The bright shade of red looks good on my lips. I gaze at my reflection in the vanity mirror, apply another touch of the fancy Mac red lipstick and smack my slightly plump lips together. The way they curve into an unceasing smile reflects the warmth in my heart. I can't stop the blush that creeps up my slender neck and cheeks.
Greg finally asks me out for a coffee date.
Wait, what? I blink and glance down at my floral lace A-line dress, the same one I wore thirty-five years ago on a date with Greg, my husband. How did I fit into this dress? I was twenty-five then.
Ugh. I cover my face with both my hands and groan into them as my tears flow fast. These past few months, my life has been reduced to something like scenes in a play. One moment, I'm myself—present and happy. Next moment, there's a shift in time and location, and I'm back in the past—alone and confused.
I grab a paper towel and blow my nose. Hendricks, my caregiver, must not find me like this. My memories are fading faster than I can handle it. Perhaps it's time I start to write things down before they are gone forever, like the sands on the seashore, washed into oblivion.
My name is—
“A well-bred lady is punctual, never late to meetings.” Daddy interrupts my thoughts by whispering in my ear. I gasp, my eyebrows hitching up. Right, I mustn't keep Greg waiting.
As I resume my make-up, memories of my first day as a new student in high school floods my mind, sharp and clear. I was practically lost, trying to find my class when this fine, good-looking boy roughly brushed past me with his friend. My textbooks almost fell off my hands but I rescued them in time, looked up with blazing eyes and ready to dish out some venom to the culprit.
It was like time stopped and I got lost in his misty blue eyes. He stared at me for a moment too and his lips curved into a smile that reached his eyes. “You're new here,” he said without preamble. “Do you know the way to your class?” Always the go-getter and ready to solve problems.
For the life of me, my brain chose that moment to freeze and all I could do was shake my head. He chuckled, glanced at my books and walked me to my class on the top floor. That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship filled with bellyaching laughs, teasing each other and spending everyday together, except Sundays.
We graduated high school and Greg had not asked me out. I was too well brought up to ask him but somehow, we knew we wanted to be together. So I waited for him.
When admissions into college came, we were separated and it was heartbreaking. We wrote letters back and forth, staying active in each other's lives despite the distance.
Then one day, I came out of class, pondering how to work on my assignment when I saw him. I screamed and hurled myself into his arms like a long lost lover, kissing his cheeks. He chuckled, cupped my face and brushed his lips against mine. I froze.
“I’ve been wanting to do that since the first time we met in the school hall. We can't deny what we feel for each other,” he whispered with a shy smile. “I needed to put my life together before I could welcome you into it. Will you have coffee with me?”
My life began afresh from that moment because we were meant to be. Immediately after college, we got married and….and…
Oh God! I glance around my bedroom and back at the vanity mirror. This is crazy. I’m crying again because my thoughts are in chaos. Didn't I stop this foolishness of dressing up for a non-existent coffee date? I smack my head with the heel of my palm repeatedly. Stop this! Just stop!
These short memory flashes of my life are hard enough without my fragile mind betraying me. I gave Hendricks the night off and assured him I'd be fine. “Mrs Massey, if you feel anything just call me immediately. Please,” Hendricks begged when he was leaving the night before. I have been doing fine the past few weeks. Perhaps I'm used to having him around so my mind decides to go on a frolic of her own.
It's time to make that call. I stretch my hands to pick my phone on the bedside when I remember…Greg.
My Greg is waiting for me at Crafts Cafe Deli.
[TO BE CONTINUED….]
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