Love - what is that like?

When I visualize myself in the past, it is usually as if I am watching myself in action from a few feet above or front. I wonder if this has any significance....

I also visualize myself - probably since I was born , when the ego kicked in- to be the one who can do no wrong, that everyone should love and no-one should hate. The person who I love the most is Me, Myself , I. Consider all the good qualities in a person, and I feel that I have them. I do not need to state reality here, but I really am a mixed bag (like all) and some people like me and some don't. I wonder if you think of yourself in the same way? I think such a belief stems from me, my awareness, my atman that is the light burning perpetually inside, and its deep connection with God. That I am God. Inherently the atman is pure and unpolluted....

I cannot help but wonder how my thought process would change once I move onto the next life. Will I still carry forward some of the worries e.g finishing up piled up tasks on the TO DO list in the after life too? Or will that vanish completely from my thoughts pattern? So why can't I try to get to that thought pattern now?

And if I my body is going to perish one day, and not be able to carry any of my material possessions except my karma, then why do I struggle so much dealing with inconsequential matters.

And I wonder if I could really join Shiva's gang, and live like him - the perpetual hermit. I would love to feel the love of Shiva for an instant of a second. This love would superscede any kind of love that I have experienced or given. I try to imagine what this love could be like? My imagination escapes me, it is to be truly experienced and I try to focus on that sometimes during my meditation. This instant of a second - if I got to experience it - would help me through a million earthly lives with not a craving for moksha - as long as I can feel the deep rooted connection between God and I - I guess that itself is MOKSHA. Something tells me it is out there - somewhere closeby, but it is for me to go find out. I feel like Jack Pallance in City Slickers now.

Why am I so attached to NOT becoming the recluse but the successful urban guy? Why do I have the inner urge to be perceived successful and charming and witty and all that worldy traits that I may not have? I do feel that if I am to experience His love, everything else will fade to insignificance. Which is to say, that having found my atman, having gotten in touch with my awareness, I wouldn't mind being the recluse hermit, the hermits of the Ardh Kumbh Mela.

Hmm.....I think being the recluse hermit takes a lot of guts - lot more than I can ever fathom - so that by itself would be a pretty good achievement.

The Golden Princess and Red Dragon

This is a story of years ago, centuries ago; ages ago…This is a very old, rustic and antediluvian story. This is a story about the golden kingdom. I don’t know If that place still exists but yes, I know some old monks and folks sing those folklores. They were found somewhere in Middle-Russia. So this is that old love story of that golden kingdom.

After many prayers and sacrifices the King of this golden kingdom was blessed with a daughter. She was the princess of the Kingdom. She was a golden Princess. She had long beautiful golden strands of hair as long as anyone could ever see. She was blessed by the lord of Magic with enigma when she was born. She was the peace-giver. So, the King was very happy that his kingdom got the heir of the throne. The Queen was but little restless as she saw a magical aura in her dark eyes that carried a glint of fire. She told the King but he ignored it saying that she has got the most beautiful eyes in the universe. Indeed, those were the most beautiful eyes and they had Fire…They burn…

Slowly, slowly time passed and the princess grew up. Every other person envied her. All the nearby kingdoms envied the king for having a golden princess and all the princes of the kingdom wanted to marry her. But, she never fell in love with anyone. The Fakirs still sang the folklore. The astrologist of the Kingdom said long long ago when she was born that she has a furious and deadly fate .So; he tied a talisman on her left arm and asked the king and Queen to protect her.

Everything was going fine. But, destiny had something else in store for her. One night while she was sleeping…when the entire golden kingdom was sparkling like glitters in the beautiful moon light suddenly the air blew hard. Every leaf shed. Tree branches became barren and he came inside the kingdom. No one could make out as everyone was sleeping, but the thud of his leg and the fire of his eyes scared everyone. All the people began to cry for help. The King came out to fight with him, but this time he was more powerful…He was more furious. The princess could sleep no more and she rushed near her father- The king. HE saw her, his eyes met that of her and they threw fire…HE took her and fled away. She shouted, cried…the people in the kingdom cried, the king and queen pleaded but he just fled away…

He was the Red Dragon. The Red Dragon fled to his place taking the young golden princess amidst the mountains, large big mountains where no sun ray could ever reach.

It was dark and gloomy there. It was fire and rage there. It was blood there. The princess cried and shouted but then as she had no one who could help her and the way was long, princess slept in the arms of Dragon. When the Dragon reached near his place he thought of burning her but then she was sleeping so peacefully that he never did that.

The Red dragon was a monster. He was wild and he used to kill everyone who came in his way. He was full of fire and his eyes were fire hot. He was a big giant magnanimous creature. He was so ugly and dreadful that with his one foot step the entire world could shiver. Long Long ago he used to live in the cave and then one day the King of Golden Kingdom with his magical people in the kingdom made him unconscious n tried to kill him. He threw him in a volcano between tall and giant hills. He left him to burn and went away. But, then with the fire the dragon rose up. HE lived in flames. The mountains guarded him. He ate lava and lived in the flames. He was all red with burning eyes, burning face with lava. He became more ugly and more cruel. So, today he fled away with King’s daughter in order to take revenge . He was happy now. He wanted to kill the princess and then send her dead body to king so that he could mourn all his life and burn in flames of his daughter’s death. So, he was roaring high in order to wake her so that he could terrify and kill her.

Days passed, many days but she didn’t wake up. She was so much horrified with the scene she saw that night that she went into unconscious state. The dragon waited and waited for her to get up. One night when she became conscious, she saw the dragon was sleeping. She wanted to run…But where?

She had no idea. She was around the hot volcano; if she goes in she would be burnt. So, she decided to hide in the mountains. She ran away…

When Dragon woke up he became furious to see that the princess was gone. He threw flares of fire from his mouth and burnt so many mountains but she was still not found. His eyes now had blood. More blood and she were hiding there very near from where the dragon was standing. She got scared to see blood coming out of his eyes. But, then she saw something that made her calm and sad.

Red Dragon’s eyes shed blood with a small sideline of a tear. He had a scar on his face that oozed blood and he was burning. That tear made the princess worry. She came out of that hidden mountain in front of him, the dragon was surprised and his fury went away. She came near him and his eyes glowed with rage and fire. She came near him and wiped his tear. The Dragon was astounded. He moved back.

People who sing folklores and books which sing Russian stories say that day the princess fell in love with that ugly Red dragon. She never then feared him, she started living with him. Days passed, the king tried to find her daughter but no one knew that the dragon took her to that volcano. They came to see there but the volcano had so much fire that they al l got burnt. So, days passed and the king and Queen with the golden Kingdom mourned and cried all over. Days passed and one day Dragon felt that he also has started loving her. He never knew what love was all his life. He knew only anger, rage, fury, fire. So when the princess brought love he was ….

But, how could a dragon fall In love? Have u ever heard of a dragon falling in love? No he is ugly, monstrous and he burns. He has his image and picture to stand with. He is bad bad bad Dragon. He can only kill and he cannot live with loving anyone. So, he decided to send the princess to the GoldenKingdom.

When he took her there, again everybody was terrified. The wind stopped and the fire from oceans came to the land. All grass burnt. The king pleaded and conspired against him. His magical folks tried to kill the dragon. After seeing this, princess told the King about The dragon But he disagreed and so he tried to kill him. Princess got all angry and then she brought her magic horse that the Lord of magic gave her. She took the red dragon and went away. People followed them But the horse was too far..far…

But, a dragon cannot love. He is not meant for that. So, he woke up and took the princess to the volcano where there was lava, he said to the princess to kill him. He asked her to kill him so that he could protect his virtue. The princess took her sword and scratched his wound in the neck. The dragon fall down and then the princess jumped in the lava with the dragon’s body.

That’s all I know about this story. But, yes folklores and the monks say they last saw The princess and The Red Dragon riding a horse in the sky and then they went to the sun. The sun was shining so bright and was an intense ball of fire that their eyes got blind. Whoever tried to look at them ended up burning their eyes? But yes, A kid said that they went near the sun and then vanished …They went inside the sun…

Dream Lovers (Prologue)

After a few weeks of physical therapy, Mat and Hannah regained their strength and she moved back to her apartment. They continued taking walks in the park where they strolled in their dream.
A few months later they were married.
Their souls had found each other and they would always be together. Love has no boundaries. You just have to believe that if you can't find it, one day, it will find you.

Dream Lovers (Part IX)

The car finally pulls up to the hospital. Mat pulls himself from the car and plops down into the wheelchair. His father pushes him to the room where Hannah lies in a coma. He knocks on the door and Hannah's mother opens it. She looks down at Mat and says," You must be Mat." She bends down and hugs him. He recognized her. She was just as she appeared in his dream. " It's nice to see you again, Mrs. Stevens," he said. She straightens up and looks down at him and asks," When did we meet, young man? I don't remember meeting you before." He smiles at her and replies," It's hard to explain, ma'am. Can I see Hannah please?" She steps aside as his father pushes him into the room. He pushes him next to her bed so he can see her clearly.
Mat sits and stares at her and starts to cry.
He turns to look at the rest of them and says," It's her, dad! It's really her! I have found her!" He reaches and takes her hand in his. He pulls himself up so he can look down at her. He bends over and puts his head next to hers and whispers into her ear, " I'm here Hannah. I'm right next to you. I love you and I will never leave you again." Everyone stood watching with tears flowing down their faces. How could this be real? He squeezes her hand and continues," I'm here, Hannah. Please open your eyes and look at me. Don't leave me alone. I need you! Please open your eyes."
As he lay next to her, a tear forms in her eye and slowly falls down her cheek. Suddenly, she starts to move. She squeezes his hand. Everyone watched as she slowly opens her eyes. She turns to see Mat staring back into her eyes. Mat cries as he puts his arm across her. She stares deeply into his eyes and asks, " Where have you been? I have been looking for you. We were walking in the park and you just disappeared. I have been looking all over for you!" He holds her close as he cries and replies," I'm sorry that I left you, darling.
I promise that I will never do it again. We will always be together." She lifts her left arm slowly into the air, although it was hard, and looked at her fingers. She turns and looks at him and asks," Where is the ring that you put on my hand. I haven't lost it have I?" He laughs and replies," No darling, you haven't lost it. I took it off for safe keeping." She looks into his eyes and smiles," By the way, the answer is Yes, I will marry you." Everyone stood with their mouths open and tears flowing as they watched everything that happened. They had to admit that a miracle had just taken place.

