Forbidden Fruit: An Unlikely Love Story

by Michelle Fondin

  As if he didn’t hear those words, Daniel leaned in to entrance her with his kiss. And it worked for a time until they bumped her tape deck and the Cat Stevens tape, that Nick had given her, fell onto her lap.

  She stared down at the tape. “Daniel, I can’t. If you don’t mind, I’ll drive you back to Steve’s house now.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “Your old boyfriend came back!” Chip said in astonishment as they set the dining room before work.

  “Just for a few days,” Marissa explained.

  “Do you think it’s a sign?” Chip asked more interested than she thought he might be.

  “A sign for what?” she asked perplexed.

  “A sign that you should go out to California anyway.”

  She handed over the rolled napkins with silverware to him and wrinkled her eyebrows. “No. He asked me to move out there but I don’t think it was a sign. I think my old boyfriend just wanted to get back together with me and he came out here to party with his friends. Anyway, his best friend told me he was coming when we were at the Shelter last weekend.”

  “Have you told Nick?” Chip inquired.

  “Told Nick? I don’t even talk to Nick. How could I tell him?”

  In a sweet, slightly mocking feminine voice, Chip said, “Well, you two write love letters to each other. You could mention it then.”

  Marissa practically threw the rest of the rolled napkins at him and said, “Why would I even tell him Daniel came here? Nothing happened. Well, almost nothing.”

  Chip turned abruptly in her direction, “What do you mean, ‘almost nothing’? Pray tell, girlfriend.”

  “Well, we kissed and he wanted to…well, you know. But I stopped him. It wasn’t easy though,” Marissa blushed as she described the scene.

  “Why stop? Get it while you can girlfriend,” Chip teased.

  “Because I, Chip, unlike you, have a sense of morals,” Marissa boasted.

  “Oh yeah, some morals. Hmmm, let’s see? Your boyfriend is a teacher at your Catholic high school, where I might add, you’re supposed to be this ‘nice Catholic girl’ and you are naughty, naughty, naughty,” Chip said shaking his finger at her.

  “That was uncalled for, ‘Mr. Chip n Dale’,” and with that, Marissa rolled up a towel to whip him with it.

  That got them fighting, whipping each other with towels until a voice called. “That is no way to treat my boyfriend!”

  Chip and Marissa turned to see Marcus standing there and all three of them burst out laughing. “Hey Chip,” said Marcus, “I check out movie schedule and the movie you vant starts at ten. Is good?”

  “Yeah Marcus, that’s good. I’m on the early shift tonight.”

  Marcus turned to Marissa and offered, “Hey Marissa, you come to movies vith us?”

  “Thanks Marcus but it’s a girls night in tonight. But hey, I wanted to ask you, can you check with your sister about the travel year? I think I might be interested in going and I’d really like to travel with someone.”

  Marcus beamed, “You see, I told you I have solution to problem. I vill call her.”

  “I’m not a hundred percent sure,” said Marissa hesitantly. “ I just want to know if I have someone to travel with.”

  “You can even fly back vith me to Germany on June first, ” Marcus continued with excitement, as he disregarded Marissa’s reservations.

  Marissa’s face became serious. “June first? But I don’t even graduate until May twenty-fifth. That’s like one week after graduation.”

  “What else you have to do?” Marcus questioned. “You come to my home in Germany for a couple of weeks, you get to know my sister and vhen she finish exams, you go travel.”

  She immediately thought of Nick. They were both waiting for her to graduate but if she left one week after graduation, they would hardly have any time together.

  “I’ll have to think about it,” Marissa responded.

  “O.K. I’ll call my sister in the morning.”

  When Marissa arrived back home, she saw a letter for her with the usual no return address. She was surprised that her father hadn’t said anything about the mysterious letters addressed to her by an anonymous sender. Before going to bed, she opened it with anticipation about what it might contain.

