by Ellen Hutton
“What happened?” he asked, “is it Lidia, did something happen at work?”
Annie proceeded to tell her father everything that had happened. He listened attentively without saying a work while sipping on his whiskey. When she was finally done, and her heart was settled he held her hand.
“I have something to tell you.” He said.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Well, when your mother left,” he said, “she came back eventually.”
“Wait for what?” Annie asked, “she came back when?”
“she came back five years late. She wanted us to be a family again.”
“You didn’t tell me.” Annie said, “I don’t remember seeing her.”
“Yes, that’s because I told her to leave.” Her father said.
Annie looked at him and more tears began to well up in her eyes.
“Why would you do that?” she asked
There was a long pause and she could see all the pain and emotion on her father’s face.
“I asked her if she could promise she would never leave again like she had done before.” He said, “when she couldn’t I told her to leave and never come back.”
“Dad!” Annie whispered.
“I loved your mom Annie,” he said, “but I loved you girls much more. She had hurt me but when I watched the hurt in your eyes every day I couldn’t watch her do it to you guys a second time. I told her she didn’t have to stay with us, I told her she could live elsewhere but she couldn’t come back into your lives if she didn’t plan on staying.”
“And she still left?” Annie asked
“Yes,” her father replied, “I learned something about love that day that I always thought I knew.”
“What’s that?” she asked
“That if you love someone, you will fight for them even if it hurts you.”
Annie let out a sigh. She knew what he meant, and it hurt even more when she thought about the ways she had hidden her feelings in the hope she would never have to feel what her father felt. She realized that he wasn’t bitter about her mom because he had been too concerned about them and although he had lost one love, he had realized true love through his children.
“I have to go home.” She said
“Alright, let me know what you plan to do.” He said as he walked her out the door.
Annie made her way back to her apartment in a rush. She would have to leave the company and find somewhere else to work. Now that she understood that she was capable of love, she wanted to find it. If she couldn’t find it in Leon, she knew there would be love out there for her. She rushed into her apartment building in such a fit that she almost missed Leon waiting for her in the Lobby. When she saw him, she stopped so suddenly that it made her a bit dizzy. She righted herself and walked over to where he stood in the lobby.
“Annie.” He said flashing her a quizzical look.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I need to talk to you.” Leon said, “I didn’t quite get to finish my proposal earlier.”
“I can’t marry you to fulfill your father’s contract,” she said, “I want much more from marriage than that.”
“Me too.” He said, “I’m sorry, I must have lost my mind thinking it would have been more impressive if I came from that angle.”
“What do you mean?” she asked
“I love you, Annie.” He said, “purely, wholly, completely. It’s strange because I fell out of love with a woman I knew for years and fell in love with a woman I’ve only known for a few weeks. I thought it was weird and so I didn’t think I should put all that pressure on you at one time.”
“What?” she asked stepping forward.
“I want to marry you,” He said stepping closer to her so he could put one hand on her cheek, “because I love you because you are beautiful, sexy, brilliant and most of all because you have the purest heart of anyone I know.”
Annie felt as if the ground had opened up and was about to swallow her.
“I love you.” She said not wanting to hold anything back in that moment, “I don’t know how or why but I love you.”
He laughed and crushed her body against him and kissed her long and hard, making her feel as if there would be no end to this perfect moment.
Bonus Story: Trapped in Mind
A single father who had tragically lost his wife has been trying to cope with life and make his young daughter as happy as she can be. He loves his daughter more than anything in the world and because he knows she needs a mother in her life, he takes her to see his mother during the holidays. During one of these trips, they come in contact with a model who his daughter recognizes from one of her fashion magazines. Phillip is entranced by her beauty and her striking resemblance to his mother and similar qualities with his former wife. They fall in love but later discover that she is actually his cousin.
Chapter 1
“Hurry up honey, we need to get moving” I screamed at the top of my voice as I took the last of my boxes into my old pickup truck. It was a 1987 Chevrolet Pickup truck; my favorite baby that I have used over many years. Stacy had already grown tired of it before she passed away three years ago.
“I’ll be right down, dad” Lillian’s voice echoed from up the stairs. I took a look around the neighborhood and breathed the subtle air of Tennessee into my nostrils. The weather was already becoming quite cold, although I knew that it would be much colder in Colorado. I grew up there. My mother still lived there in Breckinridge. She loved the natural effect of the small settlements in Colorado. The mountains and wonderful changes in weather always came with something uniquely exciting.
The feeling was already very much in the atmosphere. You could see everyone with big and small boxes, planning for the holidays. My family always spent our holidays in Colorado and this year won’t be any different.
