Incidents

Her

The phone jolts him out of confused slumber, and his social reluctance is apparent as he picks up the call. Planning on monosyllables, he is pleasantly astonished to hear her voice. The lilting flow brings back memories of those days, those moments, those eyes...he's jerked back to the present with her question. "Of course I'm still in New York" he answers, "how does Saturday sound? I'll show you the sights and sounds, we'll make a day of it..." He hangs up and falls back on the pillow, wondering how after ten years she can still make his heart skip a beat...

"Of all the things I knew you for, shopping is a talent I had no idea about" she says as she skips down the aisle. As he guides her through the throngs at the mall, he recalls what infatuated him all those years ago and smiles to himself. She pulls him into another store, and he helps her decide handbag colors and boot styles as they joke about personal choices of lingerie. "This is amazing!" she exclaims, "I'm having the best time ever"...

Her fingers in the wind and her hair like wine, they drive through mountain roads along the river, making their way to nowhere. The roof is down and so are his walls, a haze of euphoria and a pinch of nostalgia. She hums along with Bruce Springsteen and gazes into the horizon, and he cant take his eyes off of her. Under the autumn leaves and evening sun his heart melts once more, walking down old alleys and familiar mistakes...

He hands her the glass of champagne and sits down beside her, for a while in quiet moonlight and comfortable silences. They watch the dusty stars and make new conversation, intertwined in flitting touches and duets. They talk about college days and busy lives, cities and relationships, his lack-of-commitment and her upcoming marriage. He tucks her into bed and lays down on the couch, wide awake in disorder and heartache...

They walk towards the counter and check her luggage in, making small talk with muffins on the side. "Thank you for such an amazing time" she says, "NY wouldnt have been this much fun without you". He smiles and hands her her plane ticket, and with a quick hug he walks away, not daring to look back...his mind knotted in old memories and new ones, final goodbyes and tears, bygones and incidents...his heart broken again...