The End

Dream Lovers (Part VIII)

Mr. Stevens walks into Mat's room to find him and his wife together. He sat down and told them about his trip. Mat cries and says, " I knew that it was more than a dream. I was with her and she was with me." He grabs his father arm and looks into his eyes and continues," I've got to see her, dad! I need to see her before it is too late!" His father replies, " Son, you are way to weak to even think about a trip right now. You need to take therapy and build your strength up before you go." Mat shakes his head and replies," Either you take me or I will drag myself out of this hospital and take a cab there. I've got to see her, dad! Please take me!" Mr. Stevens puts his hand on Mat's shoulder and replies, " I'll go tell the doctor that I will be taking you somewhere. I'm sure that he won't like it but I'll tell him that you insist and I don't have no choice." Mat grabs him and puts his arms around him as he cries, " Thanks, dad.
Please hurry!"
Mr. Sanders leaves and returns a few minutes later with a wheelchair. He looks at Mat and says," The doctor said that he will allow you to leave if you promise to stay in this thing until you regain your strength." Mat holds his hands out so he could be helped into the wheelchair. He was happy. He was going to see Hannah once again. They put him in the car and head to
Coos Bay, Oregon.
The trip was pure agony for Mat. The scenery went by as if in slow motion. It seemed like ages since he left town to go to Coos Bay. He also wondered what would happen when he got there. He was terrified that he would never be with Hannah again.
The thought made a tear form in his eye. He turned his head to keep his parents from seeing his sadness. He closed his eyes and prayed that everything would turn out.

Dream Lovers (Part VII)

Mat's father was happy to see his son was awake again. After talking with him, he promised to check and find out what happened to the young lady that was involved in the wreck. Like his mother, he found it hard to believe what Mat was saying. How could it be true? Mat had been in a coma for the entire time that he said that he was with her. Surly, all that it could possibly be was a vivid dream and nothing more. He knew that nothing would come of it but he promised his son that he would check so he had to keep his promise.
As he went over the accident report he was surprised to find out that the young lady involved in the accident was named Hannah Stevens. It also shocked him to find out that she had an apartment on Oak Street just like Mat said she would. It was getting stranger by the minute. He was surprised to find out that there was a family in Coos Bay, Oregon named Stevens and they had a daughter in a private hospital that took care of coma patients. He decides to drive the distance there and have a talk with her parents.
When he arrived at the hospital, he asked where the Stevens patient was. The nurse looked up at him and asked," Do you mean?
Hannah Stevens? He affirmed that she was the one that he wanted to see and was showed where her room was. The nurse knocked on the door and stuck her head in. Hannah's mother was sitting next to her daughter who was lying in a coma. " Mrs. Stevens, I have a gentleman out here who would like to come in and visit with Hannah and you. Do you mind if he comes in?" Her mother was a little puzzled at seeing a stranger wanting to see her daughter and asked, " Who is he? What does he want?" Mr. Sanders nudged into the room and answered," My name is
Paul Sanders, ma'am. I am the father of the young man that your daughter was in the accident with. I don't know how but he believes that he knows your daughter and wanted me to find out about her." He hesitates and continues, " Would your name happen to be Patricia and would your husband's name be Henry?" She gives him a curious look and replies, " Yes it is. How did you know that?" Mr. Sanders was beginning to believe that there was indeed something strange going on. He walks up to where Hannah is lying asleep and looks down at her and replies, " My son believes that he and Hannah, somehow connected while he was in a coma. He is the one who told me where to find her. He couldn't have possibly known anything about her because he has been in a coma since the accident. He just came out of his coma a couple of days ago and all he wants is to find Hannah." He shrugs his shoulders and continues, " I know that you think that what I am saying is crazy but he did know where she was and who she was. He even told me that he met you and your husband. I really don't know what else to say." Mrs. Stevens gives him a serious look and asks, " Could his name possibly be Mathew and he is called Mat?" Now it was his turn to be shocked.
He replied, " Yes ma'am it is. How could you know that?" She replied, " Well, I could tell you that I got it off of the accident report and the insurance papers but I would be lying." She glances over to her daughter and back to him and continues, " The truth is that day before yesterday she opened her eyes momentarily and spoke for the first time in three months.
All she said was, " Mat, where are you? Please tell me where Mathew is." By the time the doctor came into the room, she was back in a coma. Now all she does is toss and turn as if something is bothering her."
Mr. Stevens stands and watches Hannah sleep. He could see why his son would fall in love with her. She was a beautiful young lady. He turns and asks Mrs. Stevens, "When my son is well enough, can I bring him here to visit her? I know he will want to see her for himself." She wipes a tear from her eye as she holds Hannah's hand and replies," If he wants to see her, I will allow it. I find it hard to believe your story but she did ask where he was. Maybe it will do her some good to hear his voice." She starts crying and continues," I want my baby to wake up! I am willing to try anything. Tell your son to come as soon as he is able to.'' He pats her on the shoulder to console her and replied, " I will do that ma'am. I will be praying for your family. The Lord does work in mysterious ways.
Anything is possible with his grace and love. Maybe we will have a second miracle soon." He turns to leave and says as he walks out, " I hope to see you and your daughter real soon. God bless you ma'am."
He walks out the room and heads back to see his son.

Dream Lovers (Part VI)

As the days go by, they spend all of their time together. Both of them returned to work but seen each other often. It had been three months since the accident and they were madly in love with each other.
Mat finally decided to pop the question to her. He knew that his love for her would last forever and he wanted her to be his wife. He decided to ask her to marry him when they would go for a walk in the park.
He wanted it to be where they were at when she called him her prince. He couldn't think of a better spot to ask her.
He drives to her apartment with the ring in his pocket. He was as nervous as a young schoolboy, asking a girl out for the first time, as he walked with her. As they drew near the spot where he was going to ask her, he felt a little funny and stopped. He turned and looked behind. She gives him a look of confusion and asks, " What's wrong, Mat?"
He shakes his head and replies, " I don't know. I thought I heard someone calling me." She shakes her head and says, " I didn't hear anything." She puts her hand on his shoulder and continues," Are you all right,
Sweetheart. Maybe we should turn back."
He didn't want to spoil what he had planned, even though he felt a little strange. He smiled at her and replied," I'm fine, darling. Sometimes I hear things. It must be a little residue left over from the accident. Don't worry!" He takes her by the hand and pulls her to get her started in the direction of his favorite spot.
They finally reach the spot where he was going to ask her to marry him. He stops and squats down. She nervously smiles down at him and asks, although she knew what he was about to do, " What are you
doing, Mat?" He takes her hand and pulls out the ring. For some reason, his head is spinning but he tries to hold on. " Will you please marry me? I want you to be in my life forever. I love you with all my heart and soul!"
He slides the ring on her finger and waits for an answer. Before she could answer, darkness surrounded him. He couldn't see her anymore. He didn't know what was going on. He was totally confused. It was like he was walking in a thick fog and couldn't see anything. He saw a light in the distance and slowly walked toward it. The fog lifted as he opens his eyes to see a strange face looking down at him. " The strange face smiles in excitement and runs to the door and yells," He's awake! Someone get the doctor! He's awake!" He didn't know what was going on. Why was he in a hospital bed? Where was he? Where was Hannah? He wanted to see Hannah. His mother comes rushing into the room with tears flowing down her cheek. She runs to his bed as the tears flowed and put her arms around him." My baby has come back to me! We missed you so much, darling! We didn't think you would ever come back to us! It's a miracle! My baby's back!"
Mat was totally confused. What in the world was going on? He wanted to know where Hannah was. He takes his mother's arms and holds them so he can look at her and asks," What are you talking about, mom? I haven't gone anywhere. I was with Hannah and now I am laying here. What's going on? Where is Hannah? I want to see Hannah!"
Before his mother could answer him, a doctor comes rushing into the room. He goes up to Mat and smiles down at him. "Welcome back, Mr. Sanders. I have been waiting for this day to come. I never gave up hope. All you needed was for time for your brain to heal itself. How are you feeling, son?" Mat was totally confused and asked," What are you talking about doctor? I haven't been anywhere! Where is Hannah? I need to see Hannah!"
The doctor turns to his mother as if asking whom this Hannah was. His mother shrugs her shoulders and says, " I don't know who this Hannah is." The doctor looks down at him and replies, " Hannah is not here right now but I am sure that she will come to see you soon." His mother smiles down at him and says," You have been gone from us for a long time. Maybe this Hannah person was one of the nurses that took care of you." He was still totally confused and asks, " Why do you keep saying that I have been gone? I haven't gone anywhere. I have been with Hannah. I don't know what going on!" The doctor gives him a reassuring smile and replies,
" Mr. Sanders, you have been in a car accident. You have been in a coma for three months. You finally woke up from your coma a few minutes ago. It is common for you to be confused. I assure you that you will return to normal in a short period of time. You just need a little therapy to get your strength back. We will have you on your feet in no time."
Mat couldn't believe what he was hearing. It couldn't be true. How could it all be a dream. He had met Hannah and they were in love with each other. She just couldn't be a dream." He looks up at the doctor with tears running down his cheek.
" What happened to the person that I ran into. Where is she? I need to know where Hannah is. Please tell me!" His mother gave him a look of confusion and replied, " How did you know that it was a woman that you hit? You were both unconscious when you both were pried from your cars. You couldn't have possibly met her." He takes her hand and squeezes it and says," What happened to her mom?" She looks into his tear soaked eyes and replies, " She was here at this place for a while but her parents had her transferred to another state. I can't remember which." He replies, " She was brought back to her home state of Oregon.
That's where her parents live." His mother is completely puzzled and asks," How would you know that son? You have never even met her." He is completely heartbroken but answers," Her name is Hannah Stevens. She lived at the Cedar Oaks Apartments on Oak Street. Her parents are Henry and Patricia Stevens. They live in Coos Bay Oregon." He feels desperate to find out about Hannah and pleads with his mother, " Could you please check for me to see if what I am saying is true? I know it wasn't just a dream, mom. I love her and she loves me. I was asking her to marry me when I woke up here! I've got to know how she is doing. I will never ask you to do anything else if you do this for me. I have to find her! Please do it for me, mom."
She could see the desperation in his eyes.
He truly believed what he was saying was true. How could it be true? It had to be just a vivid dream and nothing else. She didn't like to see him so upset so she replied, " I'll tell you what, son. You promise me that you will do as the doctor says and I will get your father to check to find out what happened to the young lady that you are talking about. Have we got a deal?" He hugs her with a little hope in his heart and replies," I'll do whatever it takes. I have to find her. I love her!"

