Italian Invader

by Jessica Steele

  'This is the first day you've been able to get a shoe on of any size?'

  'It is—and I've been impatient to get here, to get to you and…' he broke off, looking deeply into her eyes '… and called myself a fool all the way here.'

  'You thought you had worked it out wrongly—and that I didn't love you.'

  'I've been so beset by doubts, you would not believe it. Then, when I arrived here and got myself together, and when I'd been aching for the sound of your voice, I picked up the phone to speak with you—and was full of doubts again at your sharp tone. It made my tone sharp too.'

  'You hadn't meant to speak to me like that?'

  'No way! I'd said your name a dozen times. "Elyn, would you like… ? Elyn, may I ask… ? This is Max, Elyn… Elyn, I have so much to apologise for—would you consider coming to see me", and what do I say…'

  'My office, Miss Talbot, now,' she laughed.

  'Oh, my dear, dear Miss Talbot,' he breathed. 'I love you so very, very much,' and he hauled her into his arms and for ageless moments they kissed and held on to each other. Then Max was pulling back from her, looking down into her flushed face, and telling her tenderly, a husky note in his voice, 'My darling, there is so much with regard to you that I have done wrong that it is im­portant to me that I now do things in a proper manner.' He looked at her long and lovingly, then said, 'So now, my dear, I should like, with your permission, to come with you to see your family.'

  'My f-family?' she stammered.

  'More particularly, in the absence of your father, your mother,' he explained.

  'Oh!' she exclaimed, her wide green eyes going even larger. 'W-well, yes, of course,' she said in a rush, 'I'd be delighted to introduce you to my family, but—but what about your foot?'

  'My foot?'

  'Will you be able to stand on it?' she asked anxiously. Some of the road up to where she lived was a bit rutted. Even a taxi ride home could prove painful for him.

  'I shall stand on it,' he assured her and, fixing his eyes on hers, refused to let her look away. Though she was looking at nowhere but him, indeed her eyes were riveted to his when he stated resolutely, 'I shall make sure I'll be able to stand on it one day next week when I stand and wait for you to come down the church aisle to me.'

  'Ch-church aisle!' she exclaimed, her voice a mere thread of sound.

  'Amore mia,' Max breathed, 'what do you think it is that I've been saying all this while, if it isn't that I want you to be my wife?' Wife! Elyn's heartbeats were all over the place—but suddenly she noticed that there was something akin to a hint of panic in Max's eyes as he insisted, 'You will marry me, Elyn?'

  'Oh, my darling!' she cried. Oh, would she not! She smiled, a wonderful joyous smile. 'Er—perhaps we had better go and see my mother,' she agreed—and was kissed.