I looked back and saw my ten-year-old daughter approaching with her back pack. Snowflake was beside her, wagging its tail. I could see the excitement on her face. Not many dogs enjoyed road trips, but Snowflake sure did enjoy them. I rested my gaze on the grumpy face of Lillian Riley, my slowly maturing daughter. She didn’t look very happy and the reason was not farfetched. She didn’t like the idea of travelling in my old pickup van. She preferred to fly and see the world at a glance. But I on the other hand love the scenic views that the road presents. The trip from Nashville, Tennessee to Colorado is like drawing a line from the Rockies to the Appalachians. The beautiful sights are simply amazing and you get to see many historic sites from a really close distance.
“It’s just eighteen hours honey. Don’t worry, we would be with Grandma in no time” I said, trying to cheer her up.
“I want to do something more exciting this year. This is going to be so boring” she said with a long face as she threw her bag into the truck and started to climb inside. Snowflake joined her inside. I quickly went back into the house to make sure everything was right; locked the doors and hopped into my vehicle. Here we come, Colorado.
**
The most direct path to Colorado would have been through Missouri and then through Kansas, but I always prefer taking the longer route which meant passing Arkansas along interstate through Oklahoma and then New Mexico. These kids just never understand that taking the back roads and seeing all the beautiful works of nature is a part of the overall adventure.
The drive started relatively smoothly, albeit quite slowly too. Snowflake had had his face out the window, taking in the breeze and putting his tongue out for anyone who cared to see. Lillian’s eyes were already near sleepy and I doubted she would be able to make stay awake for one more hour before she fell asleep.
My mind drifted to Stacy and how much I missed her. It had been over three years since she died now and I still missed her very much. I had tried to move on but it had not been easy. Being a school teacher, I rarely met new people. It just seemed like everything I did reminded me of Stacy. Stacy always sat beside me whenever we drove to Colo
rado. She loved to see the beauty of nature just like me. She practically loved everything that I did. I wafted into a world of my own as I remember how we met. It was when I had just gained admission into college. She was the very first person I had spoken to. It all seems like yesterday.
I have never been the shy one; never been the one to quiver and hide in his shell. I have never been afraid of plunging into the deep and letting myself get drowned by the ocean of uncertainty. Albeit stories I have heard, I always choose to be the judge of my own decisions.
I remember looking out from the car. I wanted to be experienced from experience, not just stories of experiences from the experienced. I ran my life the way I wanted, and then, all the restrictions that held me back were about to be broken... Ah! College at last! I had thought.
The wonderful wind of excitement blew on my face through the window and sent chills down my system. It was an uncanny feeling I had as thoughts of this new life engulfed my mind and boggled my reasoning. The drive was smooth as the waters of the silent ocean at night, and I could not stop myself from imagining all the beautiful experiences that I would have.
Who wouldn't be glad? Well, I certainly was not one of those who wouldn't be. I felt liberated in my soul… a defining spirit of strength... freedom; realization.
"Son, we are almost there." Father said as we took the final turning that led to the big gates of college. And then all of a sudden, there it was... College!
I took a sideward glance and found father alternating glances between the college gate and me. I saw many young adults, some with their parents, doing one thing or the other in the surroundings. The air smelled like strawberry and cheese cake. It was indeed pleasant, and I hoped that life afterward would be just as glorious. I needed a fresh start, and this was just the perfect opportunity for that; a chance to forget about the scary past and look toward a calmer future.
My father helped me move my things until he was not permitted to go in any further. I waved him goodbye. It was just me now. I was on my own... what I always wanted. But it felt different from what I expected it to feel like. I had thought that the feeling would be exhilarating and awesome --The feeling of liberation. But it was not as great because I immediately began to miss my home. My friends, my neighbors, and everybody I had been used to. I would have to make new friends, start a new life, learn new things, think differently and smile to new people. Maybe it wouldn't be all that bad, I told myself. After all, it was what I wanted.
I slowly pushed the main door open and saw the wide hallway right in front of me. Its length seemed never to end. There were clusters of people in groups and some solitary, resting their backs on the walls. Some made phone calls; the others discussed and chatted between and among them. As I walked through the hallway, I was greeted by the stares and searching eyes of the world. Eyeball after eyeball perused through my being, assessing my features, dressing, facial make up and frame. There was a stairway right in front of me. I followed it up and saw a chart that gave directions to the departments. I found mine quickly and immediately waltzed off, facing the ground. I felt as though if I looked up, the menacing eyes of the crowd would swallow me up.
My own shyness had me discombobulated. It was hard to fathom why the stares of people would make me go frizzy. I felt scattered in my head, unsure of how to move my legs or swing my arms correctly. Luckily, I had a small single handed bag hanging from my shoulder, which supplemented my backpack. I just wanted to get to my department's hallway and find a locker for myself first. All I had to do was get the hell out of all these people glares. I hated being new.
