Tiptoe softly into the meadow,
Enjoy the final bloom of the season
Before the autumn chill sets in and life fades away.
Find joy in the fragrance of a new bloom.
Tuck the flower in your hair and dance.
For now is the time to soak life in,
To discover the world which surrounds,
And enjoy every moment to come.
Haha! You messed it up again!
That voice, always lurking, taunted her again.
See, it was always your mistakes.
You’re the one who messes things up
For yourself, and everyone else.
She stared her dead in her brown eyes.
Redness built up, but this time, she refused.
You need to stop, nothing is messed up!
She wouldn’t give in, staring back.
Her fist clinched tight, nails digging into her skin.
She forced herself to breathe in and out.
The voice called back. Just wait! You’ll see!
She blinked and centered herself once more.
She released her fist and rubbed her palms.
No, you’ll see. You won’t win this one!
With that, she exhaled and turned.
The mirror faded away.
She moved on and left doubt behind.
At least this time.
Velvet black skies speckled with starlight
Waves unfurl and splash into shadowy shore.
Haunting hoots from an owl echoes in the air,
Then the swoosh of flapping wings as he chases prey.
Silence returns as the night moves on,
Yielding to light as the owl returns to slumber.
Lying here looking at the ceiling from the left side of the bed,
I take this side because of you,
Because those first times sharing a bed,
This is how we laid next to each other.
Do you remember?
Do you still sleep on the right?
Silly how this all got set,
But I think we picked it earlier,
Laying on the sofa that night,
Before you went into service,
That’s the night it was all decided.
Even now, after all these years,
Although I am not sleeping with you,
I still sleep on the left side.
Watching a show that we know by heart,
Snuggled up in comfy clothes,
Stealing away a few moments just for us.
The house is quiet, no visitors or house guests.
Just the furballs running around.
No work or chores to distract; they can wait.
I block your view and smile innocently,
Then I step up on the couch, straddle your lap and sit.
Nothing sexual, just to be close.
I kiss your cheek as you wrap your arms around me,
Embracing me in a hug.
I rest my head aside yours,
My arms draped over your shoulders,
And there we sit, enjoying the moment.
This is my favorite way to connect.
What is yours?
Sleep well, dear heart,
And dream of wonderful tomorrows.
Flutter closed, blue eyes,
And find my brown eyes in your slumber.
Snuggle in your covers tight,
Feel my soul embrace yours in the night.
Fuzzy socks padded against the wood floors as she wiggles her popsicle toes. The first “cold” day of fall finally arrived to her sunny subtropical abode.
Others would say it’s warm or comfortable, but her blood had thinned from years in 90 plus degrees most days. The higher humidity made it feel cooler than it really was.
Goosebumps covered her arms as she moved through the house. She slid open the cherry wood drawer which held her tees. She shuffled through and found a long sleeved pullover.
She made a quick change from her tank and rubbed her arms before heading back to the kitchen. Chili seemed like a good fit for the change in the weather.
She sorted through the canned good in the pantry. Ingredients came together, except for one. Beans. No way she could make chili without beans! Exasperated, she looked at the ingredients she did have.
Pulling open the fridge, she pulled out more peppers. They had plenty of them at least. Dicing and chopping, she rearranged her mind to be set for this instead. Chili will have to wait for another day.
The aromas of onion, peppers, garlic, meat and tomatoes filled the house. She served it up, then crawled under her blanket while the fan above swirled at full blast.
Star Wars, one of the new series, played on the television. Her cats mewed and crawled up, curling up on the furry throw sitting across her lap.
The evening settled in and the temperature continued to drop. The cold front is only going to last a day or two; may as well enjoy it while it’s here.
“Chickenshit!”
The scream echoed about the alley. A body slammed against the wall with a sickening thud. Then the sound of a splash as the body fell to the rain drenched alleyway.
Standing over him, she crossed her puny but tatted arms. Hard to believe they’d be capable of moving anything, much less pushing a full grown man into the wall.
He wouldn’t strike back, and she knew it. “You deserve what you get!” she snarled as she walked off, flicking him off one final time as her silhouette framed by steady neon lights turned the corner.
He curled up his knees and held his head in his hands. He was mad. Mad at her, mad at himself, mad at the world. Mad at the situation he found himself in once more, another broken moment in his life.
He palmed his eyes a moment, trying to save face should anyone see. Red eyes still gave him away. He spider walked himself back up and wiped away what he could of the puddle which now wet the seat of his pants.
Slowly, he walked toward those same lights but turned right instead. The glass wall of the local Chinese restaurant displayed freshly made duck and the aroma of rice wafted around. His stomach growled, but he continued to wander down the street. Chickenshit? Chickenshit! he mulled over her parting words.
A distant siren echoed as it came closer. Blue and red flashing lights bounced off the buildings. Wet hair hung clung to his face, filtering the scene from his view. His hands gently pushed it aside so he could see.
