It had been one of those long cold gray Connecticut winters that didn't want to end. It was now near the end of April; and it was still bone chillingly cold, and was a threat of rain in the starless gray night sky.
I had stopped at the Orange Stop & Shop store on my way to work. I wanted some odd and ends, to take with me on the road, nothing much just; a roll of paper towels, a bottle of Windex, a couple cans of sodas, and maybe a bag of candy.
As I walked through the store doing my shopping; I saw her standing at the deli-counter. My heart jumped, and then it sunk like a rock. I wanted to run away, and get as far away from her as I possible could. I didn't want the hurt to come back. But I was frozen to the spot, I was standing on.
I would have known her anywhere. I could see her face clearly in the mirror behind the counter. Her hair was a little blonder now and she was wearing it up in a French twist. She had put a few pounds on her thin body making her look even better then I remembered her.
She was dressed like a female executive in a feminine black leather car coat over a char- coal gray tweed skirt suit, with a white silk blouse. She had on a pair of low heeded black dress shoes. I even knew what she was wearing under her suit. I knew she had on a white lacy bra, loose silk panties, with a grater belt to hold up her shear nylon stockings. She was wearing just a slight touch of make up, and to finish her outfit she had on a small pair of gold ear rings, with a thin gold necklace around her neck.
While I stood there staring at her reflection in the mirror; my memoires of her came flooding back into my mind. We had an affair that lasted for three years. They were the happiest years of our lives.
Her Mother caught us, just after we got through making love. Then her Mother made a horrible scene, calling us names and finally saying to her daughter, that she was nothing more then a fucking; cheating, adulterous a slut!
The things her Mother said to her hurt her so bad. That Annie got off my lap crying and ran onto her bedroom. She locked the door behind her. I tried to talk to her, but she begged me to leave. That was five and haft years ago; and that was the last time I saw her, until I saw her in the supermarket.
After we stopped seeing each other; I was crushed, I started drinking heavily to trying to forget her. Everything else started going wrong for me then too. The company I was driving for lost a big contract and when out of business. I bounced from job to job for a while. My wife's family kept criticizing me and meddling in our business. Their meddling always had a very toxic effect on my wife, but now it was much worse.
Somehow or other, I realized that my drinking was only making matters worse. I knew that I needed to get on with my life. So I put the plug in the jug, and tried not to think about her. But I knew in my heart, that I'll never be able to forget her.
So when I saw her. I wanted to turn around, and run away. I didn't want to speak to her. I was afraid that the pain in my heart would start up again, if I spoke to her.
For some reason or other I though about her ex-husband Charlie, he was my best friend. He had a way of telling me the things that I needed to hear.
I could almost hear him saying to me," Carl, you narcotic fuck you, go over there, and talk to her. If you don't you'll regret it, for the rest of you life!"
I walked over to her not knowing; what I was going to say to her, so I just said," Hi remember me?"
She turned and looked up at me; she seemed surprised and startled to see me. She smiled as she said. "Of course, I remember you Carl. How could I ever forget you?"
We stood there looking at each other for a moment, and then I asked her, "How have you been?"
She replied, "Okay, and you?"
My mind was racing I wanted to say so much to her, I wanted to tell her how much I've missed her. But instead I said "Okay."
She got her order from the deli, and we started walking around the store together; talking about anything, and everything, but nothing about what happen the last we seen each other.
Her shopping basket was in her left hand; my shopping basket was in my right hand.
As we walked side by side, our hands touched a couple of times. I got such a thrill from the feel of her small soft hand, as it brushed against mine, that it gave me goose bumps and sent shivers up and down my spine.
I wanted to hold her hand; like we did as kids walking home from high school, so many years ago.
I forgot about, what I wanted to buy. All I wanted... was to be with her. I waited in line with her as she checked out. I carried her bags to her car, like I used to carry her books after school.
I didn't want her to go, but I didn't know how to ask her to stay.
As she got in her car, she asked." Do want to get a cup of coffee with me? I need to talk to you about some thing important. I've been putting it off, for so long because of what happen."
I was confused, but I smiled and said," Okay."
We went to the drive through at a nearby Dunkin Donuts; we parked in the back corner of the hotel parking lot next door to Dunkin Donuts. Annie moved the seat back to give me some leg room. She took off her jacket, and tossed it on the back seat. She sat there looking at me like there was something she wanted to talk about, but she didn't know how to start.
I copied her and took off my jacket and tossed mine on the back seat with hers. I turned sideways leaning against the car door looking back at her.
We just sat there like that, for a second looking at each other. Then suddenly there were several bright flashes of lightening that illuminated the night sky, followed by a loud burst of rolling thunder that seemed to reverberate through the car that made me tremble.
