Loves Dark Rose


He presses his lips to mine. Breathless, I utter, “Babe I’ve gotta’ go.”

The last thing I want to do is leave David, but I'm afraid someone will see us and tell my Mom. I pull away, and everything in my being tells me what a fool I am not to stay with him. I reach for the door and his hand touches my arm.
“Please Julia, I don’t want you to leave. I can’t eat or sleep when we’re apart. You are the very air I breathe.”

“David you know I love you. And it is true. He is the other half of me. The mirror inside which I dwell, and see myself smiling on the other side. The fingers of my hand. The heart beating in my chest. “My heart is breaking, but I must go.”

Bolting out the car door I run up across the lawn, and peer in the porch window. Mom is asleep in her armchair with a book on her lap, still wearing her reading glasses. She has spent long hours at my father's bedside in the hospital since the cancer returned. That alone is strain enough on me, but the sneaking around is wearing on me just as badly, and I'm tempted to tell her. No, this is not the night to do it. I have to be quiet as a mouse, not wake her, and slip in the side door. Nervously I turn the knob, enter with my shoes in my hands. Relieved. So far, so good. I walk cautiously across the wood floors, trying to avoid those squeaky boards with a skewed smile. I take the back steps from the kitchen two at a time, glance back out of habit these days, and then dash down the hall to my room. I can breathe, finally. In a flash I'm safely beneath the covers, undetected, and I smile.

****

On my way with Tommy to the hardware store I have a million questions swirling through the walkways of my mind, like the leaves that dance madly as the cars goes by. The trees along the avenue are skeletal; shivering frames ready to be wrapped in the upcoming winter’s blankets. The starkness of the season reminds me of death; the loss of the verdant hills saddens me.

“Slow down, I am only a few minutes late,” I say.

“I’m in a hurry. What time did you get in? If you’d been dressed, the store would open on time,” he snaps back.

“ “What does it matter? It’s our store. If anyone’s waiting I’ll apologize. Tommy can’t I drive? I‘m a good driver…not one ticket.”

We pull up to the curb at the front of the store, and Tommy screeches to a stop. I look up to see the familiar “Capulet’s Hardware” sign; there’s a lump in my throat. I half-expect to see Dad coming out the door.

“Here’s the spare set of keys, and thanks for picking up the slack. I can’t believe Burt just up and quit when we really needed him.”

“Guess it’s good I didn’t look for another job,” I answer grabbing them.
“If you work weekdays I can handle the rest,” Tommy says to me.

Once inside, memories flood over me of when I was small, and used to play here with a young boy. We ran through the aisles and played in the drawers filled with all kinds of treasures. Daddy would come out and scoot us into the office, and in this different wonderland we’d both sit in his big leather chair and twirl. Many times I’ve asked what happened to the little boy, and am just told, “He moved away.” Nothing more said, and the subject always changes quickly.

The store was a gift from my grandma…sorta’. When she died, my dad’s inheritance bought it. I never knew my grandpa, and his death was always very hush-hush. My dad smells like the store, a sweet aged pine scent, deeper than his skin. It goes to his very soul. His hands are rough, and nearly twice the size of mine, but he’s a kind and gentle man. He played football long ago, and is fond of reminiscing. He was a star, just like my brother Tommy.


The thick oak counter needs a good cleaning, and before long the reflecting lights dance like imaginary fairies on water. I sweep the floors, and now the wastebaskets shine. Customers drift in and out,and offer best wishes and a speedy recovery for my father.

While on the ladder dusting where no one has cleaned for years, out of the corner of my eye I see a tall, dark guy walk in.

“Excuse me miss do you carry sixteen-penny sinkers?”

“Down the second isle on the right,” I say kindly. “Let me show you."

I climb down and go over, and he touches my hand.

“We have to be careful. Eddy is helping out today. He’s in the office.” Leaning into me he smiles. I feel weak in the knees, and can’t think straight.

“Will that be all for you?”

He walks closely behind me and brings them to the counter.

“What about lunch?” He asks.

“I’ll meet you at our place for a coffee at two-thirty.”

“I’ll be there.”

Until I met David I’d never thought much about love at first sight. He reaches over and takes my hand.

I look up to see Eddy ambling out of the office. He looks directly at our hands; I have to think quickly. I pull mine away.

“Oh hey, Eddy, this is David. He’s a new customer.”

Eddy looks at David and extends his hand. He blurts out “ Hi I’m Julia’s boyfriend.

Oh Julia did you remember about our date tonight?”

I stop, and roll my eyes. I’m fuming. “Let me take care of David, then we can talk.”

“Okay, tax included you owe me seventeen thirty-nine. Here’s a discount card. Bring it back the next time you come in. Thanks for your business,” I say as nonchalantly as my quivering voice will allow.