Dream Lovers (Part V)

Mat and Hannah were released from the hospital and were told to take a few days off from work until their bodies could completely heal. Hannah's parents stayed for a couple days to make sure she was okay and then headed back to Oregon. Mat called her frequently to check on her. As soon as her parents left she picked up the phone and called him.
" Hello"
" Hi, Mat. This is Hannah."
" Well, hello there Hannah. It's funny that you called. I had the phone in my hand getting ready to call you."
" Looks like I beat you to it."
" How are you doing today?"
" I'm doing good. I thought maybe you could come over and we could go to the park and get some exercise."
" Sounds good to me. I'll be right over."
" Okay, I'll see you in a little bit. Bye."
" Good-bye."
He was happy that she had invited him over. He hadn't seen her in a few days and he missed her. All he could think of was seeing her pretty face again. All he wanted was to be with her. She felt the same way. It was strange that they hardly knew each other but were drawn to each other like magnets. She knew in her heart that he was the one that she had been waiting for all of her life. She only hoped that he felt the same way about her.
She had no reason to worry. He felt the same way. She was the one that he was searching for. He knew it when he stared into her tear soaked eyes on the night of the accident. God had intended for her to come into his life. He believed that with all his heart. They were meant to be together.
He pulls up to her apartment complex to find her waiting on her doorsteps. He walks up and holds his hand out to pull her up. They stand and stare into each other's eyes as they continue to hold hands. They were happy to see one another. Both of them felt emptiness when they were apart. Now they felt whole again. He smiles at her and says," I've missed you."
" I've missed you too."
" I know that you might think I'm crazy for saying this but I am going to say it anyway." He stares into her eyes for a few seconds and then with a little nervousness,
" I'm in love with you, Hannah. I know that we haven't known each other long but I know in my heart how I feel about you. I can't help it. I love you!"
She smiles as a tear falls down her cheek. She thought that she was the only one who felt that way. She couldn't help it either. She puts her arms around him as she lays her head on his shoulders and replies,
" I'm in love with you too, Mat. I have been since our accident. I thought that I was the only one who felt that way."
He pulls her away so he can look into her eyes and smiles," Are you saying that you love me too?" She laughs and replies,
" Yes, Mat, that's what I am saying. I love you!" He takes her in his arms and slowly puts his lips on hers. He felt that if he had to be frozen in time. This was the moment he would pick. He could hold her in his arms forever.
After their embrace, they head to the park. As they walk alone, hand in hand,
Hannah feels something." Ouch! That hurts!" She squats down and grabs her foot." Mat squats down beside her and asks, " What's wrong?" She looks at him with a grimace and replies," I felt something stick in my foot!"
He helps her sit in the grass and takes her shoe off. He looks at her foot and examines her shoe and replies, " I don't see anything. Maybe you just pinched a nerve or something." She shakes her head and says, " It felt like something stuck me but now it is gone. I don't know what it was."
She smiles at him and continues," My prince can put my shoe back on." He smiles and bends over and kisses her. He felt like he was a prince when he was with her and she was his princess. He puts her shoe back on and helps her back up. They spend the rest of the day strolling in the park.

Dream Lovers (Part IV)

The next morning, Mat gets up early and goes to Hannah's room. He knocks on the door and an older woman opens it. At first he is confused but realizes that it must be Hannah's mother. He smiles at her and says," Good morning ma'am. I just came by to see how Hannah is doing. I am the one who she ran into last night. She opens the door so Hannah could see who it was and Hannah smiles and says," Let him in, mom. Don't make him stand out in the hallway."
As he enters the room, he sees an older man standing next to Hannah's bed. He extends his hand to him and says," How do you do, Sir. I'm Mathew Sanders. You must be Hannah's father." Her father takes his hand and defensively says," The accident last night was unavoidable. I hope that you don't hold my daughter responsible." Mat smiles at him and glances toward Hannah and replies, " I wouldn't think of blaming Hannah for what happened last night. It was no one's fault, as you said, it was unavoidable. I just came to see how she is doing, that's all." Mr. Stevens gives a smile of relief and says, " I am glad to hear you say that,son. All she needs is for someone to file a lawsuit against her car insurance. She would be dropped and lose her policy." Mat replies," Don't worry, Sir. I wouldn't think of doing something like that. I can't blame her for what happened. If I had to blame anyone it would have to be the little dog that ran out in front of her." He turns and walks up to Hannah's bed and puts his hand down on hers and asks," How are you doing today? Have you still got a headache?" She smiles up at him and replies,
" I'm doing okay. How are you?" He holds the top of his head and replies, " I still have a slight headache, besides that, I am fine."
She shakes her head at him and says," I guess that I still have a trace of a headache." Her mother stands up and says,
" Have you heard from a doctor yet?" Hannah shakes her head in a no motion and replies," No ma'am, he'll show up sooner or later." Her mother pushes the call button and waits for a response. A few seconds later a voice comes on the speaker and says,
" Can I help you?" She replies," I would like to know why a doctor hasn't come to see my daughter yet. What is the problem?" The nurse answers back," He is looking at the results of the test that were done last night, as we speak ma'am. As soon as he is through, he will be in to see your daughter."
A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Her mother opens it to find a doctor standing there. She steps out of the way and allows him to enter the room. Everyone steps back so the doctor can stand next to the bed. He steps up and smiles down at her and then turns and looks at her parents and Mat. As soon as he sees that Mat is in hospital clothes he asks,
" Are you Mathew Sanders? I went by his room and no one was there." Mat replied,
" That's me, Doctor." The doctor smiled and replied, " That's good. I can tell you both at the same time." He looks back and forth at both of them and says," Except for a few minor bumps and bruises, you both seem to be fine. I examined both of your x-rays and can't see any abnormalities. Neither of you has any sign of internal bleeding. I can safely say that you both will make a complete recovery." Mrs. Stevens asks,
" She and this young man both say that they have a headache. Are you sure that there is nothing wrong?" He smiles at her and replies," Your brain is not used to being jarred in a sudden impact like these two had last night. There isn't much cushion in the head for such things. They are both suffering from a mild concussion. All they need is a little bed rest and a couple of aspirin and the headaches will go away. I assure you that they are both healing as we speak." She smiles and says," Thank you, doctor. I am happy to hear that. Her father and I were worried sick about her and I am sure this young man's parents are worried, too." He turns to walk away and replied,
" Your welcome ma'am. I wish that all my patients were as lucky as these two were. I heard that it was quite a wreck." He walks out the door. As soon as he walks out he sticks his head back in and says," Mr. Sanders, I think your parents are looking for you." Mat smiles at him and starts walking toward the door. " Thanks doc."
He waves good-bye to Hannah and walks out to see his parents in the hallway.
He waves and walks toward them. His mother sees him and rushes to him. She puts her arms around him and hugs. His father pats him on his shoulder and asks," Are you all right, son?" Mat smiles as his mother continues to hug and replies," Yes Sir, I'm fine. The doctor just told me that all Hannah and I have are minor concussions. We are going to be fine." " That's good, son. You had your mom and me worried." " Sorry, dad. I didn't mean to scare you and mom."
His mother finally stops hugging him and pats the side of his face and starts crying. Mat pats her on the back and asks,
" Why are you crying, mom. I told you that I was okay." She chokes back her tears and replies," We saw the cars. You and that young lady could have been killed. We almost lost you ,son." He hugs her and replies," Quit crying, I'm right here. There is no reason to cry." He turns with her and walks them to his room. A while later, he takes them to meet Hannah and her parents.

Dream Lovers (Part III)

After they reached the hospital, they are both rushed in and sent to take test. After the test, both are admitted to the hospital for overnight observation and to wait on the results of their test. They were put on the same floor in rooms that were close to each other. After Mat settles in, he sneaks out and takes a walk to where they had brought Hannah. He knocks on the door and walks in. She is on the phone.
" I'm okay, mom, don't worry so much. I am going to be fine. You don't have to come to the hospital. Please don't drive all the way here. I told you that I am fine. I'm sorry that I made you worry. I didn't want you to find out by TV or something. That's the only reason that I called. I wanted to let you know that I am all right. Please don't worry about me. I am going to be fine." She hesitated as her mother got a few words in.
" Yes, Mom, they took x-rays and did some other test. I have to stay until the doctors can look at the results. I am sure that everything will come back normal. You go ahead and go back to sleep and I will call you tomorrow. Tell Daddy that I love him. Goodnight mom. I've got to go. I've got company." She listens and replies, " It's the man that I hit, mom. He came to see me."
" No, mom, he's not mad at me. He's not here to fuss at me. He is a nice man who came to see how I am doing, that's all. Gotta go, mom. I love you! Good-bye."
She hangs the phone up and smiles at Mat. He smiles back and walks to the edge of her bed.
" Just came to see how you are doing. How are you feeling?"
" I'm all right. How are you?"
" A little tired, besides that, I'm fine."
" That was my mom on the phone. I told her not to come but I expect to see her and dad in a few hours. They worry about me too much."
" You should be happy that they care. If you were my daughter, I would come too."
" Have you called your parents yet?"
" No, I see no sense in waking them in the middle of the night. I am going to wait and call them in the morning."
" I was going to wait too but I didn't want them to find out about it by the police or something. It would have scared them."
" You got a point there. Maybe I should go ahead and give them a call and let them know that I am okay."
"You can use my phone if you want to, that is unless you need your privacy."
" I don't have anything to hide from you."
He grabs the phone and dials it. A few seconds later a sleepy voice says," Hello."
" I'm sorry to wake you mom. I called to let you know that I was involved in a car accident. I am okay, nothing's broke or anything. I just didn't want you to hear from the police first and worry about me."
He listens to his mom and replies, " I was in a head-on collision with another car."
" No mom, it was no one's fault. A dog ran out in the road and the other driver tried to miss it and we sort of ran into each other."
" No mom she isn't hurt either. I am in her room now visiting with her."
He turns toward Hannah and talks into the telephone," Yes ma'am. She's about my age, a college graduate, and a nice person."
He acts like he is studying her and continues, " Well, I would have to say that she is the most beautiful woman that I ever had the pleasure of running in to."
" I hope you get to meet her too, mom. I'll see you and dad in the morning. I love you mom. Good-bye, tell Dad not to worry. You too, Mom. Bye."
He hangs the phone up and Hannah looks up at him and says, " How many women have you had the pleasure of running into like me?" He laughs and replies, " You're the first." She stares at him and says, " In that case, I would be the prettiest woman that you ever ran into."
He puts his hand on top of hers and replies," I was just trying to be humorous with my mom to keep her from worrying so much. What I meant to say was that you are the most beautiful woman that I have ever had the pleasure of meeting."
A tear forms in her eyes as he stares down at her. She reaches and tries to push her hair back. I'm sure you say that to all the women that you meet head-on. I bet you I am a mess."
He pushes the hair away from her face and puts his hand on her cheek and replies," You look beautiful to me." He stares into her eyes for a few seconds and continues," I don't understand it. I know we have just met but I feel like I have known you for a lot longer." He pulls his hand away as if he were doing something wrong and says," I'm sorry if I am being forward with you. Maybe I should go and let you get some rest."
" She takes his hand and holds it and looks into his eyes and replies, " You're not being forward. I don't know why but I feel the same way. Please stay a while longer."
He smiles at her and just sits with her as they hold hands. After a few minutes he turns his head toward the door and looks down at her and says, " I've got to go. I hear someone calling me." She gives him a puzzled look and says," I didn't hear anyone." He puts his hand next to her cheek and replies, " I heard someone calling me. I'd better get back to my room before they come looking for me. I'll see you in the morning." He gets up and walks back to his room to find it empty. He was puzzled. He was sure that he heard someone calling his name. He pushes on the button to call the nurse station and waits for a reply. A few seconds later a voice comes on the speaker, "Can I help you?" " Yes, is anyone looking for me? I thought I heard my name being called while I was visiting Miss. Stevens." "No sir, all the doctors are gone now. We had no reason to call you."
He scratches his head and replies, " Sorry to bother you, ma'am." " That's okay, sir. That's what we are here for. Let me know if you need something." " I will, ma'am. Good-night."

