The Wait.

5AM. She fumbled across her bedroom and pulled open the wardrobe. Rummaging through the silk blouses, the linen tees and the many Couture dresses, she pulled out the tangerine polka-dot dress from the back. A deep back, a full skirt with a small bow at the waist, the dress was of perfect elegance, except, it had not been worn in years.

“He loves the bright colors on me…”, she thought to herself as she straightened out the soft textures of the bright summer dress.

“Oh the Shoes!” She opened her shoe cupboard, loaded with every possible heel you could imagine. Ankle boots, stilettos, wedges, boots, patent leather… they were all lined perfectly. She reached at the back and pulled out a tattered shoe box. As she opened it, a strange feeling crept up to her. “What if…“ Pushing the thought out of her mind, she pulled out the beige kitten-heels. “They would go perfectly with the dress“, she thought to herself and smiled.

She found herself moving swiftly towards the process of dressing up. She did not want to be late, not this time. She wore the tangerine dress and put on the beige heels. A touch of lip gloss and kohl in her eyes, she took one final look in the mirror, smiled and walked out of the room.

He hadn’t gotten much sleep all night. He woke up several times with thoughts racing through his mind like a speeding car. At 5AM he finally sprung out of bed and headed for a cold shower. Drying himself, he cleared a small section of the fogged up mirror and stared at himself. After a quick silent conversation with himself, he turned away and went straight to his wardrobe to pull out the crisp powder blue shirt and the beige pants. “She loves beige“, he thought to himself as he stood in front of the mirror and combed his hair for the nth time. He had to look perfect.

As she stepped out of her apartment, the sun was just peeking out of the horizon. The air was slightly warm with a slight breeze. She walked down the steps and hurried down the road towards the woods, a short distance from her house. She could not be late, not this time.

He hurried out of his house and stood for a minute to take in the smell of freshly cut grass that hung in the air. At an impulse, he picked out a bunch wild purple flowers, her favorite. He went to his parked car and drove down the road towards the woods.

As she entered the woods, she could feel her heart racing. The time has come. The cobbled path was wettish. She could not stop herself from thinking about the past as she walked down the path.

20 years is a long time. She did not even get a chance to say goodbye. They knew it was not meant to be, then. But now, now she can’t wait. She was finally coming close to reality. Yes, reality. She felt like she had been living a dream, a bad dream. 20 years is a long time and its finally time to let go of the loneliness.

She wondered how he looked now. He was a handsome man back then…thick black hair, slightly curled at the top, light brown eyes which related a story by themselves, straight nose and a small mole on the left of his full mouth.. yes, he was handsome. “I bet he is as handsome as ever, even today.” She had reached the clearing and could see the rusty bench at the corner of the path. The fog was clearing up and the sunlight sneaked through the shadowy clouds to shine on the dewy leaves by the bench. It was mystical, almost perfect. She sat down on the bench, feeling it by her hands, as if it were a long-lost possession.  She waited for him to come….

He reached the woods, climbed out of his car and shivered a little. Not because it was cold, but because he was anxious.. nervous. He walked purposefully towards the woods on the cobbled path. His thoughts returned while he hugged himself tight as he walked. Her dazzling smile was the first image that came into his mind. “The smile that lit up a thousand lamps“, he used to tell her. Her black eyes sparkled every time she smiled. He caught his breath at the thought of it. “I want to watch you sleep every night. I want to wake up every morning to see you smile”, he used to say.

20 years. They used to  walk hand in hand in these very woods. They were so young, so naïve.

And then.. it happened. Well, it had to happen. They knew it. They felt it inside their hearts even when they chased each other down this very path, 20 years ago. His mood clouded over when he thought of that fateful night, 20 years ago, when his father had packed him off to Army camp, just because his father did not want her around him. He fought, groveled, prayed..but nothing worked. He had to go.

He had no time to promise, but he hoped she would know. She would know what to do. She would know where to come. And now here he was, walking down the path towards reality. Yes, reality.

The sun was now shining through the slight mist giving the forest a very enchanted look. The flower buds shone like diamonds and rubies. He came to the clearing and there it was. The rusty bench. It gleamed in the sunlight beckoning him to come forward. He sat on it, feeling its warmth and reliving the time spent on it with her. Hours they would talk about the future. And now, he waited, for her to come…