Long December
SS by Danielle
Part 1
It’s so cold here, and she doesn’t
even bother to put the covers around her. Sitting here with her hand holding a
picture, she looks into the photograph. A familiar face is staring back at her.
She always thought he was a good looking man. It hurts to think of him, but this
rare picture sends her comfort.
The snow is evident around him as he smiles. Such a lovely smile he displays, so
true and pure. She reads the writing on the back of the photograph, and then
before she knows it, a smile spreads across her lips.
“Come down here…Some one’s waiting for you”
What a silly boy he was, she thinks. She always found it hard to take him
seriously.
She remembers that one lovely December where he stood outside.
Her eyes caught him standing there so she raced down to see him. She wore his
favorite black lace dress. When she enters the embrace of his arms, he can feel
the warmth of the silky material underneath his hands. He was relieved that she
had seen him finally.
That memory reoccurs the most during this time of year for her. She can't seem
to forget it.
She finds herself after all this time in the same apartment, wearing his
favorite black lace dress all over again. Her hair is tied with a couple of
strands cascading down each side of her face.
And here is where she waits. She knows she should be home, but she couldn't
leave now. She waits every year during this time for him to show up at her door.
But she knew…this year will be no different from the last because he's gone
for good.
Every day seemed to go by so fast until time reached this particular month. Now
every hour seems to last an eternity.
She takes a deep breath, resting her head against the cold glass of the window.
Britney suddenly lets go of the picture and watches it land on the carpet. That
is enough reminiscing, she thought. But a tear is able to find its way down her
cheek; it still hurt to think of him.
She stares out the window and sees the snow falling slowly throughout the night.
Her window carries a hazy frost. As she stares down, she can see the blanket of
snow covering the ground. The children fiddling with the snowflakes as it falls
on the palm of their hands. She studies the small kids for a moment before
noticing him standing there.
In that same pose with that secret smile, he stands with the children running
around him. And he is staring up at her, adoring the way she suddenly tenses up
when she catches him. The look in his eyes is strikingly the same as it was the
last time he stood there, and it suddenly makes her vulnerable.
Britney suddenly closes the blinds, feeling a bit invaded but incredibly
delighted to see him there. She bites her thumb when she thinks about going down
to see him. But the idea seemed vague.
She hasn’t seen him in months. How was she to approach him after all this
time? But he was out there in the cold, maybe she should tell him to come up.
She opens the blinds, hoping to find him in the same spot.
But to her disappointment, he had disappeared.
She wastes no time in rushing down stairs and out the back door. She stands in
the same place where she had seen him, and starts to scream out his name. The
children start to run around her, chasing each other.
“Justin!” her voice is hoarse as she tries to scream louder.
She sees her breath in front of her as she tries to contain her breathing. The
air suddenly became to thin to breathe in.
She then realizes that she was outside in the deathly cold night air without a
jacket on, only in a simple black laced dress that reached down to the snow
covered ground. Her bare arms and feet were starting to sting in the bitter
cold.
She looks frantically around for him with her arms hugging herself. Her teeth
are chattering violently against each other as she tries to hear a response from
him. But all she could hear was the soft echoes of the children’s laughter.
Was she out of her mind? Hadn’t she seen him standing here? Icy tears begin to
form in her eyes. She begins to walk back, feeling defeated, almost as if she
might collapse on this blanket of soft snow...she is ready to give up.
Her dry lips are blue with her cheeks painted in a rosy red.
That is how he found her.
Sudden rushes of warmth envelopes her when he gently places his coat upon her
back.
“Is that better?” she has yearned to hear that voice. She turns to face him,
sinking into those eyes of his like a stone.
She didn’t have the energy to speak so instead she just lets him hold her.
With delicate arms, he surrounds her with his warm embrace.
A long December , and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last
next