Dream Lovers (Part II)

As they sit under the streetlight, holding on to each other, they heard the sound of sirens in the distance. He gives her a gentle squeeze and says, " I told you, that it wouldn't be long. We are about to be rescued." They both just sit and watch as the police and firemen hurriedly pulls up to the wrecked cars. They run up to the cars peering inside looking for injured people. Mat waves at them and yells," We're
over here, officer." The police officer runs to where they are sitting and yells for a paramedic. He squats down and looks at both of them and asks, " Are you two, okay? Is either one of you injured? Can you tell me what happened?"
As the paramedic looks over them, Mat explains to the officer what had happened. The officer glanced over to where the cars where all smashed together and replied, " I don't understand why neither one of you isn't seriously hurt. You are both lucky to be alive. Someone must have been watching over both of you." Mat smiled up at him and replied, " I do believe someone was, officer."
The paramedic finishes his examination and stands up. He shakes his head and says,
" You both seem to be in pretty good shape considering what your cars look like. It's a miracle if you ask me. We still need to take you to the hospital and have you both checked for internal injuries and to have some x-rays taken. You both seem to have some type of head injury, even if you don't think that they are serious, we still need to make sure that you both don't have any internal bleeding."
Mat stands up and helps Hannah to her feet. " I guess you are right, sir. It won't hurt to make sure. I feel fine but I think that she needs to be looked at to make certain that she is okay." The paramedic looks a little puzzled and asks, " Do you two know each other or did you just meet?"
Mat smiles and replies," We just ran into each other but I feel like I have known her for a long time."
The paramedic shakes his head in bewilderment and waves for a couple of stretchers to be brought over. " I know that you two would rather sat up in the ambulance but I'm afraid that we will have to strap you in for your own safety. We can't take any chances since we don't know if there are any internal injuries." He takes both of them and makes them lie down on the stretchers. They are put in the ambulances and taken to the hospital.

Dream Lovers (Part I)

A young man is driving home late one night after spending time with friends.
He turns down a road and sees a car coming his way in the distance. As the car gets closer he sees a small dog dart out onto the road. The approaching car swerves into his lane to keep from hitting it. It happened too quickly for him to do anything.
The cars collide head-on into each other. The impact causes him to hit his head on his windshield and he blacks out. A few moments later he awakens and regains his senses. He hurriedly pulls himself free from his car and stumbles toward the car that had just collided with him. As he approaches, he sees a young woman struggling to set herself free from her seatbelt. He pulls the door open and bends down on his knees to help free her from her bonds. She looks at him as the tears flow from her eyes and through a trembling voice, says," Please help me! I'm stuck and I'm scared. A dog ran out in front of me and I didn't want to hit it." She keeps crying and continues," I didn't mean to hit the other car. Is the other driver all right? Please! I've got to know! I didn't hurt anyone did I?" Her struggling makes it harder to free her so he tries to calm her down." Please quit moving so I can get you loose." The young man finally frees her from her seatbelt and carefully helps her out of her car. He takes her to the side of the road and helps her sit down on the curb.
She looks up at him with tears flowing down her cheeks and repeats," Did I hurt anyone? Please tell me!" He squats down and takes her hand and looks into her tear soaked eyes and replies," I was the driver of the other car and as you can see, I am fine. Don't worry about a thing. I saw what happened. If it were I that the dog ran in front of, I would have tried to miss it too. Don't blame yourself. It was just an unavoidable accident. Everything will be fine." He starts looking all over her and asks, " Are you hurt anywhere? Is anything broken?" She hesitates as if giving herself a quick examination and replies," Besides a slight headache, I think that I am okay. I must have hit my head on something." She rubs her head and asks," How are you? I didn't hurt you did I? Please tell me that you are all right." He stares at her and notices that, on the other side of her tears and running makeup was a beautiful young woman. In the rush to help her, he hadn't noticed that she was quite pretty. He smiles at her and rubs his head as if mimicking her and replies," Besides a little headache, I seem to be fine." He turns and sits next to her and continues," I guess we made out better than our cars did." They both sit and stare at their mangled cars, listening to the hissing of the steam as it escaped from the busted radiators making the sound of an old locomotive as it pulled out of the station.
The accident happened in a business section of town and all the places were closed so no one but the small dog saw the accident and he didn't stick around. He reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out his cell phone. He looks at her and says," I hope my phone isn't broke so we can call for help." She points at her mangled car and replies," My phone is in my purse on the front seat. If yours doesn't work, we can use mine." He smiles and pushes the buttons on his phone. He puts it up to his ear and nods at her and says," We have airwaves. I'll call 911 and report the accident."
After he made the call he notices that she is shivering and pulls his jacket off and puts it on her shoulders. She smiles at him and says," Thank you. You have been so kind to me after all that I have done to you." She points at his car and continues as her voice began to quiver with sadness,
"Look at what I did to your car. I'm so sorry." He lifts her chin and looks at her as the tears started flowing and softly says,
" It's just a car. I can always get a new one.
I'm just glad that we both made it without any major injuries. It is easier to replace a fender than an arm or something." He looks up at the sky and continues, " The Lord must have been watching over us tonight."
She stares at him as he is talking and finally sees by the streetlight. He was handsome. She hadn't noticed before. She was too busy being upset to even notice what he looked like. Not only was he her hero for pulling her safely from her car, he was also a perfect gentleman and a kind man; too bad she had to meet him under the circumstances that they were caught in.
She was sure that he would probably never want to see her face again.
He holds his hand out to her and laughs, " I guess it is about time that I introduced myself. I am Mathew Sanders."
She takes his hand and smiles, "Pleased to meet you Mathew, my name is Hannah Stevens." "My friends call me Mat, Hannah. Please call me Mat. I'm sorry that we had to meet like this;" he replied.
" Yea, it gives a whole new meaning to running in to each other."
" Are you from around here?"
" Yes, I live over on Oak Street. I have an apartment in the Cedar Oaks Apartments.
I am originally from Coos Bay, Oregon but moved here when I graduated from college last year."
" I graduated from college last year too. What college did you attend?"
" I matriculated at Oregon State where did you go?"
" I went to Southern Cal. I majored in computer science. What was your major?"
She starts laughing and replies," You've got to be kidding me! I majored in computer science, too. That is just plain weird."
" Not really, computers are the future. It's where the money is. Everyone is trying to get in on the ground floor."
"I guess you are right. That's why I took computer courses. Can't get a job without knowing something about computers."
" Is your family living in town, too?"
" No, I moved here because this is where I got the best job offer. I needed to get out on my own anyways."
" I just moved out myself. I stayed home as long as I could because I knew that once I was gone, my life would never be the same.
In a way, I miss living with my mom and dad. I miss seeing their smiling faces everyday."
" You must love them very much."
" Yes, I do. I still go over for Sunday dinner and catch up on everything. Mom thinks that I just come to do my laundry. I really go because I miss them. I use the laundry as an excuse to be there."
" I'm sure your mother knows that."
" She probably does."
" I try and go see my family whenever I get a chance. If they knew what happened tonight, they would have a conniption. I guess they will find out sooner or later."
" I am sure they worry about you a lot; you being by yourself and all."
" Yea, they wanted me to get a roommate but I like my privacy."
" Can't blame you there, I like my privacy too. I had a roommate in college and he kept the place a mess. I like to keep my place clean. My mom taught me that and now it is just natural for me. I don't like a messy place."
" I hate a mess too. We seem to be so much alike. It's amazing how much we have in common."
" I was thinking the same thing. It makes you wonder if tonight wasn't intended to happen."
" What do you mean? I don't understand."
" I believe in fate. I think that everything that happens to a person happens for a reason. If it is bad, it's to test your faith. If it is good, it is Gods' way of showing you his love."
He looks into her eyes and smiles, "Tonight, I think he is showing me his love."
" How did he do that? We almost got killed in a head - on collision. That's not my idea of love!"
He points at the mangled cars and back to her and replies," You can see by the damage to the cars, we should be hurt worse than we are. Instead, we are sitting here talking to one another. He saved us for a reason. Maybe he wanted us to meet each other, you know, fate."
" Well, you do have a point. We should have gotten hurt seriously but we didn't. He must have been watching over us. "
She smiles and stares into his eyes and continues," Maybe it was fate. Either way,
I'm glad that I am sitting with you now even if I lost my car."
" Me too."
He notices that she was still shivering. He worried that she might have a slight case of shock. He puts his arms around her to keep her warm.
" Don't worry, the police will be here soon.
You'll be home in no time."
" I'm not worried, I'm just a little cold."
She pretended to be colder than she really was. She liked the way his arms felt as he held her tight. She lays her head on his shoulder as she rested. She had just met him but it felt so natural for her to be so close to him. It was as if she had known him for a long time. He sat there holding her, feeling the same way.

Dream Lovers (Introduction)

For every second of every minute of every hour of every day, there is a soul searching for its' mate. Everyone has a true soul mate and if they are lucky enough, they will find that special person to share their life with. Not a moment goes by without someone finding their other half. For others, they live their lives missing someone that they never even met.

