her brain not putting anything together except that he loved her. He pulled a small box out of his pocket. "Will you marry me...again?" She couldn't hold the tears back anymore, with them spilling down her cheeks she grabbed his arm.
"Yes." She said smiling as he stood. "Yes I will." He pulled her too him and kissed her softly.
"I love you."
She smiled. "I love you too."
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
K
The salty air caressed her face softly, billowing her hair out behind her. It was almost like a welcome. A welcome home. She smiled stretching her arms out to her sides and ran towards the water, turning just before her feet touched the waters edge then ran back.
“When I was younger…” She started, but her friend shook her head.
“A sea gull…I know.” Her friend smiled. “It’s nice to be back.”
“Yeah…” There wasn’t much that needed to be said. They both knew what this place meant to them. This was where everything was ok, this was were mermaids existed, going to the dock at midnight just to see the stars was normal, where you could just be you. Here was where you knew who you really were. She smiled again wrapping her arms around herself.
“Pictures?” She asked looking towards her friend who was sitting on the sand watching the waves.
“Really K, not like I have a choice.” Her friend replied smiling.
“Nope, now don’t move.” She ran to the spot in the pier where they hid all there stuff. They had found it years ago, a spot in the boards that over hung just enough to hide car keys and their dry clothes. She grabbed the camera and ran back. Smiling she set it up.
“Ok now move this way just a little…” For the next thirty minutes she repositioned her ever willing friend until she was satisfied.
“Lets sneak up on the pier.” Her friend said jumping up and brushing the sand off her jeans and sweatshirt.
“Ok.” She put the camera back in it’s case and made sure it was securely around her arms. Then they headed up. It was trickier this time then it had been years ago. Years ago there had been a huge sand dune to help out, but not now it was flattened to keep people from climbing up on the pier instead of paying the dollar to get out there. The girls ignored the fact that their dune was gone and grabbed for the lowest plank, boosting themselves up, they climbed from one to the next until they were right near the piers gift shop. Hoisting themselves up then dropping low so they wouldn’t be seen by the owner through the huge bay window.
“Ready?” Her friend breathed lightly. She checked the straps on her camera bag.
“Ready.” They crept by the window, until they couldn’t be seen and then bolted towards the other end of the pier. They reached the end laughing and out of breath. She looked over her shoulder, no one had followed them.
“That was so much fun!!” Her friend laughed pulling her own camera out of her pocket and taking a few pictures of the ocean that stretched out before them. “Dolphins!” They both leaned over the edge to take pictures of the group of dolphins playing lazily in the waves. Her friend leaned, stepped back putting her camera back in her pocket and sitting down on one of the benches.
“You seem more like the old you.” Her friend commented softly. She turned to look at her.
“Yeah…I feel a little bit more like the old me. But it doesn’t matter as soon as I go home it will all go back to how it was.” Sadness flickered across her face. She shook her head slightly.
“It doesn’t have too…” The sentence was left unfinished, the meaning already well discussed.
“I just can’t, I’d like to don’t get me wrong but there is just too much going on right now…” The old excuses fell from her mouth before she really had time to think about what she was saying. But this was what she always said.
“That’s what you always say! If you don’t get out of there soon you are going to end up stuck there and miserable!” It was almost as if her friend could read her mind. Could make a good story… She shook her head.
“That’s just the way things are.” And this was the typical ending to the conversation. This was one they had been trying to avoid since they got here. The topic was as worn as the cover of an eighty year old mans favorite book.
“I just…I just don’t want to see you fall back into…I want to see you really happy K that’s all.” Her friend finished with a shrug of her shoulders. “Is that so bad of me?”
“No.” She said softly. “Lets just have a good time while we are here ok? I don’t want to think about leaving we just got here.”
“Alright.” Her friend said, finally relenting. She blew out a breath relieved that her friend wasn’t going to push it anymore. Then she laughed softly to herself, yeah right, she was going to bring it up again, if her friend was anything she was persistent.
The next few days passed without much thought to the conversation from the first day. They had taken the boat out and got some amazing shots of the little islands around the shore line. They had laughed and giggled about things that had happened on their trips before. It had been a really nice vacation, but as it came to a close that familiar disquiet settled in her stomach.
They packed up their cars and headed back towards town. The whole drive back she found herself lost in thought. Everything in her wanted to pull a u-turn and hall ass back towards the beach, back to where it was simple. But then it couldn’t just be as simple as that.
They reached town, and stopped at her parent’s house. They hugged goodbye with promises to see each other again soon. Her friend left. And after about an hour of saying goodbye to her parents she left too. Is this what I want? She pulled up to her apartment hours later. Is it?
One Month Later
It was a simple letter, but it said everything.