My father had always told me that freshman year was the hardest. The proof was right there. I had a lot of getting used to; to do. Ah! Finally! The final corner to my department!
I speedily took a sharp turn into the corner, finally escaping the line of sight of everyone. Just as I took the second step, I bumped into someone, literally. Oh my God! Her books and pen came crashing down on the floor.
Each item appeared to move in slow motion and my hands also. I knelt on the hard ground, trying to catch the pen before it bounced away, but I was too slow, and it did bounce away and was about to hit the ground again when I saw her hand. She caught the pen. Great! I looked up at her face and she paid no mind to me as her hands went in a quest go gather her books. I helped with one and gave it to her with so many apologetic words that I never imagined I knew.
"I'm so sorry! I never meant to bump into you like that. I just saw you there. I was walking too fast. You must be so mad at me right now. I am so sorry. Please forgive me." I managed to say all at once.
"No no... It's my fault really. I wasn't looking at where I was going. I should be the one apologizing." She said, finally looking up at me after assisting me with my bag. I had dropped it too.
Just as I caught sight of her face, I lost track of how many times I repeated the sorry word. It was as if my brain was trying to automatically reconfigure its vocabulary into a single word system. Her face was very beautiful and I watched as her magical lips moved up and down as she talked in the softest and most gentle voice I had ever heard.
I was love struck or lust struck in an instant, and all I could do was smile and say sorry.
"You must be new here." She was already done with her apologies and had her books safely tucked between her arm and her body. Her body! And oh she had the brightest smile that glistened like snow in white Christmas.
"Yes Yes... I'm new. I’m a freshman" I said, laughing at my own joke. I had not been able to maintain eye contact with her since I looked at her the first time.
"I just knew I hadn't seen you before here. It would be difficult not to notice you if you had been in the school." She gave a slight smile, controlled and relaxed.
"Why? Sorry... I'm just curious. Never mind answering. I just..." I tried to speak, nervously, but he cut me short.
"You are too handsome to go unnoticed." She said without blinking, and she looked very serious. Oh my God was she hitting on me?
"Errm..." I could not remember the words thank you.
I guess we are in the same department. You can pimp, personalize or customize it anyhow you like. It's yours." She said.
"Thank you very much." I replied.
"No problem. I'll see you later. You would tell me how much progress you have made." She left without saying another word. Damn she was beautiful. And right then I knew that she had to be mine. She just had to be. And that was how I met Stacy; the woman who later became my wife. She is dead now, and I feel so alone in the world. I look at Lillian each day and see Stacy in her eyes. Lillian and my mother are all I have left in the world.
Chapter 2
Lillian was wide awake already as we stopped somewhere after Kansas and searched for a nice hotel to book for the night. I always enjoyed breaking this journey into two equal parts. Stacy and I used to play games while I drove and the winner gets to pick the hotel. This time, however, I know that I had to do it alone. Finally, we found a very good one and I booked one large suit for the three of us. It was the least that I could do for my daughter who preferred a more exciting time than spending Christmas in the country.
“At least it didn’t break down a thousand times before we got here” Lillian remarked as we settle in, referring to my old pick up van. I laughed hysterically and Snowflake also seems to be in on the fun as he began to bark mildly.
“So honey, what do you want to do once we get to Colorado? What do you have in mind?” I asked my daughter.
“What else is there to do? I would like to watch people do some hiking and maybe try it out myself this time. Can we go to a dog race? “Lillian asked, pointing those beautiful angelic little eyes at me.
“Do you want to see a dog race, buddy?” I asked Snowflake. He wagged his tail like he actually was very much involved in the conversation.
“He wants to see a dog race. We could see one after we are done with all the other boring stuff that you probably have lined up” Lillian sai
d with a disgruntled voice.
“Cheer up honey. I promise you, Christmas this year is going to be fun” I said with a wide smile.
I walked up to the table in the room and picked one of the magazines. Lillian also picked one and jumps on the bed. She started to go through the pages of the fashion magazine in her hands and a smile finally rested on her face.
“I sure would love to be a model” I heard her say almost in a whisper.
“When you are done with school honey, you can think about that” I replied without looking up.
She didn’t say anything. She just continued flipping through the pages. I knew of her fascination with modeling, models and fashion photographers. She even knew a few of their names. I called mother to let her know that we had already passed Kansas and would be arriving at Colorado the next day.
**
It was a bright morning and quite a cold one too. Everything pointed to the fact that we were going to have a white Christmas. Although the snow didn’t really come as high as it did in the early months, Christmas this year sure looked like it would partake in a heavy chunk of the snow.