SHARED LOVE

A man remembers his happiest day as he sits on his front porch.

It’s his favorite part of the day, his heart always races as he gets closer to the rocking chair, the memories spark life in his heart. His mind is already gone; the process becomes almost trance like. He always tries to enjoy it more, to stop and enjoy every part of it. He sits in his chair, the right one. His wrinkled blue eyes shimmer under the night light; he looks at the other chair, he smiles. He lights the cigar and he leaves it in the ash tray. The night breeze kisses his cheeks and he fades away into his memories.

-“Where is it Ellie?” he gasps,

-I don’t know how you lose that so many times! she says in a patronizing tone,

She is a trouble maker, that’s for sure. She is trying to break his cool, but he knows it’s her way of saying that she cares. He sees her as she is, he always did. A woman, a partner, he never really grasped how she can be so open to the world around her. He doesn’t care though, he needs it as well. She is the driving force that makes him better after all. Determined, he steps in the room. He glares at her. Her red hair glows as the sun bathes her and her sincere smile wipes out his intentions; he always falls for her, every time he looks at her. She throws him his lucky charm.

-“Do you really need that, when you have me?” She argues,

-“How else are you going to mess with me” He responds,

She jumps on him,

-“Stay.” she whispers,

-“Stop messing with me” He demands,

Her lips bend his knees, he is struggling to leave, but she pushes him out, she knows he can’t resist her.

-“Meet you at the post office” she says with a caring voice,

-“I couldn’t forget” he winks at her,

He never lies, that’s his greatest attribute. This time he had to. It’s their meeting point, or so she thinks. He thinks about all those letters she sent him while he was away at war.

-“I write letters to you because I need to express my love as much as possible. They are a piece of me, unscripted and raw feelings.” –she used to tell him. She always signed them with “What I have is love, and that’s all I have to give you, my love”. They kept him alive all those years. Her

image, words and passion filled his lungs with life. She made him lust and love and fight for something greater than him.

He booked the whole place, just for her. She is a simple person, and he knows that. He can’t explain this love either, but he doesn’t care about explaining. Showing is more important to him than anything else. He always thinks of them as one, stripped of ego. Maybe the greatest lesson he learned from her was letting go of his fears and resentment. She showed him what shared love can do.

She sits on her chair. The one on the left. She lights her cigar. She knows he doesn’t approve, but he never mentions it. She only smokes one a day. It is a ritual more than anything. She allows herself to get lost in herself. When they are together, they don’t even speak during that time, but they grow closer.

The time is closing in. She wears a stunning icy blue dress to match his eyes. The concert is at 8, she is ready way early. She is always reminded of her trips to the post office to send him letters. It was their point of contact. Without it they could not communicate. They could not share their love. She could not be as close to him as she was. They wouldn’t exist as they are. She gets in a taxi, she feels calm, like always when she is going to meet him.

The Taxi stops in front of the Post Office. She gets off. The soft rain falls down her face. She looks up and smiles. The building stands tall. The lights tremble as if they are humbled by her beauty. She looks at the door. A sign reads “I don’t need it, I only need you”. She walks through the door. Through the shadows he emerges. Like a knight in shining armor, he is kneeled for his queen. All the letters they send to each other from the first to the last form a trail to him. The arches of the building create an awe like atmosphere. Her presence sends shivers down his spine.

-“I am here, only to say thank you. I won’t say I will love you forever, because I already do. I won’t ask for your love, it is yours to give. I will only ask you to kiss me the way you do, talk the way you do, love the way you do, change the way you do. I only promise to be there, to change with you, to take this journey with you. I have been to hell and back, back to my heaven, and I am not leaving again” His voice is warm, steady and clear.

She kneels,

-“I knew what heaven was for a long time now. I am not willing to leave it either.” She responds.

A tear of joy runs down his cheek. In that room his life was saved. With those letters his love grew. In that moment he felt complete. Her ash tray is still with him, her cigar draws her closer, her ritual makes him feel one with her. The moonlight shines on his face for the last time. This is the last tear, the last cigar, the last memory and the last smile. He loved. He was loved. He didn’t ask for more.