Please note that this is the second, and
final, installment of the story. If you haven’t read Part I, please click the
link below to start at the beginning.
Thanks!
15 Years like Yesterday, Part II
As
the theater was closing and it was still fairly early, they decided to get a
drink at nearby bar. Lisa was hungry now
and wanted to eat something. They sat at
the bar and ordered some chicken wings and beers. Their talking never ceased, there was always
something to say or an experience to remember and share.
“How
much do I owe you for the ticket?” She
interrupted after a short while, realizing she hadn’t paid for anything yet.
“Actually,
I wanted to talk to you about that. I
have a deal for you.” Lisa twisted her
head slightly waiting to hear it. “How
about I pay for the ticket and all the food and drinks for the night, and
instead of you taking the train back to the city so late, you’ll pay for a taxi
when you go home later? I really don’t
want you taking the metro back into the city at this hour and it’s cold out
there as well.” A taxi would cost around
$35, which was basically the price of the concert ticket. Lisa was happy to agree.
By
the time the food arrived, they were both a little tipsy from all the
alcohol. Lisa started in on the wings
with abandon. Seriously with abandon-
she was dripping sauce on the bar, the floor, her jeans. She was making a total mess. In a normal situation, or if Konstan hadn’t
known her so well, he would have been turned off by this exceptionally sloppy
display, but since it was her, he thoroughly enjoyed watching and laughing
about it. As the mess continued to grow,
he ended up putting napkins all over her and one down the front of her shirt so
that she would be protected from all future drips and mishaps. There was lots of laughter.
As
things were unfolding and Konstan was cleaning up after her constant mess, a
vision of a future that could have been flash across his mind. He then said, “I know you probably don’t want
to hear this, but if you ended up dating me way back when, I really think I
would’ve been a very good influence on you.
I just know it and you would’ve made me very happy in return.”
Her
soft eyes stared at him, this time with emotion, “You’re right. I agree with that.” And she could not have been more sincere at
that moment.
After
she finished devouring the wings, she looked around and started laughing again
at the war zone she had created. Blue
cheese and wing sauce were everywhere and Konstan continued cleaning the bar in
his OCD kind of way. While he was doing
this, Lisa looked at him, put her arms between her legs and leaned toward him
with her eyes closed. Konstan followed,
grabbed her by the back of her neck and gave her a sensual kiss. She opened slightly and her tongue entered Konstan’s
mouth, which he wasn’t expecting. He
slowly pulled back, while giving her two follow-up kisses. As he pulled back, he pulled her to him and
gave her a firm hug while kissing the top of her head. He noticed that her hair smelled a bit dirty,
but with so much emotion going through his veins, it didn’t bother him at
all. In fact, he found it endearing.
He
grabbed his beer and stared at her feeling much empathy. He could still be a good influence on
her. She seemed lost in life; he could
feel it and from everything she told him, she appeared to be struggling-
emotionally and financially. And while
he knew that they weren’t anything near a perfect match- he felt that they
could be happy together and he would get a different form of contentment by
taking care of her. Emotions never die,
they just remain idle in hidden spots of the heart he thought to himself while
thinking these wild thoughts about his childhood love. It was an absurd idea that these two could
somehow have a connection after so much time apart on completely different
trajectories. His mind again filled with
vague ideas of what could happen between them.
It
was getting late now and the bar was closing soon. Lisa was also getting tired, as she ate most
of the wings and after all the drinks, her full stomach was taking her
remaining energy. They decided to call
it a night.
“Ok,
we have a couple options.” Konstan
started, “ We can call a cab from here and wait for it to come or, if you want
to go right now, we can walk down to the train station, there are usually taxis
waiting there and if not, my apartment is right there, so we can go to my place
and call one. The fresh air and walk
will likely do us both some good.”
“Let’s
try to find one at the train station.”
They
put on their jackets; Konstan paid the bill, tipped nicely to cover the mess,
and they walked out. It had gotten
noticeably colder. As they walked, Konstan
put his arm around her and for the first time all evening, they didn’t talk and
just enjoyed each other’s company in silence.
The
train station was deserted- there were no taxis or even any other people around. It was well past 1am now on a cold December
Chicago night. However, as they left the
station, a most unexpected taxi pulled around the corner. Konstan hailed it. Lisa got into the back seat and said her
address to the driver. Konstan made sure
the driver knew how to get there and asked Lisa to text him when she got home
so that he would know she was safe. They
said goodnight without a kiss.
He
went home, got ready for bed, and waited for her text. After forty minutes, he started worrying that
maybe she fell asleep in the cab or something, so he sent her the following:
It was great seeing you
tonight--- I didn’t expect us to still be so compatible after so many
years! There’s still so much more to
talk about and catch up on- If you have time, let’s go out for dinner before I
head back to New York. Also, I still
cannot believe we found a cab driving by like that- especially up here in the
burbs so late. It was like Cinderella
leaving- unexpected and abrupt, but fortunate-)
The
message went unanswered. After 15
minutes, he wrote her again:
Are you home yet? Please let me know, I’m beginning to worry
something may be wrong.