A small girl sat on the curb as the paramedics frantically worked on someone in the median. She clutched a small curly haired teddy bear missing one eye. A stroller, haphazardly inverted, sat in the crosswalk. Broken glass littered the intersection from the windshield of an orange colored Charger.
A woman, brought to tears, stood amid the chaos. Her hands trembled as the cop escorted her to the same curb to sit by the little girl. An ambulance pulled away, the siren sounding a moment, then falling silent.
The woman looked up, struggling to speak, as a policeman took her statement. He took it all down, and then read it back to her. She shrugged, and lowered her head, bawling.
Softly, the officer tapped her shoulder, trying to reassure her. He looked up and saw the man from the alley standing there. “Son, can you either help or move along?”
He acutely became aware of his gaped mouth, and closed it. “Yes, sir.” He quickly walked over, wringing his hands. “How can I help?”
The cop looked him over, then looked at the curb. “Can you distract here a bit while I finish up?”
He shook his head in compliance, then knelt down in front of the two girls. “ You okay?”
The little girl shook her head while the woman shrugged and responded, “I don’t know what happened. The light was green and I was just driving. No one should have been there…”
He let her release her upset and quietly chided himself for being upset with himself earlier. This was much graver than what he ever dealt with. She sobbed into his shoulder.
“Can I call anyone?” He asked as she calmed down. He handed her his phone so she could dial the number. She stood up and took a few steps away as she explained on the phone what happened.
He turned his attention to the little girl. “Do you need anything?”
She’d been quietly sitting there, and looked over and shook her head no. A sweet smile came across her face. “Tell the lady I am okay. It wasn’t her fault.”
Confusedly, he looked over his shoulder back at the woman, then back at the girl.
She repeated, “I’m okay.”
Suddenly the woman bent over his shoulder and returned his phone. “Thank you. My sister is here to take me home.”
He looked over the scene and realized time had passed and the wreckage had been removed.
He looked past the woman, “Where’d she go? The little girl?”
The woman paused and stared at him. “They took her in the ambulance.”
He rose to his feet. “No, it was another little girl. With the…” he paused. “She wanted you to know she was okay and it wasn’t your fault.”
The woman’s face turned angry. “Why are you saying these things! I can’t believe…what a chickenshit!”
He stammered, unsure why she turned angry. “She’s…she’s okay.”
Rage filled the woman’s face, “She died!”
He stumbled back to the wall behind him and sunk to the ground amid his confusion. The woman stormed off.
A few moments later, the girl walked back up. “Thank you for trying to tell her. Sometimes people can’t or don’t want to hear.” She reached to give him a hug as he stared. “And, you are no chickenshit!” her little voice squeaked. “Thank you for staying with me. I have to go now. Take care of Curly for me?” She waved as she disappeared from view.
He collected himself. It had been a strange night. In the distance, the sky began to lighten with the dawn. He looked around and saw a a small teddy bear at his feet. He picked it up and gave it a look. A little tag hung from its paw, Hi! I’m Curly.
Suzy dressed and got ready to head down to the restaurant after wrapping up work for the day. As she opened the door, she almost ran into Mark. He was about to knock.
“Oh, Mark!” Startled, she stammered, but her voice went flat. “What do you need?”
Mark’s stern look softened, and she could see worry only his eyes. “Can I have a minute?”
“Sure, can we talk while we walk?” She pointed down the hall.
He nodded yes, then slowly spoke, “I was out of line, so I came by to apologize. It’s none of my business how you live your life.”
She could see he was struggling with his words. She took in a breath, then forced herself to move on. “Mark, I appreciate the apology.” She surveyed his face and realized how much he had aged since losing Sarah a year ago. “I’m not Sarah, but understand why you worry about me, and the crew.” She searched for words to make him feel better; she abhorred conflict.
He seemed relieved, and his haggard breath released. They walked up to the restaurant and Mark nodded toward Steve. “Have a nice dinner.”
Suzy smiled at Mark sweetly. “Thanks, Mark. I will.” With that she turned and exhaled as she stepped away.
Mark disappeared back down the hall.
“Hey, is this seat taken?” She tapped her fingers on the back of the chair.
Steve looked up from his drink with a smile. He stood up and greeted her with a hug. “Well, I hoped you got my note!”
He pulled out her chair and slid it back in as she sat. “Sorry for the disappearing act this morning. The guys wanted to go down to Manuel Antonio for a full day and we headed out early.”
She nodded, “Yeah, no problem. It was an early day for me too.” She looked over the menu and figured out what to eat. “So, how was it?” She looked up to see him almost eyeing her.
“Oh, uh, good. We went to this plane themed restaurant…”
“El Avion?”
“Yeah, that’s the place. It poured while we were there. It was good to be out of the rain. Calming, even though the drinks were flowing.”
Suzy put the menu down and the waiter popped over to the table immediately to take their orders.
