Ch. 04 -- Talana and I forget the past and begin anew
By way of apology to you, my readers, I deserve your most severe criticism for the unforgivable manner in which I stopped writing this story. Therefore, I shall make every effort to re-earn your readership as well as your respect of me as a writer.
Please forgive my spelling and grammar errors. I have neither an editor no a proof reader. TwoSpot, my always loving and loyal companion is dog and she doesn't seem to mind when I make mistakes. ;-)
It is my most sincere wish for this chapter to be not only a second beginning for Talana and me but also an opportunity me to reestablish myself as a writer in your eyes.
A week after Talana had devastated my world, my cell phone rang. The number on the caller ID was one which I did not recognize. Ordinarily, I would have simply allowed it to go directly to my voice mail but for some unknown reason I took the call.
"Michael, It's Talana. Please don't hang up," The voice on the phone said so shakily I would not have recognized it.
I was too stunned even to disconnect the call.
"Please don't ask me to explain anything on the phone. I have to see you in person for this," The voice, calming enough to be recognized as that of Talana said.
"Will you be bringing your new lover, to further complete your annihilation of me?" I asked sarcastically.
"There was no lover. Please meet with me so I can explain everything to you," she pleaded.
Deciding not to make this too easy for her, I told her I would be willing to meet with but on my terms at the location of my choice. "Meet me at the Sheraton Commander in Cambridge, Massachusetts tomorrow night. I will have a room there."
"B-b-ut why do you want to meet there? Are in Boston?" she asked.
"No, I am here in town, but I like Cambridge and with the Commander being so close to both Harvard and Radcliffe I am sure we could each find someone else with whom to amuse ourselves should things between us become stifling," I said. "If you cannot book a flight directly to Boston, try New York or DC. There are frequent flights to Boston from either city," I added.
"Can't we just meet here in town?" She asked sounding dumbstruck by my instructions.
"You called me, Talana. You want to with meet me," I said without further comment.
"I'll be there," she said and hung up her phone.
OK, that might have been a classy way to handle the situation had I been 35 years old, but I was barely 18 so let's take a different tack. LOL
A week after Talana had devastated my world, my cell phone rang. The number on the caller ID was one which I did not recognize. Ordinarily, I would have simply allowed it to go directly to my voice mail but for some unknown reason I took the call.
"Michael, It's Talana. Please don't hang up," The voice on the phone said so shakily I would not have recognized it as being that of Talana.
Staring at the number on the display, I was too stunned even to disconnect the call.
"Please don't ask me to explain anything on the phone. I have to see you in person for this," she said, with her voice calming somewhat.
"Will you be bringing your new lover, to further complete your annihilation of me?" I asked sarcastically.
"There is no lover. Please meet with me so I can explain everything to you," she pleaded.
I was heartbroken but still very much in love with her so I told her I would meet her at 2:00 pm at the lake near the university. The day was sunny and the temperature was warm so I thought an open air meeting at a not too private location would be good for us both. I was somewhat anxious about the meeting but I needed something from Talana if there was to be final closure of our relationship.
I arrived at the lake a little early. Much to my surprise, I saw Talana was already there. As I got nearer to her car, she stepped out of it. Once again, I was stunned. She looked more radiant and beautiful than I imagined she would. She was wearing a white sundress with a bright yellow floral print which extended down to about three inches above her knees. The sundress had spaghetti straps and neckline scooped downward toward her magnificent breasts exposing a slight amount of cleavage. Her dainty feet were clad in a pair of brown leather pumps with heels of perhaps two inches in height. Her long auburn hair fell gracefully down over her lovely tan shoulders. What little makeup she wore was perfectly applied and was not smeared or running down her cheeks although I could tell by her eyes she had been crying.
She forced a smile as she walked up to me and asked, "Can we please walk for a few minutes, Michael?"
"That sounds like a good idea," I said. As I was still a little concerned about how things would go between us so I continued by asking, "How should I address you, as Talana or Aunt Madge?" I was not being facetious.
"I only want to be Talana to you, Michael. Now, may I please try to explain to you what happened?" She asked as she looked directly into my eyes.
"No. You may not, Talana," I replied as I pulled her into my arms.
So many things flashed through my mind as I held her tightly against me...the line from "Love Story," "Love means never having to say you're sorry." as well lyrics from the song by the Backstreet Boys "As Long As You Love Me"... "I don't care who you are... Where you're from... What you did... As long as you love me." I sang those softly into her ear as we held each other.
Love at any age can be a very beautiful, magical and forgiving thing when you really feel it.
"Will you please come back to OUR home with me, Michael?" Talana asked with a trembling voice as I felt her squeeze even more tightly against me.
"Yes, my love," I replied. I decided I neither wanted nor needed any explanation from her. I believed her when she said there was no other lover. When had she had time for another lover? We had been nearly inseparable from the beginning.
As we turned to go back to our cars, Talana said, "May I ride with you? We can come back later for my car or send a tow truck for it. Right now, I need to be with you."