Blind love (Prologue)

Ariel and Brandon were getting married. Every one of his employees from the mansion was invited. Sharon was Ariel’s “Maid of Honor”. After the wedding his father walks up to them ands asks him, “ How were you able to find some one as beautiful as she. Brandon looks down at Ariel and smiles and turns to his father and says, “ I have a nose for pretty women, Dad.” They both knew what he was talking about and laughed.

After the honeymoon, Ariel made Sharon her personal assistant. She also asked Brandon if James could be her personal chauffeur. She owed both of them so much. Every once in a while Brandon still calls Ariel, “ Casper”.

Blind love (Part IX)

The days went by and Brandon finally had his bandages removed. He vowed to himself that he would find Casper. He started calling all the women that he knew and asked them out, one at a time. He figured that one of them had to be Casper. How else would she have known him? After every date he would kiss her in hopes it would match the kiss of the woman that he loved. He is disappointed with each kiss. He will never give up until he finds her.

Ariel spends her days in the back part of the mansion. She couldn’t bear the thought of seeing the man that she loved with other women. She thought that he was just going on with his life as she had told him to. She didn’t know his reason for dating all those women. She quit wearing the perfume that he could recognize and stayed mostly to herself. As time went on, Sharon couldn’t stand to see her best friend so heartbroken. She decided to take matters into her on hands. She had found out through the chauffeur that Brandon had wanted to find Casper so he could take her to the “Governor’s Ball’”. He wanted all of his friends and associates, to see the woman that he loved and to ask to take his hand in marriage. He was getting desperate. He finally called Linda Vanderjet up and asked her to come over. He thought that Casper’s voice sounded a little like hers but deep down he was hoping that it wasn’t her. She just didn’t seem like she could be Casper. He was willing to try anything to find her.

The morning that Linda was supposed to come, Sharon got up early and took all but one of Ariel ‘s uniforms and hides them. She took the last one off the hanger and put some of Ariel’s perfume on it and hung it back up. When Ariel grabbed it from the closet to put on, she noticed that it smelled like her perfume. She looks for her other uniforms but they were all gone. She turns toward Sharon and asks, “ All my uniforms are gone but this one and it smells like my perfume. Do you know where the rest of my uniforms are, Sharon?” Sharon tries to keep a straight face and says, “ I’m sorry about the smell, Honey. I was trying some of that perfume of yours and spilled it all over the place. I put all of your uniforms in the laundry except that one. I knew you had to have something to wear today.” At first, Ariel was upset over having to wear a uniform that would give her away to Brandon but she thought that since she works in the back of the mansion, that he wouldn’t be able to smell her anyways. She went ahead and put it on and told Sharon that she was going to work and walked out of the room.

Later that day, Linda Vanderjet arrived and met with Brandon. After speaking with her for a few minutes, he realized that there was no way that she could possibly be Casper. He was walking her to her car when Sharon walks up to him and says, “ Sir, I need you to come see something immediately. I’m afraid that it won’t wait!” He looks at her with concern on his face and asks, “ What is it, Sharon? What’s wrong?” She continues, “ I don’t know how to describe it, Sir. You will have to come see it yourself.”

He turns toward Linda and says, “ Thanks for coming by. I will see you later. I need to go find out what she is talking about. Good-bye, Linda.” He turns and follows Sharon to the back of the mansion. She finally walks up to the door of the room that Ariel is working in. Ariel sees him coming in and turns her back to him and pretends to work. Her heart is beating like it will burst from her chest. She wonders what Sharon is up to. She only knows that she can’t let him get too close to her. Brandon turns to Sharon and asks,

“Where is the problem, Sharon? I don’t see anything wrong.” She points toward where Ariel is working and says, “ It’s right over there. Can’t you see it?” He turns and walks toward where Ariel is standing. She sees him coming and walks away from where she was standing. He walks over to where she was at and looks around. He turns and looks at Sharon and gives her a confused look and says, “ I don’t see anything, Sharon. What is this all about?” She points at Ariel again and says, “ If you go right over there, I think that you will find out what it is all about!” He sees her nodding her head toward Ariel and walks toward her. She tries to walk away but he says, “ Wait right there, please.” He doesn’t know what it is all about until he gets close to her. She stands there with her back to him. He finally smells her perfume and realizes that it is Casper. His heart is racing as he puts his hand on her shoulder and asks, “ Casper, is that you?” She was afraid to turn around as a tear ran slowly down her cheek. She answered in a low voice, “ I don’t know what you are talking about, Sir. I am not Casper. My name is Ariel.” He slowly turns her around and looks into her eyes for the first time. He couldn’t believe how beautiful she was. She was prettier than he had ever imagined. He reaches over with his hand and wipes the tear that was running down her face. He looks over at Sharon and asks her, “ Do you have something that I can use to cover my eyes?” She reaches into the pocket of her apron and pulls out a clean rag and brings it to him. He asks her to tie it around his eyes. She puts the blindfold on him and he turns toward Ariel and asks, “ Do you mind if I do a little experiment? I promise that it won’t hurt.” Ariel doesn’t know what to do. She just stands there with her heart beating out of control. He bends down and kisses her. She couldn’t help but kiss him back. It felt good to be in his arms once more. After they kiss he pulls off the blindfold and grabs her and says, “ I found you! I told you that I would and I did! Why did you hide from me?” She points to her uniform and says, “I’m your maid, Brandon. What will your friends say?” Before he could answer, a voice from the doorway exclaimed, “ A maid! You’re kissing a maid! What are you thinking, Brandon?” Linda had followed them to see what was going on. He turns and looks at Linda and says, “ I would advise you not to speak that way about my future wife!” He turns back to Ariel and says, “ That’s if she will have me.” She looks up with tears streaming down her eyes and shakes her head yes. He grabs her and they embrace.

Sharon looks at Linda and says, “ Get out of here with your snotty self! Can’t you see that these two want to be alone?” Linda turns and walks away in a huff. As Sharon is closing the door, Brandon turns and says, “Thank you, Sharon. I will never be able to thank you enough. She looks at him and smiles as she closes the door and says, “ A raise would be nice!”

The End

Blind love (Part IX)

The days went by and Brandon finally had his bandages removed. He vowed to himself that he would find Casper. He started calling all the women that he knew and asked them out, one at a time. He figured that one of them had to be Casper. How else would she have known him? After every date he would kiss her in hopes it would match the kiss of the woman that he loved. He is disappointed with each kiss. He will never give up until he finds her.

Ariel spends her days in the back part of the mansion. She couldn’t bear the thought of seeing the man that she loved with other women. She thought that he was just going on with his life as she had told him to. She didn’t know his reason for dating all those women. She quit wearing the perfume that he could recognize and stayed mostly to herself. As time went on, Sharon couldn’t stand to see her best friend so heartbroken. She decided to take matters into her on hands. She had found out through the chauffeur that Brandon had wanted to find Casper so he could take her to the “Governor’s Ball’”. He wanted all of his friends and associates, to see the woman that he loved and to ask to take his hand in marriage. He was getting desperate. He finally called Linda Vanderjet up and asked her to come over. He thought that Casper’s voice sounded a little like hers but deep down he was hoping that it wasn’t her. She just didn’t seem like she could be Casper. He was willing to try anything to find her.

The morning that Linda was supposed to come, Sharon got up early and took all but one of Ariel ‘s uniforms and hides them. She took the last one off the hanger and put some of Ariel’s perfume on it and hung it back up. When Ariel grabbed it from the closet to put on, she noticed that it smelled like her perfume. She looks for her other uniforms but they were all gone. She turns toward Sharon and asks, “ All my uniforms are gone but this one and it smells like my perfume. Do you know where the rest of my uniforms are, Sharon?” Sharon tries to keep a straight face and says, “ I’m sorry about the smell, Honey. I was trying some of that perfume of yours and spilled it all over the place. I put all of your uniforms in the laundry except that one. I knew you had to have something to wear today.” At first, Ariel was upset over having to wear a uniform that would give her away to Brandon but she thought that since she works in the back of the mansion, that he wouldn’t be able to smell her anyways. She went ahead and put it on and told Sharon that she was going to work and walked out of the room.

Later that day, Linda Vanderjet arrived and met with Brandon. After speaking with her for a few minutes, he realized that there was no way that she could possibly be Casper. He was walking her to her car when Sharon walks up to him and says, “ Sir, I need you to come see something immediately. I’m afraid that it won’t wait!” He looks at her with concern on his face and asks, “ What is it, Sharon? What’s wrong?” She continues, “ I don’t know how to describe it, Sir. You will have to come see it yourself.”

He turns toward Linda and says, “ Thanks for coming by. I will see you later. I need to go find out what she is talking about. Good-bye, Linda.” He turns and follows Sharon to the back of the mansion. She finally walks up to the door of the room that Ariel is working in. Ariel sees him coming in and turns her back to him and pretends to work. Her heart is beating like it will burst from her chest. She wonders what Sharon is up to. She only knows that she can’t let him get too close to her. Brandon turns to Sharon and asks,

“Where is the problem, Sharon? I don’t see anything wrong.” She points toward where Ariel is working and says, “ It’s right over there. Can’t you see it?” He turns and walks toward where Ariel is standing. She sees him coming and walks away from where she was standing. He walks over to where she was at and looks around. He turns and looks at Sharon and gives her a confused look and says, “ I don’t see anything, Sharon. What is this all about?” She points at Ariel again and says, “ If you go right over there, I think that you will find out what it is all about!” He sees her nodding her head toward Ariel and walks toward her. She tries to walk away but he says, “ Wait right there, please.” He doesn’t know what it is all about until he gets close to her. She stands there with her back to him. He finally smells her perfume and realizes that it is Casper. His heart is racing as he puts his hand on her shoulder and asks, “ Casper, is that you?” She was afraid to turn around as a tear ran slowly down her cheek. She answered in a low voice, “ I don’t know what you are talking about, Sir. I am not Casper. My name is Ariel.” He slowly turns her around and looks into her eyes for the first time. He couldn’t believe how beautiful she was. She was prettier than he had ever imagined. He reaches over with his hand and wipes the tear that was running down her face. He looks over at Sharon and asks her, “ Do you have something that I can use to cover my eyes?” She reaches into the pocket of her apron and pulls out a clean rag and brings it to him. He asks her to tie it around his eyes. She puts the blindfold on him and he turns toward Ariel and asks, “ Do you mind if I do a little experiment? I promise that it won’t hurt.” Ariel doesn’t know what to do. She just stands there with her heart beating out of control. He bends down and kisses her. She couldn’t help but kiss him back. It felt good to be in his arms once more. After they kiss he pulls off the blindfold and grabs her and says, “ I found you! I told you that I would and I did! Why did you hide from me?” She points to her uniform and says, “I’m your maid, Brandon. What will your friends say?” Before he could answer, a voice from the doorway exclaimed, “ A maid! You’re kissing a maid! What are you thinking, Brandon?” Linda had followed them to see what was going on. He turns and looks at Linda and says, “ I would advise you not to speak that way about my future wife!” He turns back to Ariel and says, “ That’s if she will have me.” She looks up with tears streaming down her eyes and shakes her head yes. He grabs her and they embrace.