  Dear Marissa,

  Just a quick note to let you know that I’m registering for a yoga class at the community center near my parents’ house. It’s on Monday evenings at 7 p.m. and it runs for eight weeks. Since it’s only eight weeks until graduation and since you and I both don’t work on Monday nights, I figured, well, there is no crime in being at the same public place at the same time, right?

  Love you,

  N.

  Since it was still spring break, which meant no school, Marissa got up the next morning, ate her breakfast and headed out to the community center to register for the yoga class. She was really excited at the prospect of seeing Nick once a week even if it was in a public place. They could talk before and after the class, which was much better than their current pattern of communicating.

  The following Monday, Marissa showed up early for the first class. Yoga was a completely foreign concept to her. She was familiar with aerobics and weight lifting and had also taken several years of ballet but the only reason she was taking yoga was to be closer to Nick.

  The class was supposed to start at seven in the evening. But she had left extra early not knowing how long it would take her to get there. It had taken her about forty-five minutes to drive there but she was still about a half-hour early. Fortunately, it was a beautiful spring day and since they had already moved the clock forward for daylight savings time, it was still light out.

  She decided to hang around outside for a bit before going inside. As she sat on the brick wall outside of the recreation center, she hoped she would be able to talk to Nick before class started. Forgetting about his habit of being late, Marissa realized at two minutes to seven that she better move on inside. The large exercise room was almost completely full. Looking around the room, she noticed that she was by far the youngest one there. Apprehensively, she glanced around the room looking for a spot. A small sprite woman, who introduced herself as Lee Ann, found Marissa a spot up front.

  Marissa sat down observing the people around her. Some were already in yogic postures, others looked as if they were meditating but most were chatting about. But she was disappointed that Nick wasn’t there yet.

  At precisely seven o’clock, a gentle voice called out, “Let’s be seated in a cross legged or lotus posture for seated relaxation.”

  At once Marissa realized that the woman named Lee Ann was the teacher.

  Lee Ann’s voice was at the same time exuberant and serene. “Now place your hands into prayer posture and observe your breath. Let go of any thoughts you are having. If your mind strays, come back to your breath.”

  Marissa, who was in the habit of being a model student, tried to follow Lee Ann’s directions the best she could. It was difficult to clear her mind of all thoughts, especially when she was wondering where Nick could be, but she kept her mind on her breath.

  Everyone remained still. Silence enveloped the room like a blanket of serenity.

  Suddenly Marissa heard the door at the back of the room creak open. Instinctively she turned, although she had no need to, for she knew at once that Nick had entered the room. He stood quietly at the back of the room until Lee Ann instructed everyone to open their eyes for the next exercise. Seeing Nick standing there, she invited him to come up front, next to Marissa, to join the class. Marissa turned to him with a knowing smile. “I knew you’d be late,” her eyes said.

  Lee Ann led them gracefully through the class from eyes exercises to sun salutations to guided meditation. It was an absolute luxurious treat for the body. Marissa fell in love with the slow gliding movements of hatha yoga.

  At the end of class, Lee Ann passed out a hand out on the course including the names of the postures or asanas and different vocabulary that
she would use throughout the semester.

  Marissa saw that Nick had been thoroughly enjoying himself during the class. Everyone seemed to be completely entranced by Lee Ann and her method of teaching. She appeared to love yoga so much that anyone taking her class would be inclined to love it too.

  “That was amazing!” Nick gushed after the completion of the meditation.

  “Wasn’t it cool!” Marissa exclaimed smiling broadly. “It almost makes you not want to miss the beginning of class,” she teased.

  Nick grinned, “You’re right sweetie. I’m going to have to make it a point to be on time next week.”

  “I never thought yoga would be so relaxing and such hard work at the same time,” remarked Marissa.

  Lee Ann, who was rolling up her yoga mat, commented, “You guys did great for your first time. Have either of you taken yoga before?”

  Marissa shook her head, “No, this is my first time. I didn’t know what to expect. But it was great.”

  “For me too. Thank you very much for a wonderful class,” Nick said with enthusiasm.

