Rich, Deep, Sapphire Blue
Sparking with Fire
Sparkling with Kindness
Glinting with Playfulness
Dimming with Laughter
Glowing with Compassion
Dancing with laughter
Smoldering with Passion
Flashing with Anger
His eyes told the Story of his Heart
They met on occasion; their paths would cross. A smile shared in passing, a "hello" exchanged on the run and other such pleasantries.
Didn't seem like much, and it wasn't.
Yet they were drawn to one another. Both wishing for a genuine opportunity to break through this polite piece of glass that stood between them. It was established, a distant acknowledgement of one another.
They had been neighbors for a while. Three years, in fact. Her P.O. box "006" was next door to his (no joke) "007". One day, through a series of unexpected events, their polite distance was exchanged for something wholly different.
The chill in the air on this morning was more than any day that winter. The temperature had been consistently dropping throughout the week and the predictions of snow were proving to be correct. Light flurries were tossed about in the ever increasing wind.
Jenny pulled her hat down over her ears, quickly walking across the parking lot. As she entered the lobby of the post office, the warmth that met her was most welcome. "I'd better hurry and get back home before this storm traps me here." she thought to herself.
She put the key in the lock on "006", turning it and opening the door in one fluid motion, hoping it would be there and it said "yes".
Before Thad got out of the car, he reached into the back seat, moving books, empty water bottles and his sketch pad out of the way. Grabbing his heavy coat; "Sure did turn cold he muttered." As he put his heavy coat on, one arm at a time, he thought of Nicole; she never failed to comment on how the blue of the coat brought out the blue of his eyes.
Oh well, moving on.....it was a college romance and never had forever written on it. It was the truth, but the breakup still left its sting.
It's now or never and on that note, Thad ran for it, the freezing wind slapped at his face. The door rattled as it hit the frame. "Hmmm, warmer in here."
He pulled out the letters from his box, shuffling through them in earnest. There was only one thing he was interested in this morning. The suspense was robbing him of sleep and his appetite.
The lobby was empty, with the exception of one other person. It was no surprise when he looked out and saw the snow falling with increasing intensity.
Jenny was so involved in her letter, she had not noticed him or the snowfall turning into a blizzard. On the flip side, he noticed it was her...his beautiful brown eyed neighbor. Her adorable button nose was wrinkled up as she concentrated on her letter. "Must be important." Thad thought.
"Important", the word shook Thad's attentions from Jenny's button nose to his own letter. Back to his search. "Aaah", there it was at the bottom of the stack. Now, to open it. His stomach twisted in knots and suddenly he felt light headed. Sliding down to the floor, he leaned his head against the wall. Breathing slow and steady, he waited for calm to overtake his impending panic. After several minutes, he felt more like himself and opened his eyes. To his great astonishment, his brown eyed neighbor was the first thing he saw.
Jenny knelt down, touched his shoulder and asked, "Are you feeling sick?" After several seconds, Thad found his voice..."Sort of...he said, yes, I mean no, I mean, I was feeling a bit light headed, but it has passed now. I should be fine.. I guess I should get going."
Again Jenny, the voice of compassion, inquired "Did you drive here?" "Yes, of course." Thad replied, thinking that was a strange question. "Well, it might be a considerable length of time before you can drive anywhere." Jenny pointed outside...Thad followed her finger, only to be faced with the harsh reality that no one was going to be driving at all. The storm was hitting hard! All that could be seen was a wall of white, causing Thad to let out a groan, expressing the utter helplessness he felt.
"I have a proposition for you, but first I need to explain something." Wordlessly, Thad adjusted his position, turning himself toward her as if to say, "I'm listening." Jenny dove in. "It is obvious that we have a lot in common. We are, after all, the only two people silly enough to defy the coming storm to retrieve our mail. She punctuated this with a smile, as he offered one of his own in return. Jenny pointed out the obvious truth. "You can't get home." pausing, faltering a bit, she added, "But, I can, so I am inviting you to come home with me. It seems a much better option than staying here." "Well,....yes...." but his many questions were plainly written on his face. Without preamble, Jenny began to answer the questions not voiced.
"I didn't drive here. My apartment building is next door. All we have to do is make it across the parking lot." She continued, giving him no room for inquiry. "It is not my habit to invite strange men into my home, but I know you are safe, completely trustworthy, one of the good guys." Thad narrowed his eyes, questioning how she could possibly....know this......
"My cousin, Rachel had a room mate in college.....her name was Nicole." With this, she did pause, allowing him to take in the information. He wanted to respond to all of this, but he struggled to find the right words or any words. After a long pause, he asked, "Wait a minute, you mean you know Nicole? My Nicole? What are you telling me?" "I know her, just a little." Jenny said softly.
Thad's voice got a little higher than he intended. "Rachel, Rachel Comstock is your cousin?!" "She is." Jenny said, with her voice steady; her heart pounding. "Rachel spoke of you often, Thad, and with great affection. She thought of you as particularly special. So, I don't feel like I'm taking any kind of risk."
"Oh, I see." was all that Thad could manage. Jenny now spoke with uncharacteristic forcefulness, "Well, if we are going, we'd better go." She clasped both her little hands around his large one, as she pulled with all her might, lifting him straight to his feet.....shocking both of them, no end!
It was in this state of extraordinary surprise that they exited the post office. Jenny did not let go of Thad's hand as they walked across the parking lot, surrounded by the bitter cold and the twisting wind. The snow nearly blinded them, but they pushed on, knowing safety and warmth would be found only a few feet away.
They reached the green space that separated Jenny's apartment building from the post office. The trees acted as a slight wind break, offering a small measure of protection from the unrelenting force of the storm. Thad put his arm around Jenny's shoulder, pulling her near. An unconscious act; an instinctual move to keep her warm and safe. Jenny did not resist. She, in fact, leaned in closer yet and spoke in his ear, hoping to be heard. "We are going to go straight through the walk way to the stairs on our left. Thad nodded that he heard and understood. Now, arm in arm, they ran for it. The door that led to the stairs slammed behind them, blocking out the storm...........Silence.... They exchanged a look of relief. They mirrored each other with a tentative half smile.