“I have a couple of months on this job, so I‘ll be back.” He walks out the front door. I am ready to tear into Eddy when I see a bud vase with a rose in it. David must’ve put it there when he came in. I smile, pick it up, and inhale the heavenly scent. Love is changing my world. The scent of it is his exhalation.

Eddy calls from the back, “Julia I’m going for lunch can I bring you something.”

“No thanks. I’ll wait and go get a coffee later.”

“Suit yourself,” he says as he leaves through the rear.


*******
Hey Julia!" Trish the waitress calls out and motions to me. "He's out on the back patio, and he's very impatient." Her voice is high, filled with something of the expectation I am feeling. Maybe her heart is hammering too.

This little getaway has been a refuge for us. We sit in a secluded spot on the patio, beneath the green, spreading arms of a palm, and make plans for our future. Our families have no clue we've even met, and would not allow any relationship. David Montague’s family had my grandfather sent off to prison for embezzlement. The circumstances of his trial... were a travesty of justice.David's ancestors were clever. While in prison he became seriously depressed and killed himself. But our love can stand this test, this history, and so we agree. There is no reason, no heavenly reason to continue feeding the hate, even in the face of the many earthly reasons.

I hurry to the patio. My heart races . I see David.

David looks up as I reach the table, and as he stands we embrace.

“I don’t care who know about us. We have to do something. Oh Julia, I can’t bear to be away from you—not for another hour or day.” David is anxious and reaches for a small empty box that used to house the nails he purchased.

“Here.”

“Do you need more?” I question.

I reach over to put the box in my purse.

“Can you open it?”

I grab the small box and open the lid. There isn’t a nail to be seen, only the most gorgeous diamond ring.

“Honey, you all right? I can’t live without you, and when you leave me I can’t stop thinking about you. Not for a second. Will you be mine forever…will you marry me?”

I’m shocked, but then again not. Perhaps it’s the box. A silly box…with a gorgeous diamond ring nestled inside…I’m shocked.

“David I love you. But darling how can we? Our families hate each other”

“We can go to Vegas or a justice of the peace. We can move away, just the two of us. You’re all I need to be happy.” He reaches over and grabs the ring and then takes my hand and slips it on my finger. Just then I hear a familiar voice, and look over to see my brother racing towards us. I panic and want to run but it’s too late.

Tommy’s eyes are full of anger. He yells and pulls me up by my arm.

“What the hell are you doing? Do you know who this is? He’s a Montague, Julia! How long has this been going on?”

“Stop shouting! Everyone is looking and you’re embarrassing me. Let me go, Tommy.”

“You heard her, leave us alone,” David cries as he comes to my rescue.

Tommy raise his fist. It’s a quick motion, a blur, and he hits David in the face. The two of them trade punches, and David’s face is soon covered in blood. He falls to the floor, and my spirit falls with him. The waitress is trying to get them to stop, to stop, to stop!…but to no avail. Hysterical, I look at Tommy. His eyes are red eruptions of seething hatred.

“Julia let’s go,” he says as he grabs me once more. This time he hurts me, and I pull away.
“You’re hurting me! I’m staying. Leave us alone. I love him.”

Tommy looks at me with disgust and storms out.

Trish offers some ice and a cloth for David’s face. I am crying and with his head in my hands I gently pat and clean the blood from his face.

“Babe, I'm so sorry. Do you need a doctor?”

“No doctor, let’s just go to my place. Will you drive?”

Getting a hold of himself he takes his keys and hands them to me. I smile and say, “Now I know I love you for sure.”


David has a questioning look on his face. “What?"

"Oh,it's just that Tommy never lets me drive. I swear,I’m a good driver."


*******


“Come and sit down, we have to discuss what we can do. Do you want to go home?”

“No I want to be with you. I choose you

David.” I pull up a chair next to him and we try and figure out our future.

“I'll marry you anytime, anyplace, and as soon as you want. I don’t have much money, but what I have is yours."

“You’ll leave everything for me?”

“Darling you are

my everything, I’ll go with you anywhere. I'm ready.”

David says, “I’ll need a few days to get everything together. I have to go to the bank and empty my safety deposit box. You’ll have to get your passport. Is that going to be a problem for you darling? Have you ever been to Europe?"

“What? No, I've never been to Europe. I’ve always dreamed of going...”

“First we have to stop over in Hawaii to get married.”

I am so excited. The thought of going to Hawaii and Europe is a dream. I hug David and we kiss. "I can’t sit here and look at your face," I say. "I need to get some antibiotics for those cuts. Do you have anything in your medicine cabinet?”

“Yes I do, in the master bathroom...and grab a white hand towel, please.”

“Honey, if I use a white towel the blood may never come out.”

“I know, I don’t want it to. I'll use it. I think I have a plan.”

Coming back into the front room I ask, "What is it? Please tell me?”