  “Well if you have any questions for me, don’t hesitate to ask,” Lee Ann offered kindly.

  “Thank you!” Nick and Marissa said in unison.

  “Oh and by the way,” Lee Ann winked, “You two make a cute couple.”

  Marissa looked down and blushed, then quietly said to Lee Ann, “But how did you know we were…”

  Without missing a beat Lee Ann responded, “You mean, who could think otherwise? With the energy between you two? Again, cute couple.”

  Marissa buried her face in her hands while Nick placed his tongue between his teeth to suppress laughter. So we are that apparent, they both thought.

  Marissa smiled up at Nick. “Thanks for telling me about this class.”

  “So now are you going to come for the class too and not just to see me,” Nick teased.

  “Who said I was coming to this class to see you Nick Smith?” Marissa chided back. “I’m here for the yoga.”

  Nick leaned in a little closer, “Are you sure a teeny tiny part of you didn’t sign up for the class to be with me?”

  Her heart beat faster by his presence, “Well, maybe a little,” she smiled.

  Then Nick leaned in to kiss her, “Did I say ‘hello’?”

  “I don’t think you did,” Marissa whispered as she drew her mouth closer to his.

  “Do you want to go outside and talk for a few minutes?” Nick suggested.

  “Yes, I’d like that,” Marissa said dreamily.

  As they stepped outside into the evening, the sky shone bright pink and orange around them. They walked around the building toward the grassy area.

  “So how did Easter go?” Nick inquired as he took Marissa’s hand.

  Marissa, not really wanting to talk about Easter, drew in a breath as she decided what to say. “It was, uh, interesting.”

  Nick peered down at her trying to read her facial expression. “What does that mean?”

  “It means that… oh Nick, I really don’t want to talk about it,” Marissa whined.

  Looking hurt Nick withdrew, “O.K. if you don’t want to talk about it, we won’t talk about it.”

  Seeing his pain she decided to go ahead and share it with him. She sighed. “O.K. I’ll tell you. Daniel showed up at my mother’s house on Easter.”

  Nick stopped walking long enough to look straight in her eyes. “Really? So what did he say? I mean, what was that like for you?”

  Marissa nervously tucked her hair behind her ears. “It was weird. I can’t describe it any other way. We, uh, drove around to talk. So, he was trying to get me to move out to California. And uh,” she thought for a minute. “And, well, no forget it.”

  “And uh, what Marissa?” Nick insisted.

  “And he said he wanted to get back together with me,” she said softly.

  Nick’s eyes were strong, attentive, “And what did you say to him?”

  “I told him I couldn’t,” Marissa answered with conviction. “I told him that I was in love with you. But it was really hard Nick, it was hard telling him that. I felt bad saying that to his face.”

  Nick became serious, “But do you want to Marissa? Do you want to get back together with him?”

  Marissa quickly grabbed both of his hands, “No, Nick, no. I love you, not him. I have no intention of getting back together with him.”

  “Because if you did Mariss, I’d understand,” Nick said coldly.

  Hurt covered Marissa’s face. “Do you love me that little, Nick, that you would be willing to give me up at the drop of a hat?”

  Nick searched for words to say, “No, it’s just that…”

  She shook her head and continued, “I don’t get it. It’s almost as if you are trying to push me away. I know you love me, but why are you trying to push me away?”

  “I just want what’s best for you,” Nick explained calmly.

  “Did it ever occur to you that being with you might be the best thing for me? Please give us a chance Nick. Don’t be so afraid of whatever you’re afraid of,”

  He stared intensely at the sunset. “You’re right Mariss. For once, I guess, I was feeling threatened. The prospect of you getting back together with Daniel made me feel a little insecure. You have a history with him. You were going to marry him. We’ve had such a rocky start that…”

  Marissa instantly cut him off, “But Nick, I don’t love him anymore. It doesn’t matter what kind of history we have together.”

