Sorry.” He walked away, and the dog followed him for a time. Derek turned around and said, “Raus!” rather sharply. The dog looked at him in a hurt fashion, then slunk away. “Well, boy, you’ve had one good meal today.”
Derek continued his walk until he came to the small café where he had brought Rachel the day after they had met. It was so cold that no one was sitting outside drinking the strong coffee they served. As he opened the door, the tiny bell made a merry tinkling sound, and the owner, Monsieur Valdoux, came forward smiling and greeted him.
“Bonjour, Monsieur Grüber. Your lady, she is here before you today.”
“Thank you, Raoul.” He followed the pudgy owner over to the table in front of the window.
“I was starting to wonder if you were coming,” Rachel said.
“Sorry.” He sat down. “Just a Danish and good coffee, Raoul, if you please.”
“Certainement!”
When Raoul left, Derek leaned forward and extended one of his hands. Rachel reached out and took it, holding it in both of hers. She was wearing a simple light green skirt with a darker green blouse that outlined her figure admirably. A chain of pearls and a pair of pearl earrings were her only adornment. She looked tired, and as she held his hand, Derek said, “I hate to go, Rachel!”
“I’ll be grieved when you’re gone.” She released his hand and shook her head. “I like things to be simple, Derek. There should be beautiful simplicity in every life, but it doesn’t happen, does it?”
Derek drank in her features, putting the memory of this moment into a safe deep within, knowing that he would go back to it many times and unlock the safe and remember her as she sat there. “I just know one phrase in Latin. I had to memorize many for school, but this is the only one I still remember.”
“What is it?”
“Omnia mutrantur, nos et mutamur in illis.”
“What does it mean?”
“All things are changing, and we are changing with them. That’s true, isn’t it? Nothing stays the same.”
Tears brimmed in Rachel’s eyes at the thought, and the two sat mostly in silence for a while. Conversation seemed to come hard.
Then a man entered the café who caught their attention, and both of them watched as he took a seat.
“He looks like a bank clerk who made off with his cash drawer,” Derek commented.
“I would have said more like a cheerful embalmer. It’s odd, isn’t it, how we see people? Who is that man? What are his problems? Is he happy in his marriage? We see people constantly, and we know nothing about them.”
“That’s true, isn’t it? Sometimes you go out to parties, and people are laughing and making a lot of noise, and they have smiles pasted on their faces, but you know they’re not really happy. Nothing is sadder than watching people trying to enjoy themselves as much as they can but not really having a good time at all.” Derek fidgeted with his napkin. “You’re the only one I could ever talk to and say whatever came into my mind. I’ve always had to guard my speech because I have such wild thoughts.”
“That’s the poet in you. Your mind is full of imaginative ideas. I’ll miss those crazy thoughts and the times we’ve had together.”
Raoul returned with Derek’s coffee and pastry and refilled Rachel’s coffee cup.
Derek took a sip of his coffee and then held Rachel’s hand. It was firm and strong, and he noticed the small half moons at the base of her fingernails. They were strong hands, not large but firm, and he loved them, as he loved all of her.
“Marry me, Rachel.”
A cloud touched Rachel’s eyes, and she shook her head. “We’ve been all over that. It’s impossible, Derek.”
“But I love you—and you love me, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she said quietly. “Very much. I know I will never love another man as much as I love you.”
He was touched by her honesty and sincerity. There was a transparency about her that he loved, and still there was part of her
Derek continued his walk until he came to the small café where he had brought Rachel the day after they had met. It was so cold that no one was sitting outside drinking the strong coffee they served. As he opened the door, the tiny bell made a merry tinkling sound, and the owner, Monsieur Valdoux, came forward smiling and greeted him.
“Bonjour, Monsieur Grüber. Your lady, she is here before you today.”
“Thank you, Raoul.” He followed the pudgy owner over to the table in front of the window.
“I was starting to wonder if you were coming,” Rachel said.
“Sorry.” He sat down. “Just a Danish and good coffee, Raoul, if you please.”
“Certainement!”
When Raoul left, Derek leaned forward and extended one of his hands. Rachel reached out and took it, holding it in both of hers. She was wearing a simple light green skirt with a darker green blouse that outlined her figure admirably. A chain of pearls and a pair of pearl earrings were her only adornment. She looked tired, and as she held his hand, Derek said, “I hate to go, Rachel!”
“I’ll be grieved when you’re gone.” She released his hand and shook her head. “I like things to be simple, Derek. There should be beautiful simplicity in every life, but it doesn’t happen, does it?”
Derek drank in her features, putting the memory of this moment into a safe deep within, knowing that he would go back to it many times and unlock the safe and remember her as she sat there. “I just know one phrase in Latin. I had to memorize many for school, but this is the only one I still remember.”
“What is it?”
“Omnia mutrantur, nos et mutamur in illis.”
“What does it mean?”
“All things are changing, and we are changing with them. That’s true, isn’t it? Nothing stays the same.”
Tears brimmed in Rachel’s eyes at the thought, and the two sat mostly in silence for a while. Conversation seemed to come hard.
Then a man entered the café who caught their attention, and both of them watched as he took a seat.
“He looks like a bank clerk who made off with his cash drawer,” Derek commented.
“I would have said more like a cheerful embalmer. It’s odd, isn’t it, how we see people? Who is that man? What are his problems? Is he happy in his marriage? We see people constantly, and we know nothing about them.”
“That’s true, isn’t it? Sometimes you go out to parties, and people are laughing and making a lot of noise, and they have smiles pasted on their faces, but you know they’re not really happy. Nothing is sadder than watching people trying to enjoy themselves as much as they can but not really having a good time at all.” Derek fidgeted with his napkin. “You’re the only one I could ever talk to and say whatever came into my mind. I’ve always had to guard my speech because I have such wild thoughts.”
“That’s the poet in you. Your mind is full of imaginative ideas. I’ll miss those crazy thoughts and the times we’ve had together.”
Raoul returned with Derek’s coffee and pastry and refilled Rachel’s coffee cup.
Derek took a sip of his coffee and then held Rachel’s hand. It was firm and strong, and he noticed the small half moons at the base of her fingernails. They were strong hands, not large but firm, and he loved them, as he loved all of her.
“Marry me, Rachel.”
A cloud touched Rachel’s eyes, and she shook her head. “We’ve been all over that. It’s impossible, Derek.”
“But I love you—and you love me, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she said quietly. “Very much. I know I will never love another man as much as I love you.”
He was touched by her honesty and sincerity. There was a transparency about her that he loved, and still there was part of her
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