Hey! So I keep thinking about our conversation on the pier last month. You were right; I got home and was miserable. I could feel myself slipping back into the zombie way I was before. So I took your advice. And you know what? Italy is amazing! I’ll send some pictures soon. I think I’ve finally found what makes me happy. Thanks for believing in me. You have to come visit!!
Love,
K
“When I was younger…” She started, but her friend shook her head.
“A sea gull…I know.” Her friend smiled. “It’s nice to be back.”
“Yeah…” There wasn’t much that needed to be said. They both knew what this place meant to them. This was where everything was ok, this was were mermaids existed, going to the dock at midnight just to see the stars was normal, where you could just be you. Here was where you knew who you really were. She smiled again wrapping her arms around herself.
“Pictures?” She asked looking towards her friend who was sitting on the sand watching the waves.
“Really K, not like I have a choice.” Her friend replied smiling.
“Nope, now don’t move.” She ran to the spot in the pier where they hid all there stuff. They had found it years ago, a spot in the boards that over hung just enough to hide car keys and their dry clothes. She grabbed the camera and ran back. Smiling she set it up.
“Ok now move this way just a little…” For the next thirty minutes she repositioned her ever willing friend until she was satisfied.
“Lets sneak up on the pier.” Her friend said jumping up and brushing the sand off her jeans and sweatshirt.
“Ok.” She put the camera back in it’s case and made sure it was securely around her arms. Then they headed up. It was trickier this time then it had been years ago. Years ago there had been a huge sand dune to help out, but not now it was flattened to keep people from climbing up on the pier instead of paying the dollar to get out there. The girls ignored the fact that their dune was gone and grabbed for the lowest plank, boosting themselves up, they climbed from one to the next until they were right near the piers gift shop. Hoisting themselves up then dropping low so they wouldn’t be seen by the owner through the huge bay window.
“Ready?” Her friend breathed lightly. She checked the straps on her camera bag.
“Ready.” They crept by the window, until they couldn’t be seen and then bolted towards the other end of the pier. They reached the end laughing and out of breath. She looked over her shoulder, no one had followed them.
“That was so much fun!!” Her friend laughed pulling her own camera out of her pocket and taking a few pictures of the ocean that stretched out before them. “Dolphins!” They both leaned over the edge to take pictures of the group of dolphins playing lazily in the waves. Her friend leaned, stepped back putting her camera back in her pocket and sitting down on one of the benches.
“You seem more like the old you.” Her friend commented softly. She turned to look at her.
“Yeah…I feel a little bit more like the old me. But it doesn’t matter as soon as I go home it will all go back to how it was.” Sadness flickered across her face. She shook her head slightly.
“It doesn’t have too…” The sentence was left unfinished, the meaning already well discussed.
“I just can’t, I’d like to don’t get me wrong but there is just too much going on right now…” The old excuses fell from her mouth before she really had time to think about what she was saying. But this was what she always said.
“That’s what you always say! If you don’t get out of there soon you are going to end up stuck there and miserable!” It was almost as if her friend could read her mind. Could make a good story… She shook her head.
“That’s just the way things are.” And this was the typical ending to the conversation. This was one they had been trying to avoid since they got here. The topic was as worn as the cover of an eighty year old mans favorite book.
“I just…I just don’t want to see you fall back into…I want to see you really happy K that’s all.” Her friend finished with a shrug of her shoulders. “Is that so bad of me?”
“No.” She said softly. “Lets just have a good time while we are here ok? I don’t want to think about leaving we just got here.”
“Alright.” Her friend said, finally relenting. She blew out a breath relieved that her friend wasn’t going to push it anymore. Then she laughed softly to herself, yeah right, she was going to bring it up again, if her friend was anything she was persistent.
The next few days passed without much thought to the conversation from the first day. They had taken the boat out and got some amazing shots of the little islands around the shore line. They had laughed and giggled about things that had happened on their trips before. It had been a really nice vacation, but as it came to a close that familiar disquiet settled in her stomach.
They packed up their cars and headed back towards town. The whole drive back she found herself lost in thought. Everything in her wanted to pull a u-turn and hall ass back towards the beach, back to where it was simple. But then it couldn’t just be as simple as that.
They reached town, and stopped at her parent’s house. They hugged goodbye with promises to see each other again soon. Her friend left. And after about an hour of saying goodbye to her parents she left too. Is this what I want? She pulled up to her apartment hours later. Is it?
One Month Later
It was a simple letter, but it said everything.
Hey! So I keep thinking about our conversation on the pier last month. You were right; I got home and was miserable. I could feel myself slipping back into the zombie way I was before. So I took your advice. And you know what? Italy is amazing! I’ll send some pictures soon. I think I’ve finally found what makes me happy. Thanks for believing in me. You have to come visit!!
Love,
K
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