  “Then why didn’t you want to talk about it Mariss?”

  “Because I thought I might hurt you by talking about it and it seems that I did.”

  Finally Nick turned to face her. “O.K. we’re not going to talk about Daniel anymore. We’ve got a few precious minutes left for the whole week. What do you want to talk about?”

  Marissa smiled as if she had something up her sleeve. “About ways we can stretch out our time together on Mondays.”

  “Actually, I was thinking that maybe we could meet an hour before yoga to go jogging. That way I’m sure to be on time for yoga class,” Nick suggested.

  Marissa’s eyes lit up. “That would be perfect! It would give us time to talk too.” She threw her arms around him giving him a big squeeze. “You are a genius Nick. Thank you so much for thinking of a way for us to be together.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The second Marissa arrived at home, her father handed her the phone. “Someone named Marcus is on the phone for you,” he said bewildered.

  Surprised, she took the receiver. “Hello?”

  “Marissa!” Marcus shouted into the phone. “Hello. Chip gave me your number. Sorry to call but I have good news for you.”

  “Good news? What good news? Did you talk to your sister?” Marissa inquired.

  “Yes, I talked to her and she is very interested in traveling vith you. But that is not all. Today I vas at travel agency and there is good price for airline ticket. You can buy round trip ticket to Munich for $450. That is very good price. But you have to buy it before tomorrow. They are holding it for twenty-four hours for you,” Marcus said excitedly.

  “Marcus, I don’t know what to say,” Marissa said undecidedly. “I’m not one hundred percent sure I want to do this. I’m really curious to go to Europe but this seems to be going too fast. You mean I have to buy the ticket tomorrow? That is so soon. How much do airline tickets to Munich usually cost from here?”

  “Ya, usually they vould normally cost betveen 700 to 900 dollars. That is why I reserved for you. That is unusually good price. This is vhat they call charter flight. And vhat’s better is I’m taking the same flight so you von’t be going alone,” Marcus explained.

  “I don’t know Marcus. I need to think about it,” Marissa said uncomfortably.

  “O.K. you think. I call you tomorrow morning. But one more thing Marissa…”

  Marissa shook her head. “What’s that?”

  “Do you have passport?”

 
“A passport? No Marcus, I’ve never left the country, well, except to Canada and you don’t need a passport to go there.”

  “June first is seven weeks away. You need to get passport. Sometimes it can take many weeks to get one. Apply for passport, schnell !” Marcus said firmly.

  “Oh, God!” Marissa panicked. “I have no idea where to even go to apply for a passport!”

  “Ask your boyfriend. He should know,” Marcus suggested. “You think while you sleep. I vill call in morning.”

  “Hey Marcus,” Marissa said tenderly. “Why are you doing all of this for me?”

  “Because I think you are nice girl. And you are very smart. You need to go out and see the vorld. I think you vill fall in love vith Europe.”

  “Thanks Marcus. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

  Marissa turned around quickly to hang up the phone and ran straight into her father who had been standing there the entire time.

  Her father, who was not in the habit of listening to her phone conversations, could not help but overhear his daughter making plans that had to do with airline tickets and passports.

  Calmly, he looked his daughter in the eyes. “Do you care to share with me what that was all about? Are you planning on running away with this guy, Marcus, is it?”

  At the thought of Marcus as a boyfriend Marissa laughed out loud.

  Her father frowned. “Is something funny Marissa?”

  She wasn’t ready to explain to her father, who would not understand, that she had gay friends. “No, it’s just that Marcus is actually a good friend of this guy I work with. I don’t see him at all as a boyfriend.”

  “So where is he from?”

  “He’s from Germany.”

  “And why were you talking to him about airline tickets and passports?” her father asked worriedly.

  “It’s sort of a long story Dad. He knew I was having a hard time deciding where I wanted to go for college and he suggested I take a year off to travel Europe.”

  Her father pursued. “That still doesn’t explain why he was talking to you about airline tickets. What’s the rush?”