Nature's Test

♥ 2 ♥

'Thank you.'

I felt her body shake violently, and I held her tight. After a minute she regained her composure and stepped back. I saw her face, very pale and smooth, like that of a china dolls. Yet somehow cracked, as if someone had cropped her on her head, and she tried very hard to cover the breakages. I realised she was very deeply sad. I wanted to make her happy. For a moment our eyes locked, her oasis against my mud, and I vowed to keep her safe. I reached out a hand and touched her arm. I no longer cared about work.

'Would you like a cup of something?'

Her eyes smiled but her face stayed the same as she again whispered

'I would love to...'

I put an arm around her and led the disorientated girl to a café where I sat her down gently. She said nothing, but her adoring look said everything. She seemed to look straight into my soul. Pushing my coffee aside, I held her hand.

'What is your name? I'm John. John Bates.'

Her face changed from adoring to surprise.

'John.'

She mused.

'A perfect name for you. I'm Anna. Anna May Smith.'

I laughed. Her look told me everything. She is going to tell me a lot of things through her face, I thought. God knows why I knew we had a life together, but I did.

'John, can I asked you something?'

Her tinkling voice interrupted my thoughts but I was glad of it.

'Of course Anna.'

I gently replied. In truth, I was worried about what she might ask: could she leave, that she-

'Why did you save my life?'

I was startled by her bluntness of it all. Why exactly did I save her life? I couldn't say I was attracted to her, as I wasn't sure if I was, and I didn't want to be false to this obviously very truthful woman, and I certainly couldn't say it was fate that brought us together, as I didn't think it was at this point, so what was I to say! because of this, I said the most gentlemanly thing I could.

'Because I could see that you were a woman worth saving.'

She smiled. I think, looking back, that that was the pinpoint that I fell in love with Anna May Smith. In that moment I fell in love with her eyes, and her subtle dimples, and her long blonde hair that fell like silk across her petite shoulders like waves cascading over a waterfall. It was so close I wanted to reach out and touch it, to stroke it, to tell her that I would protect her. But I couldn't. She was a stranger to me, not the woman I love and give my life for. Her hand moved and landed on top of mine.

'Why so pensive Mr Bates?'

A small giggle escaped her plump lips. I took her small hand in both of my large ones.

'Because you are so beautiful, and I cannot recall anyone prettier or sweeter.'

Her eyes changed from teasing to sincere. I realised that I was attracted to her, very much so in fact, and I reached across the wooden table that separated us, and stroked her cheek. I closed my eyes in expectation of a slap, but to my surprise and perhaps even admiration, none came. I looked at her face. Her eyes were shut, and she looked like she wanted to melt to my touch.

Anna later told me that she fell in love with me during that touch.

We never drank our beverages, we just sat, falling very much in love with each other. At the time, I thought that our whole life together would be rosy, as long as we were in love. How much more wrong could I have been! For you see, I didn't notice the ring on her finger. I didn't know that she was engaged to a very powerful business man:

Clark Taylor.