She
replied almost immediately and they went back and forth:
I’m home. That was a lot of fun. I enjoyed everything. Yes, let’s get together soon;)
Phew, that’s good
news. Goodnight and sleep well old
friend!
Thank you, goodnight;)
L.
The
next day, Konstan often thought about Lisa and their night out, but didn’t say
anything to anyone about the evening except that he had a great time and that
the concert was very good. That night he
was going into the city to meet a friend in her neighborhood, so he decided to
send her a text:
Just wanted to say hello
and thank you again for last night- I had a great time! I’m heading into the city now to meet a
friend for a drink in your neighborhood.
If you would like to join, please do, if not, no stress, but I do hope
we’ll have the chance to see each other again before I head back east.
Hi Konstan, yes, last
night was so much fun! Thank you for
everything ! I’m so glad we met up.
Tonight, I’m gonna take a pass.
I’m about to walk my dog and then go to sleep. I’m quite busy with work and year-end things
for the next few days. How about we
shoot for Monday?
Sounds great- let’s pencil it in, talk soon
and have a great New Year!
You too! Thanks again.
I’ll write you to confirm everything in a few days; I just need to make
sure nothing comes up with work. Talk
soon, Happy New Year! L.
When
Monday arrived, he had not heard from her, but with the holiday and everything,
he didn’t think anything about it. He hadn’t
written her, as he wanted to give her time to write him on her own, but as the
afternoon started turning into early evening, he shot her a message just to
check-in and see if they would meet.
Hey! Just wanted to touch base to see if we are
still meeting up tonight, but it seems like we probably aren’t, as I never
heard back from you. No worries if
that’s the case- I understand it’s a busy time.
I leave for NYC this weekend, so if you have some time before then, let
me know-) Hope all went well over the
holidays-)
Lisa’s
reply came two hours later:
Yeah, tonight didn’t
happen. Life has been super busy with
some work stuff going on. I also wasn’t
so happy about how things went down when we hung out. It took me a day or so to process it. I really like you as a person and enjoy being
around you, but you tried to kiss me several times and I felt like that was
inappropriate. I know I was drunk, so at
the time I was a little confused, but I don’t feel comfortable with it. I wish it wasn’t like that, but I want to feel
safe and trust the person I’m with and if it is supposed to happen, it should
be mutual and with respect.
Konstan was dumb-struck reading the message- he took
a few minutes trying to figure out what she was talking about. It was so out of place and unexpected. He restrained his emotion (and disappointment)
and decided to just cut and run:
Wow! ---This is a real surprise. It seemed to me that you initiated all the physical
contact- especially when you leaned in like that with your arms between your
legs at the bar, so your message is very confusing. Honestly, I’m shocked, but, it’s totally fine-
It brings back old memories-) I’m sorry
if I offended you, it was not my intention and I guess even a distant
friendship is just not meant to be. We
probably have too much historical baggage that gets in the way. Good luck with everything—I hope you find
what you are looking for in life-
I’m sorry if I led you
on. That wasn’t my intention. Good luck to you too.
The fact that you do not
feel safe or respected by me is more than enough reason for us to say
goodbye. Frankly, life is too short for
this unnecessary drama-
And
with that, it was over. The whole thing
seemed preposterous. Shocked by it all, Konstan
couldn’t stop thinking over the events that transpired piece-by-piece for the
rest of the week leading up to his flight back to NYC. Even after so much analysis of their night
out, he couldn’t connect the dots in any rational way that would lead to such a
reaction.
When
his departure day arrived, he was depressed, but happy to be leaving
Chicago. He boarded his flight, found
his seat. Once the plane took off, he
just stared out the window thinking.
He
thought how the memories we hold most sacred and dear only exist in our minds
and trying to relive them beyond that will only hasten their destruction and
unravel the fabric that we have built our understanding and consciousness
upon. People who have let you down in
the past, will continue to let you down in the future and no matter what bond
you may have shared--- there really is no going back. It’s a cop-out to even try—life is about
moving forward and living in the present-
As
the plane reached cruising altitude, he closed his eyes and tried to forget about
how disappointed he was with himself for trying to resurrect friendships and
connections with people long since dead to him. It was clear that this path would only retard his
future growth. He saw this as clearly he
could see the soft fluffy clouds out the window, that is, if he chose to open
his eyes and look again, but he didn’t have to, he managed to let it go, and he
had moved on.
###
Subscribe to my Blog by Email: If you would like to receive an email letting you know when I post (usually around once a week), please send an email to: libertinereflections@gmail.com with the word "Subscribe" in the subject line and I'll add you to the list. Thanks for your support!
###
Loved it-so true.
ReplyDeleteIf it failed the first time - just move on.
An excellent story. And an excellent life lesson.
ReplyDelete