After he left, Suzy looked over Steve. He seemed nervous. “Hey, is everything okay?”
Steve played with his ring finger. Oh boy, she knew that look of guilt. She hung her head; another unavailable man wandered into her life. She sighed audibly.
He looked up at her. “It’s still fresh. I’m not married. Any longer. My buddies insisted on getting me out of my condo a few days. That’s why we were here.”
Well, at least she wasn’t a home wrecker! “No worries. Life just throws things at us at times. We’re good.”
She forced a smile through the knowing of the shoe about to fall. “Let’s have a nice meal and we’ll return to our lives each with a new friend.”
He didn’t seem satisfied, but let it go as the appetizer was placed on the table. They shared some more of the days events with each other as they enjoyed the meal although somewhat awkwardly.
Suzy watched out over the rainforest as the sun sank down on their final night. The sky illuminated with pinks and purples then gave way to navy.
Steve piped up, “Could we go for a walk before turning in for the night?”
She half smiled and nodded yes. He showed her the way to the beach path. They walked together quietly and found to beach chairs left out by the waters edge.
He softly spoke, “Suzy, I really am glad you found me at the waterfall. I’ll never forget seeing you come out of the forest, looking around with awe.”
Suzy blushed. She didn’t realize he saw her the whole time.
“I…I…” Steve stumbled over his words. “I hope we can keep in touch.”
Suzy knew tonight would be hard; it’s hard to walk away even when it’s necessary to continue on your own paths.
“Listen,” she grabbed his hand and her voice trembled, “I don’t like goodbyes. They feel final and I don’t want whatever this is to…”
She couldn’t get the last word out as his lips pressed into hers. His hand pulled her face to his and they ended up standing in a full embrace.
“Then, we won’t say it.” He stroked a stray curl from her face. “We will figure this out. I just need time, okay?”
He clasped her hand in his and walked with her back to the resort. He gently kissed her good night at her door. “You have no idea…” his voice trailed off. She opened the door, but he stepped back and softly touched her cheek, leaned in and kissed her once more, then turned and walked away.
The next few days were a blur for Suzy. She wondered how Steve was and busied herself with work. She didn’t know how long she’d wait, but for now, his kiss kept her hopes alive.
Sometimes we don’t get what we want even when everything seems perfect. But, one day, it will come together in the way it’s meant to be. Until then, easy daydreaming will have to do.
Please enjoy this repost while I recover from my week of a little R&R at the beach!
Suzy woke to the sound of her phone’s alarm. She looked over, expecting to see Steve, but he was long gone.
She sat up and sighed, then looked around her suite from the bed, then reached to pick up her phone. As she did, she saw a note on the dresser.
Dear Suzy,
Tonight’s my last night here. I hope you can join me for dinner downstairs just before sunset.
See you then,
Steve
Suzy smiled to herself. Of course she’d have dinner with him.
Just as she laid the note down, a knock pounded from the door. She jumped from the bed, startled, and grabbed her robe as the rapping continued.
She hollered out, “Just a minute!”
The knocking stopped as she opened the door. Mark pushed into her room. “Is he here?”
Suzy looked at Mark with a glare. “What do you think you are doing?” She growled at him. “Get out!”
Mark, satisfied Steve wasn’t in the room, walked back to her. “You need to watch what you’re doing.”
Suzy pointed to the door. “Out!”
Mark stormed out of her room. She locked the door behind him, then broke down. When will he let go? she thought to herself.
After a few minutes, she gathered herself and started getting ready for the day. It was going to be a long day at this rate. At least she had the evening to look forward to.
The team was gathered around. Mark was mysteriously missing. Suzy was relieved she was getting a brief breather from him.
Melissa looked up with an odd look on her face. “Mark bowed out; said something came up. Are we ready to head up the coast?” Her tone was flat and the team looked tense.
Suzy shook her head along with the rest of the team. They piled into the two vehicles and drove to an expansive stretch of beach dotted with boulders and steep cliffs.
The beach was not too crowded so the team set out to get filler footage and photographs. Suzy pulled out a collapsible chair and sat down, working on a script. Words were not coming to her, so she paused and stared at the ocean.
“Hey! Earth to Sooz!” Melissa waved her hand in front of Suzy’s face. “You in there?”
Suzy jumped then shook her head. “Yeah, just having a time with this.”
“Mark got to you this morning, didn’t he?” Melissa stated. “I told him not to go; he wouldn’t listen.”
Suzy closed her tablet and looked at Melissa. “He needs to stop. This is the last job I will work with him on. Why does he feel he needs to oversee all the women? It’s not like we ever had any kind of relationship or anything,” she rambled.
Melissa gently laid her hand on Suzy’s arm, “He’s protective…and you remind him too much of his own daughter.”
Suzy shrugged her shoulders in resignation. “But, I’m not…” and her voice trailed off.
Dawn Renee Writes 