“Come in and sit down next to me.”

I hurry in, and while he talks to me I carefully clean his cuts.


“I thought we could leave our DNA. I'll stuff the towel down the side of the seat. Your hairbrush will be in your purse with your drivers license. We can run my car into the river on that wicked curve at the edge of town. I’ll leave some empty beer bottles in the back seat and make them think we'd been drinking.”

“I get it! Everyone will think we’re dead.” I take a deep breath, and release a sigh.

“Are you okay with that, honey?”

“I'll have to go by the house, sneak in, and grab a few things.

“I know our families will never leave us alone. If there's enough time, maybe they'll be able to forgive us. Maybe the hate will fade.”

David gives me a hug and the two of us fall asleep in each others' arms on the couch. When my mom and Tommy leave to go to the hospital to see Dad, David and I will gather my things...those few essentials we'll need to start our life again.


Dearest,

You will soon find out I am an early riser. I watch you as you sleep and know you and I are meant to be. You are my all. Time is our enemy; we have so little of it.

I left you some coffee on the stove. I won’t be long. I have a few things to take care of before we leave. After I have finished taking care of them, I will fly with wings on my feet to be at your side again. I want to hold you in my love; to wrap you in my arms and never part from you.

David

Smiling, I pick up my cell phone, feeling real strength from David’s words, and I answer one of Tommy’s numerous messages.

“Hello.

“Yes I’m fine.

“Don’t ask me where I am, I won’t tell you!” I hang up the phone unsure of what Tommy might do next. He has a wicked temper and can lose control where the Montague’s are concerned. He’s like a bull that sees red.

Walking across the carpet to the front window, I look down the street, wondering where and when I will see my precious David again. The waiting is killing me. I have to call and see what’s going on. The phone rings, and then there is a click—it goes dead. Suddenly there is a pounding on the front door and my heart almost leaps out of my chest fearing the worst. I hesitate for a moment, shaking, but finally summon the courage to go see who it is. Leaning my head against the wood frame, I peer through the peep hole, and the pounding vibrates against my face.

“Open the damn door, Julia.”

It’s Tommy. His face is bleeding, and his hair is all a mess. I reluctantly turn the handle and he immediately pushes his way in.

“What happened to you?”

I try to back away from him, but he grabs my arm.

“Get your things, I’m taking you home.”

“Where’s David? Tell me what you've done.” I fight him, let out a blood-curdling scream, and at last break away.

“I told you to stay away from him, didn’t I? This is your fault! He’s no good. How could you sneak around and be with one of them?”

“Oh my God. Tommy, tell me where he is.”

My brother’s eyes are a mixture of confusion and rage. His lips quiver, and my heart begins to sink.

“I think I killed him!"

“You did wha…” I can’t form my words. My legs no longer hold me…the air is heavy…I can’t breathe. Before I know it I’m on the floor sobbing.

“I saw him in town and stopped him to tell him he’s no good for you, and to stay away. That’s all I was going to…but he said the two of you are in love and that you’d made your choice. I looked at him. I snapped, I guess. I don’t know, it all happened so damned fast. I hit him. We struggled, and his head hit the back of my truck and…and… blood was just everywhere, and then he fell to the ground.

“People saw us, damn it! One guy had the whole fight on his cell phone. They tried to stop me from leaving, telling me the police were on the way. You know the Montague’s have a lot of clout in this town, so I got scared and ran. It wasn’t my fault! It was his…and yours!”

Tommy reaches down and grabs me once more, but I no longer fight. Everything is still and strangely silent around me, as if I’ve just tumbled into a nightmare.

With a sense of urgency, Tommy rattles. “We have to go! The police aren’t far behind.” He drags me out the door like a rag doll, and I look and can see police car lights. They flash all around us, and the nightmare deepens. Suddenly one of the officers barks a command. “ Let her go and put you hands over your head!”

I look up. Everything is blurry through my tears, but I beg my brother to do as they say.

“Tommy please, listen to them.” Enveloped with rage he puts his hand in his jacket pocket and releases me. In that instant I scream, “Don’t shoot! He doesn’t have a weapon!” I turn to reach out to my brother, and step in front of him. I am willing to leave this mad world of hate and join the only true love I have ever known. I hear Tommy’s scream, hear the crack of a bullet being fired at the same instant, and then there is black.

“Sis don’t go! The ambulan…”

"It sounds so far away. I only want to see David."

****
Here she lays before me in this morgue. Gone. Beautiful and innocent. I loathe this world. I loathe the Capulets and the Montagues. I loathe myself for leaving her...

I rip the bandages from my head and leave this horrible place. I have a pistol back there.

Home. Home...it doesn't exist without her. I'm going back there, and then I'm going home to be with my darling Julia.

Impressum

Texte: (c) Serena Axel 2011
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 20.10.2011

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