Sharon looks at Linda and says, “ Get out of here with your snotty self! Can’t you see that these two want to be alone?” Linda turns and walks away in a huff. As Sharon is closing the door, Brandon turns and says, “Thank you, Sharon. I will never be able to thank you enough. She looks at him and smiles as she closes the door and says, “ A raise would be nice!”

Blind love (Part VIII)

For the next few nights, Ariel decided not to visit Brandon. He was worried sick that something had happened to her. She thought that if she stayed away, maybe he would stop loving her. She loved him with all her heart and soul and deep down she was happy to know that he loved her. She didn’t mean for any of it to happen. She was just going to sneak into his room and check on him, that’s all. When she sneezed, it changed everything. She never intended for him to fall in love with her. She and he were living in different worlds and she felt that she did not belong in his. She finally couldn’t take it any longer. She had to see him once more, even if it was for the last time. She went up the stairs at her usual time and tapped on his door. He had been sitting in a chair near the door and opened it. As soon as he opened the door, he smells the fragrance of her perfume as it drifts into his room. He smiles for the first time in days and asks, “Casper, is that you? I know it’s you! I can smell your perfume! Where have you been? I have been worried sick about you! Why haven’t you come to see me? Have I done something wrong? Please come in!” She takes him by the hand and walks into his room. She helps him to get in bed and sits in the chair next to him. He turns his head in her direction and says, “ Please talk to me. What have I done wrong. I don’t understand!” He doesn’t see her sorrow as she sits there with tears in her eyes. She finally reaches over and takes his hand and with a breaking heart, says, “ I have come here tonight to tell you goodbye. After tonight, I won’t be back to see you again.” Her words break up as she tries to continue, “ I have really enjoyed our time together and I will miss you. Please don’t ask me to stay, I can’t! It wouldn’t be fair to you or me. I know that you will forget me and go on with your life. I will never forget you. I thank you for giving me happiness in the time we had together and I will hold it in my heart forever.” She couldn’t talk anymore; the pain of her heartache was too much to bear. She just sits there crying and holding his hand. He was so shocked that he couldn’t even speak. The thought of not having her in his life made the pain in his heart unbearable. He couldn’t just let her go. Not like that. He had to do something but he didn’t know what to say or what to do. She had to know that he loved her. She would have to stay if she knew that! He tries to speak, “ You can’t leave me! I lo….Before he could say it, she stood up and put her hand over his mouth. She knew what he was going to say and couldn’t bear to hear him say it, because she knew that it couldn’t be. She talks in a quiet voice and tells him, “ Please don’t say it. It won’t change a thing. I just want you to know that I love you and in the Cathedral of my heart, I will always have a candle burning just for you. I’ve got to go now. Please don’t ask me to stay. You promised me, when we first met, that you wouldn’t stop me when it was time for me to go. Now, is that time. Good bye Brandon.” She starts to cry like her life is over. He remembers his promise to her and says with sorrow in his heart, “ I told you that I would keep my word, Casper. I won’t try and stop you. I will say, that I will find you one day and there is nothing that you can do about it. I will find you!” Deep down, she wanted to hear that but she couldn’t give him false hope so she said.” For your own good, please don’t try. Just let me go the way I came, like a ghost in the darkness.”

His heart was broken. He tried to smile one last time for her and asked, “Could you do me one last favor before you go?” She squeezes his hand and asks, “ What can I do for you?” He turned his head toward her and asked,“ Will you kiss me good bye. I want to remember you with a kiss. Would you do that for me.” She bent over, with tears streaming from her eyes and puts her lips on his. He told himself that he would never forget that kiss and would, one day, find her again. She couldn’t bear the pain anymore. As she is pulling away, she says for the last time, “ Good-bye, Brandon.” She turns and walks slowly out of the room. When she gets back to her room, she falls across the bed and cries herself to sleep.

Blind love (Part VII)

The limo pulls up to Brandon’s mansion and the chauffeur helps him to the door where someone is waiting to assist him. He walks back to the limo and gets in. He turns toward Ariel and asks, “ What should we do, Ma’am, drive around the block for a while and come back here? She is scared. She realizes that he has recognized her and she doesn’t know what to say or do. He can see that she is upset and says, “ Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. I won’t tell anyone.” She is confused and asks him, “Why would you do that for me, James. Aren’t you worried that I am just after his money, like most people would?” He smiles at her and explains, “Mr. Cartwright likes you a whole lot. He has talked to me about you. From what he has told me, you aren’t interested in his money and after seeing you two together, I can see why. You should tell him who you are. There is no shame in what you do and I am sure it will not change his opinion of you. You need to give him a chance!” She starts to cry, she feels like her heart is breaking, and through her tears she tells him, “ I just can’t! He is an important man and I am just his maid. I would never embarrass or humiliate him by people talking behind his back saying that he had to stoop to dating the maid. I just can’t do it! I love him too much to put him through that!”

He feels sorry for her and says, “ You are a very honorable lady. I hope you two will work this thing out some way. Shall we go for a short ride?”

She thanks him and they drive around a while and return to the mansion.

When she goes into her room, Sharon is waiting on her to find out how her evening was. Ariel sits and tells her about her night with Brandon. She remembered that Sharon took French in high school and she asks her, “ Do you remember any French from high school? He said something to me in French and would not tell me what it meant. Can you tell me what he said?”

Sharon answers, “ It’s been a long time, Honey. Just tell me what he said and I will see if I can figure out what it is.” Ariel looks toward the ceiling, trying to remember his exact words. She looks at Sharon and says,“Je t’aim avec tout mon coeur. Yea, that’s what he said. What does it mean?” Sharon shakes her head and asks, “ Are you sure you want to know what it means, Sugar?” Ariel shakes her head and says, “ He told me that he hoped that I would find out what he said. It isn’t bad is it?” She smiles at her and replies, “ He told you that he loved you with all his heart. Now what are you going to do? Something has got to give, sooner or later!” Ariel doesn’t know what she should feel. She thinks that she should be happy that he loved her, but she knows that what they have together is just for a short while. It would be easier to say good-bye to him if he didn’t love her. She starts crying and says, “ It should never have came to this! What have I done?”

Blind love (Part VI)

The following evening, Sharon helps her get dressed for her date. She fixes her hair and makes it flow over her shoulders in waves. After she puts the evening gown on, Sharon places the pearl necklace around her neck. She stands back and looks at her and exclaims, “ Girl! You’re beautiful! Too bad he won’t be able to see you tonight. He is missing out on seeing a princess! The only thing that is missing are the glass slippers!” Ariel looks in the mirror and smiles. She even feels like a princess. She turns and hugs Sharon’s neck and says, “ I hope that I don’t disappoint him. I have never eaten in a fancy place before.” Sharon puts her hand on her shoulder and says, “ Honey, you just be yourself and everything else will take care of itself. You just have a nice time with him and don’t worry about anything. Enjoy it while it last.” Ariel is happy. She looks at the clock and asks, “ Are you sure that you don’t mind giving me a ride there? I don’t want to waste your evening for you. I can catch a cab to get home and have it drop me off down the road. I just didn’t want one to pull up here and blow it’s horn so everyone here would look out the window and see me.” Sharon answered, “ I don’t mind at all, Sugar, I was planning on going into town anyways. Let me make sure the coast is clear and I will wave at you to come on out, okay?” Sharon walks to her car and looks around. She doesn’t see anyone so she waves at Ariel to come on out. Ariel gets in the car and they drive off.

She gets to the restaurant before Brandon arrives. She stands outside and waits. The doorman walks up to her with a smile on his face and says, “If you are waiting on someone, you would be much more comfortable inside, Ma’am.” She smiles at him and says, “ No, thank-you. I will just wait right here, if you don’t mind.” He was thinking to himself that a beautiful woman like her could stand there all night if she wanted to. He replied, “ No, Ma’am, don’t mind at all.” He nods his head at her and returns to the door.

A few minutes later, Brandon pulls up in his limo. The doorman walks up to the car and opens the backdoor for him. He gets out of the car and stands there. She stands there looking at him and thinks to herself about how handsome he looked. She steps close to him. He smells a fragrance in the air and asks, “ Casper, is that you?’’ He holds his hand out. She walks up and grabs it and says, “ Yes, I’m here. How did you know?” He smiles at her and says, “ Rapture, I believe.” She realizes that he smelt her perfume and laughs. She places her arm in his and leads him inside.

The maitre d’ meets them and asks, “Bon soir, mademoiselle et monsieur! Comment-allez vous cette nuit?” Brandon smiles at him and says, “Nous allons bien, Pierre.” Ariel laughs and asks, “ What were you two saying? I can’t speak any French!” He smiles at her and says, “ He asked us how we were doing and I told him that we were fine, that’s all.” They are seated and he orders their food. When it gets there, she studies the location of the food on his plate and says, “ Meat at six o’clock, potatoes at three o’clock, peas at nine o’clock.” He places his hand to the side of the plate and says, “ Thank-you, I was just going to take my chances.” They both finish their meals and talk. A few minutes later she puts her hand on his and says, “ I have had a wonderful time this evening, thank-you for inviting me.” He smiles and says, “ It’s not over with yet. You have to dance with me before we leave. Will you do me the honor?” He stands up and holds his arm out. There is a slow song playing and she puts her arm in his and leads him out to the dance floor. He smiles at her and says, “ I guess, you can lead, since I can’t see where to go. Do you mind?” She laughs and replies, “ I guess, I can handle that.” She puts her arms around him as her heart races out of control. Her legs are weak from the anticipation of being near him. She lays her head on his shoulder and is happy to finally have a chance to hold him in her arms. He feels the same way. It was nice to finally get to hold her near him. She felt better than he ever imagined. He was happy that the bandages were on his eyes. He didn’t want her to see the tear escaping from his eye as he held her close. Neither one of them wanted the song to ever end as they slowly danced, both of them thinking that they might not ever have a chance to dance with each other again.

