***
I see the flash in his eyes as he recognizes me, the slight twitch of his fist around those damn ugly flowers as he realizes what he has just walked into. That fucker! And although I want to pummel him, to mar his flesh the way he did hers I don’t. I stand and quietly, calmly wait for him to approach me. For him to show me that he has some balls, the balls to actually show up here, the balls to step up to Me . That smug smile he has pulled from his pocket makes me want to rip him to shreds. But I won’t, for Sophie.
“What are you doing here?” I question when he is close enough. “You are not welcome here.” I feel a roar building in my chest, but I know to push it back, to keep my calm, that is what is important right now. That is what Sophie needs from me, control. I am in control.
“Me?” Who are you? Some guy she just met?” He tries to step around me and I slide in front of him.
“Sophie does not need you here. She certainly doesn’t want you here.”
“Listen dude , we have a past. You don’t know Sophie like I do. I am sure she wants me here, she needs me.”
“No, you listen.” I take a step closer to him and he squeezes his fist around the already wilting flowers, strangling what is surely their last breath. “I know what you did to her. I know how you treated her, how you manipulated her and how you hurt her. Sophie doesn’t need anything from you, and I do not want you here. In fact, I don’t want you anywhere near her. If you come near her, or contact her for any reason I will find you. Now, you can leave quietly, or I can escort you back to your car. But either way, you are leaving.” Fire rages in Collins beady eyes, but I can see that he doesn’t have the courage of his convictions, if he has any conviction at all. Narrowing his eyes, he looks over my shoulder and I wonder if Sophie is watching. Through gritted teeth, he relents, tosses the droopy, last choice flowers to the ground and stomps back down the hill, muttering profanities under his breath.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath, casting him out, casting out the fury I feel at looking him in the eye, knowing what he did to Sophie. Knowing how he hurt her, probably in more ways than I can imagine. I stomp the rage down, fill my lungs with fresh air and go back to Sophie. By the time I make it back to her, she is surrounded by a line of people, waiting to again embrace her and express their condolences. It’s clear, watching her that she is unaware of how much love surrounds her. These people loved her grandmother, and love her by extension, but she looks so lonely, so broken, so fragile. I wait until the last funeral goers have stepped away from her before pulling her into my arms. Exhaustion has painted dark circles under her once bright eyes and a solitary tear rolls heavily down her cheek as she says goodbye to Father Don. The coffin begins to slowly lower into the earth and she shudders, turning her face into my side.
“Please, let’s go. I don’t want to watch.” Her body is weak and slight as I wrap my arms around her. We walk to the car in silence as a soft mist of rain begins to fall from the sky. In the back of the car she curls against my side, releasing a deep, long held breath. Looking up into my eyes, I feel her pain and want to take it away. I want to strip her of anything that will hurt her. To make her smile endlessly, to laugh and be free, but today she is broken. I will help to put her back together.
“Where to, Beautiful?” I hold her close and wait. Whatever she needs, whatever she wants.
“New York.” Her answer sears my heart. I know that she is running, running from this heartbreak and pain. But damn if I don’t
I see the flash in his eyes as he recognizes me, the slight twitch of his fist around those damn ugly flowers as he realizes what he has just walked into. That fucker! And although I want to pummel him, to mar his flesh the way he did hers I don’t. I stand and quietly, calmly wait for him to approach me. For him to show me that he has some balls, the balls to actually show up here, the balls to step up to Me . That smug smile he has pulled from his pocket makes me want to rip him to shreds. But I won’t, for Sophie.
“What are you doing here?” I question when he is close enough. “You are not welcome here.” I feel a roar building in my chest, but I know to push it back, to keep my calm, that is what is important right now. That is what Sophie needs from me, control. I am in control.
“Me?” Who are you? Some guy she just met?” He tries to step around me and I slide in front of him.
“Sophie does not need you here. She certainly doesn’t want you here.”
“Listen dude , we have a past. You don’t know Sophie like I do. I am sure she wants me here, she needs me.”
“No, you listen.” I take a step closer to him and he squeezes his fist around the already wilting flowers, strangling what is surely their last breath. “I know what you did to her. I know how you treated her, how you manipulated her and how you hurt her. Sophie doesn’t need anything from you, and I do not want you here. In fact, I don’t want you anywhere near her. If you come near her, or contact her for any reason I will find you. Now, you can leave quietly, or I can escort you back to your car. But either way, you are leaving.” Fire rages in Collins beady eyes, but I can see that he doesn’t have the courage of his convictions, if he has any conviction at all. Narrowing his eyes, he looks over my shoulder and I wonder if Sophie is watching. Through gritted teeth, he relents, tosses the droopy, last choice flowers to the ground and stomps back down the hill, muttering profanities under his breath.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath, casting him out, casting out the fury I feel at looking him in the eye, knowing what he did to Sophie. Knowing how he hurt her, probably in more ways than I can imagine. I stomp the rage down, fill my lungs with fresh air and go back to Sophie. By the time I make it back to her, she is surrounded by a line of people, waiting to again embrace her and express their condolences. It’s clear, watching her that she is unaware of how much love surrounds her. These people loved her grandmother, and love her by extension, but she looks so lonely, so broken, so fragile. I wait until the last funeral goers have stepped away from her before pulling her into my arms. Exhaustion has painted dark circles under her once bright eyes and a solitary tear rolls heavily down her cheek as she says goodbye to Father Don. The coffin begins to slowly lower into the earth and she shudders, turning her face into my side.
“Please, let’s go. I don’t want to watch.” Her body is weak and slight as I wrap my arms around her. We walk to the car in silence as a soft mist of rain begins to fall from the sky. In the back of the car she curls against my side, releasing a deep, long held breath. Looking up into my eyes, I feel her pain and want to take it away. I want to strip her of anything that will hurt her. To make her smile endlessly, to laugh and be free, but today she is broken. I will help to put her back together.
“Where to, Beautiful?” I hold her close and wait. Whatever she needs, whatever she wants.
“New York.” Her answer sears my heart. I know that she is running, running from this heartbreak and pain. But damn if I don’t
Similar Books