The song finally ended but they kept dancing as if the music was still playing. He stops dancing and holds his lips close to her ear and says, “Je t’aime avec tout mon coeur.” He kisses her on the cheek and takes her by the arm so they can go back to their table. After they sat back down, she

was still wondering what he had just said to her. She asks him, “What you said out there sounded nice, but you know that I didn’t understand a word of it. Could you tell me what you said?” He smiled at her and replied, “ I didn’t intend for you to understand what I said. It was just a phrase that I needed to say. I would like to keep it that way if you don’t mind.” She shrugs her shoulders and says, “ I’ll let it slide for now but I will find out what you said.” He puts his hand on hers and says, “ I hope you do, Casper.” Neither one of them wanted the evening to end but it was finally time to go. When they were getting up to leave, she was wondering why they never received a ticket or something so Brandon could pay the bill. She whispers and asks him about it. He laughs and says, “ I don’t have to pay because I own the place.” She was embarrassed and asks, “ Why didn’t you tell me when I picked this place. We could have gone somewhere else!” He smiled and answered, “ I was glad you picked here to eat. I know the food is good and I like it here, didn’t you?” She smiles and says, “ Yes, I did. It was wonderful. I’m glad we came here.” He grabs her by her arms and says, “ I don’t won’t to let you go. I want to spend as much time with you as I can. Please, ride with me in the limo until James lets me off at home. I will instruct him to take you wherever you want to go. I will not ask him where he takes you. Please say you will!” She didn’t want to leave his side either. She was hoping that the chauffeur would not recognize her since she was all dressed up. She had to take a chance. She wanted to be with him for just a little while longer. She answered, “ As long as you promise not to ask him where he dropped me off, I will ride with you, Okay?” He smiles and they turn to walk out the door. As they are walking out the door, the doorman greets them and says, “Good night, Mr. Cartwright and you too, Ma’am.” Brandon stops and takes her hands and asks, “ Could you please let me have a moment with, David? I won’t be but a moment.” She squeezes his hand to let him know it was all right and walks to the limo. Brandon turns to the doorman and says, “ I have been dieing inside to know what my date looks like. Could you describe her to me? Please be honest with me. The doorman was confused and asks, “ Are you telling me that you never saw your date before, Mr. Cartwright?” He shakes his head and answers, “ That’s what I am telling you, David. Tell me quickly, what does she look like?” The doorman states, “ All I can say, Mr. Cartwright is that you should pick all your women with your eyes covered. I have seen all the women that you have brought here and not even one of them can hold a candle next to her, Sir. She is about the most beautiful woman that I have ever laid my eyes on. I would give my right arm to have a woman like that. Shall I describe her to you, Sir?” Brandon thinks about it and feels like he is breaking a promise to her so he answers, “ No, David, you have told me enough. I can already see her in my head. I knew that she would be beautiful. That’s all I really needed to know, thank you.” He raises his hand toward the limo and she walks up to him and takes his hand. He smiles at her and says, “ I’m sorry. I had to discuss something with him.” She replies, “ That’s okay, I know you are a business man.” She helps him into the limo and they drive away.

Blind love (Part V)

Every night that Ariel goes up the stairs, Brandon is drawn more to her. He has never met a woman whose only interest was his well-being and not his money. He knew that she was special and longed to hold her, to touch her, and to one day, know what she looked like. He was beginning to fall in love with her. He decided that it didn’t even matter what she looked like. It was her and her heart that he loved. He just wanted to be with her.

A month had passed; he was waiting all day so that he could ask her something. She finally arrived and he took her hand as she sat down. The most they did up to that point was to hold hands and that was enough for them for now. He smiled at her and said, “ I want to ask you something and I want you to give it serious thought before you answer me, okay?” She didn’t know what to expect so she answers, “ Okay, I promise. What do you want to ask me?” He replies, “ I am going to the doctor tomorrow. I know that my eyes are not healed yet but I feel that I am capable of moving around a little now. I was going to ask him if I could go out to eat, one night. If he says that I can, will you go out with me? I promise that you can name the place to go to. We will go to a place where no one knows you. Please, I want to take you out. We can’t hide in my room forever! Besides, I need you to keep me from walking into a wall. Think about it before you answer, okay?” She doesn’t know what to do. On one hand, she would love to go out with him. On the other, someone might recognize her and tell him who she really is. She didn’t know how to answer him. She just sat there and thought for a while. She imagined how it would be to actually go out in the public with him. She finally came up with an idea and said, “ I will meet you at a restaurant if your doctor tells you that you can. I will decide which one we can go to while you are at the doctor tomorrow. We can talk about it tomorrow night, okay?” He smiles at her and says, “ That’s good enough for me.” She comes to a realization and sits back in her chair in sadness. Brandon senses that something is wrong and asks, “ Is there anything wrong, Casper, you’re awful quiet over there.” She sits up and holds his hand and tries to explain, “I’m afraid that our time together is going to come to an end soon. I told you that when your bandages come off, I wouldn’t be back to see you. It has to be that way. I don’t want you to know who I am. I am going to miss you.” She starts to cry. He squeezes her hand and says, “Please, don’t cry! I don’t understand why you don’t want me to know who you are! I don’t care who you are. Are you hiding from the law? Are you in some type of trouble? Please tell me! I can get you the best lawyers. If you are disfigured in some way, I don’t care! I care a lot for you. I don’t want to lose you!” She consoles herself in the thought that he cares for her and says, “Why are we worrying about something that hasn’t even happened yet. We are still together now and that is all that matters.” She laughs and continues, “ And to answer some of your questions; no, I am not in any trouble with the law. I never have been and no, I am not disfigured, at least I wasn’t the last time that I looked in the mirror. I hope that eases your mind a little bit. Please! Let’s talk about something else, okay?” They finish the evening spending time together and she leaves once more.

The next day, Brandon arrives at the doctor’s office and is taken to see the doctor. He examines his eyes and tells him, “ Your eyes are progressing well, but I think that the bandages need to stay on a while longer. I’m sorry.” Much to the doctor’s surprise, Brandon smiles and says, “ I agree with you doctor, the bandages need to stay on as long as it takes. I don’t mind. How about another month, can I keep them on for another month, doc.?” Brandon is happy to hear that the bandages have to stay on for a while longer. It will give him that much more time to spend with Casper. He knows that he will have a lifetime of sight and only a short time with her. He is willing to sacrifice his sight for a few more weeks with her. The doctor is a little taken aback at his attitude and answers, “ Yes, I believe another month will do the trick. Completely healed is better than almost healed. You just keep on doing what you have been and I will see you in a month.”

Brandon gets up and asks, “ I want to know if I can go out to eat. I have someone special and I would like to take her out. Would that be all right, doctor?” The doctor thought about it and said, “ As long as you don’t make a habit of it, Mr. Cartwright. You still need to get plenty of rest and not strain yourself. I suppose that one night out, won’t hurt you. Have a good time.” Brandon thanked him and said good-bye. On the way home in the limo, he just sits there without saying anything to his chauffeur. He normally talks to him so he asks, “ Is there something bothering you, Sir? You're pretty quiet back there. Was your checkup okay?” Brandon answers, “ My checkup was fine, James. I have to keep the bandages on for another month.” James assumes that he is upset about that and says, “ I’m sorry to hear that, Sir.” Brandon shakes his head and explains, “ I’m not upset about that. It is something else. How is it possible that I can be in love with someone that I have never seen?” James is confused and asks, “ What do you mean, sir?”

Brandon laughs and says, “ I know it sounds strange, James, but it’s true. Since my accident, I have met this woman who I feel so close to. We talk to each other every night and I love being with her. The thing about it, she isn’t interested in my money. She only cares about me. I don’t know what she even looks like, but in my mind, I see a beautiful woman. I know that I want to be with her and I am really not worried about how she looks. She won’t even tell me her name. I call her, Casper, because she is a ghost to me. She told me that she would only be around as long as I can’t see her because she doesn’t want me to know who she is. I just don’t know what to do! I don’t want to lose her. I don’t care who she is!” James is totally confused and says, “ I hope things turn out for you, Sir.”

Ariel is at the mansion worried about her promise to Brandon. During her lunch break, she talks, in private, to Sharon. Sharon can see that she is worried about something so she asks, “ You look a little down today, Sugar, what is going on?” Ariel shakes her head and explains, “ Last night, Brandon asked me if I would go out to dinner with him. He begged me so much that I finally said yes. Now I don’t know what to do! I know that no one will know me because we won’t be eating at Mc Donald’s, if you know what I mean. The thing is, I don’t even have anything to wear. I am supposed to tell him where to take me and I wouldn’t even know where to go in the first place. I don’t know what to do!” Sharon starts laughing and says, “ Girl, you must really love him to take so many chances like this. If you really want to go, I think that I can help you out. I will show you after work. As far as where to go, I would go to that new place. You know, the one where you can eat and dance all in one. Folks like us can’t afford it so you should be safe there. No one from around here will be there. That’s for sure. I think it is called “ Chez Charles” or something like that. Come on, we need to get back to the grindstone.” They both get up and go back to work.

After work, they go to their room and Sharon goes into her closet and pulls a big box out. She opens it and pulls out a beautiful blue evening gown. She holds it up to show Ariel and says, “ I bought this thing a few pounds ago when I was your size. I’m afraid that this dress and me will never go out with each other. I promised it that I would take it to a nice place, one day. I would like for you to have it. It will never see the light of day with me. Please take it.” Ariel takes it and hugs her. She gets misty-eyed and says, “It’s beautiful! I don’t know what to say!” Sharon smiles and says, “ What are friends for, honey? Besides, I want to keep my promise to the dress. By the way, I also have a cute necklace that I can let you use. It ain’t much but it’s real pearls. We’ll get you all fixed up nice and pretty!” Ariel hugs her again and says, “I don’t know what I would do without you.” Later that night Ariel meets Brandon at the usual time. When she walks into his room, he is sitting with a big grin on his face. She walks over to his bed and sits down in the chair next to it. She giggles a little and asks, “What is that big grin for. You look like the cat that ate the canary?” He responds, “First, I want to let you know that the doctor told me that I have to keep the bandages on for another month. We can be together for another month! Isn’t that great?” She didn’t know how to answer his question. She was happy that they would be together for another month but was concerned about his willingness to go without his sight for her. She takes his hand in hers and says, “ I am happy that we will be together for another month but if I could trade that for you being better, I would. Your eyesight is a lot more important than me being with you. I don’t feel right that you are acting happy because you can’t see. If I am keeping you from progressing the way that you should, I would never forgive myself!” He squeezes her hand and says, “ I will get my sight back. The doctor said that I was making progress. It was he who told me to keep the bandages on for another month. Instead of being upset about it, if I were alone, I have you, so I wasn’t upset. Is there any wrong in that? I am happy that I won’t lose you for now. Please don’t be upset.” She puts her other hand on top of his and replies, “ I’m not upset. I just want to see you better, that’s all. As long as you do what the doctor says, then I won’t fuss at you, okay?” He smiles and tells her, “The doctor also said that I could take you out one time for dinner. Where do you want to go? I can have the chauffeur pick you up wherever you want. How are we going to work this?” She tells him about the restaurant and that she will meet him there on the following night at seven o’clock.

Blind love (Part IV)

The next night Ariel returns to Brandon’s room at nine o’clock. She taps on his door and waits for an answer. She hears his voice, “ Casper, is that you?” She pushes the door open and answers, “ Yes, Brandon, it’s me. How are you doing tonight?” He sits up in bed and replies with a smile on his face, “ I am doing a lot better since you are here! I didn’t think nine o’clock would ever get here! I started to wonder if I hadn’t dreamed you into my life. I am happy to know that you are real. Please come over and sit next to my bed.” She smiles and walks over and sits in a chair next to him. She looks up at him and says, “ I will stay as long as you promise not to exert yourself or anything. You are supposed to be resting so you can get better. If I feel like I am keeping you from this, then I will leave. Your getting better is all I want to see. I miss seeing those blue eyes of yours.” Brandon replies, “So! You have been close enough to me to see what color eyes I haveHave you?” Ariel asks, “ Are you fishing for clues to see if you can figure out who I am? Remember, you promised me last night that you wouldn’t do that!” He answers, “ No, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to pry. I am glad that you are here. Please stop me if you think I am asking something that I shouldn’t.” She looks at him and says, “ My identity is not important. Your getting better is. That’s all that matters to me!” He smiles in her direction and says, “It’s nice to have someone who cares. I haven’t had anyone around me that truly cares, since I moved my parents to Florida.” She doesn’t know much about his parents so she asks, “Forgive me for asking but why didn’t your parents come to see you after your accident? Aren’t they worried about you?” He smiles and answers, “ I have wonderful parents. I love them both very much! They were going to come but I called them and told them that it was unnecessary. I have great care during the day and I have you to visit with in the evening. I would hate to see them take such a long trip and I won’t even be able to see them. Besides, my mom would cry if she saw me like this and I don’t want to upset her. I fly out to see them often and as soon as I get my sight back, I will be going again. How about you? Do you still have parents?” He wondered if he shouldn’t have asked that question so he followed with, “ I’m not prying, am I?” She thought about it and didn’t see any harm in his question so she answered, “Both my parents are dead.” He heard the sadness in her voice as she spoke and said, “ I am sorry to hear that. You must have loved them very much.” She leans back in her chair and replies, “ Yes, I did and I still do. You would have liked them.” He feels like she wants to talk about them so he asks, “ Have they been gone long?” She feels like he is really interested so she continues, “ My mother was sick. She was dieing of cancer. It was about two years ago. My father would sit next to her bed for hours at a time. He even slept in the room with her when she finally had to stay in the hospital. I was there the day she passed away. My father was holding her hand and told her about how he had been shy his whole life. The moment that he saw her, he knew that she was the one he wanted to spend his life with.” She gets misty-eyed and hesitates. Brandon can hear her sadness and says, “ You don’t have to continue if you don’t want to.” She is happy to see his compassion and continues, “ He sat there holding her hand and thanked her for giving him so many years of happiness that he thought that he would never have because of his shyness. He thought that he would always be alone but when he met her, his shyness turned to love. They were married for thirty-five years. After momma died. My father was never the same. It was like part of him died with her. He died last year. The doctors explained why to me but I will always believe that he died of a broken heart because momma was gone.” She wipes a tear away as she sits and stares at him. He sits for a minute like he is reflecting on her story. He turns toward her and says, “ I have never had that type of love. I hope that I will be as lucky as your father was. Thank you for telling me about them.” He wants to hold her but knows that it is to soon so he asks her, “ Do you mind if I hold your hand?” She wanted to feel his touch since the day she first saw him. She was hesitant but she had to touch him. She reaches up and grabs his hand and puts it in hers. They just sit there without saying a word, just holding hands. Finally it was time for her to leave. She pulls her hand away and says, “ It’s getting late. You need your rest. I’ve got to go.” He smiles up at her and replies, “ Thank you for coming again. I really enjoy your company. Will you come back again? Please, say you will!” She knows that every time she sneaks up the stairs that she might get caught but he wants to be with her and that’s all that matters so she answers, “ I would like that, Brandon. I’ll try to.” She turns to walk away and he says, “ I will be waiting on you, Casper. Good night!” She leaves and makes her way back to her room.

Blind love (Part III)

Ariel has been worried sick about Brandon. She even goes to the hospital and checks on him without giving her name. She was happy to see the ambulance pull up to bring him home. She has already been told of his condition and that he would be upstairs for a couple of months. Her job was the downstairs part of the mansion so she was a little upset at the prospect of not seeing him for that long. She thought that as long as he was getting well, she would have to be happy with that. The ambulance medics bring him into the mansion and take him to his room that is set up for his recovery. They get him settled in and leave. A nurse is already there to watch over him.

For a few days, Ariel does her job and keeps staring up the stairs where he is. She sees the nurse leave every night at eight o’clock. She thinks of him being by himself for the rest of the night and worries that he might hurt himself somehow. Finally, one night, she sneaks up the stairs at nine o’clock. She just wants to look in on him to make sure that he is okay. She grabs the door handle to his door and slowly turns it so it won’t make any noise. She slowly pushes the door until it is open enough for her to squeeze in and closes it behind her. She tiptoes close to his bed so she can look at him. She stands there looking at him and smiles. Even with the bandages on his eyes he was still handsome, she thought. All of a sudden she sneezes. She put her hands over her mouth but it wasn’t enough. Brandon sits up and asks, “Who’s there? Tell me! I heard you! If you don’t speak, I will call the police!” She panics; she doesn’t know what to do. She knows that if she speaks, he will sooner or later hear her talking and will know that it is she. She remembers what Sharon said about her sounding like Brandon’s girlfriend, Linda, so she tries to talk like her and says, “ I am no one in particular. I am just a friend who wanted to see if you were all right. I am sorry if I bothered you. I will leave so you can get some rest. Good night, Brandon.” She turns to walk away. He raises his voice and says, “Please, don’t go. Come over here and talk with me a while. It gets a little lonely in here after the nurse leaves every night and it is way too early to go to sleep. Couldn’t you just stay for a little while since you took the trouble to come and check on me? I promise, I won’t call the police. Come over here and sit in the chair next to the bed.” She hesitated but decided that he wouldn’t be able to see her and no one was around to see her so she walked over and sat down in the chair. He asked, “ Are you still here?” She answers him, “ Yes, I am still here. What would you like to talk about? I guess that I can stay for a little while.” He smiles and says, “ Anything you want. It doesn’t matter. I just want your company.”

They talk for a little while and he notices a smell in the air. He faces where she is sitting and asks, “ That’s a nice perfume you are wearing. What is it called in case I need to buy you some, one day?” She forgot that she had put some on and told herself to never wear it around him when she was working. She answered, “ It’s called, “Rapture”. It isn’t too expensive and I like the fragrance it has. You don’t have to buy me any. I have enough of it.” She looks at her watch and says, “ I have to go. It is getting late and you need your rest. I am really sorry that I bothered you. Please forgive me!” He knows it’s late so he smiles and asks pleadingly, “ Aren’t you going to tell me your name? Will you come back and see me tomorrow night? I sure could use the company!” She stands at the door and answers, “ Who I am is not important. I am a ghost in the darkness.” He smiles and replies, “ Then I will call you “Casper”. Will that be all right?” She laughs and answers, “ Casper was a male ghost but I like the name. Just call me Casper from now on. I will visit you if you promise me one thing.” He replies, “ Anything, just name it. Would you like for me to buy you something?” She answers back, “No, I don’t want you to buy me anything. If you do, I will not accept it. All I want from you is a promise not to try and find out who I am. Please promise me that, or I will not return.” He smiles and says, “ I am a man of my word. I will not try to find out your identity if you promise me that I will see you, so to speak, tomorrow night. Have we got a deal?” She smiles and answers, “ Yes, we have a deal, Brandon. Good night!” He waves in her direction and says, “Good night, Casper!” She walks out the door and checks to see if anyone is around and sneaks back downstairs.

She shares a room with Sharon. She tries her best to be quiet so she won’t disturb her as she enters the room. As soon as she reaches her bed, Sharon rolls over and asks, “ Did you have a nice visit?” Ariel is surprised at her question and replies, “ What are you talking about? I just went for a walk! I don’t know what you are talking about!” Sharon sits up and with a sly grin says, “ Yea! You went for a walk all right! Right up the stairs to Mr. Cartwright’s room! What were you thinking, Ariel? Are you crazy or something?” Ariel knew that the cat was out of the bag so she confessed and said with a sad expression on her face, “ I just had to see if he was doing okay!” Sharon walks over to her bed and sits next to her and says, “ Well, You may as well tell me about it. I’m awake now! Go ahead let’s hear it!”

Ariel gives her a questioning look and asks, “ How did you know where I went? I thought that I was careful when I went up there.” Sharon smiles and replies, “ I thought that you would pull something like this so I followed you. I have been watching the way you kept looking up the stairs! I knew that you wanted to see him. Honey, you’re lucky that it was me and not the butler who saw you! Go ahead and tell me about it.” Ariel starts explaining what had happened between her and Brandon. Sharon shakes her head in disbelief and asks her, “ Well, what are you going to do about it? You promised him that you would be back. How long do you think that this can go on? You’re his maid for Christ sakes, Ariel!” Ariel starts to cry. She is confused and in love. Sharon sees her heartache and feels sorry for her. She puts her hand on her shoulder and says, “ I’ll tell you what, Sweetie. I guess I can be your lookout tomorrow night. I know how you feel about him. I just don’t want to see you get into any trouble or get your heart broke.” Ariel hugs her as she cries. Sharon continues, “ You know that sooner or later, you will have to tell him who you are. You can’t be Casper forever. Hopefully, he will get his sight back. What are you going to do then?” Ariel lifts her head off her shoulder and replies, “ I honestly don’t know. He wasn’t supposed to know that I was there. I only know that I want to spend time with him now!” Sharon pats her on the back and says, “ You go ahead and get some sleep, Honey. We will worry about everything else when the time comes.