Puffy clouds are spread
Across the blueness of sky.
Their feathered cottons, like a thread
Are woven coquettishly somewhere high.
The branches are mingling free.
It is hot on the permeated way.
Air is crisp and meadow smiles with glee.
Agitation is vanished in that special day.
To keep one's mind on every day's rush,
Seems like a useless strife.
His vision in mind brings a blush,
In that long, exciting journey of life.
*
Entangled with absurdity, the dream Anna hoped for seemed arduous and nugatory. The intrusive feeling of Steve being in the living room, that he had come to see her, now was a tasteless pain in her mind. She was overwhelmed by the wistful vision of this stranger who was breaking the privy solitude of her life.
Sitting on her bed, she needed to make a quick decision. Wasn't her contest a sign of interest? Wouldn't people contest an issue when they are attracted to it? As these debating thoughts marched in her mind, another brainstorm made way there. What would Stacy and Steve think of her running away like a little girl. "She is hurt but she is also interested. She doesn't act like an adult." Running away from a situation would most likely make her to stumble. There was not only insight in her thoughts but value as well. She chastised herself for not being aware of this simple fact, when she had run away to the bedroom like a little, spoiled girl only few minutes ago. Wiping her rainy yes with the palm of her hand, she got up from bed and without thinking opened the door and went to the living room. Steve and Stacy were talking quietly. Her appearance seemed unnatural; nevertheless, they both knew she would do the right thing from the start.
"I'm so sorry for running away." Her honesty sometimes was hurtful to her, but she was always honest. "I wasn't thinking straight." She said annoyingly.
Stacy and Steve looked dumbfounded. Anna walked to the window. The constant rain for the past few days was easing off. She pulled the curtains aside and opened the window. A soothing breeze caressed her face and without turning to face them, she said: "You don't mind that I opened the window. I love the smell of earth after rain. everything out there are fresh and smell good." She needed to feel the breeze, that natural coolness of April night particularly after rain. Gazing out there into the dark, she could see the halo that surrounding the lights on the campus.
"We don't mind; not at all." Steve finally spoke.
The finite simplicity of her life, at that moment, was extracted from her body. The courage that made her to leave the bedroom and to come to the living room, now was not intact. Her embarrassment was too grand to turn around and face them. The darkness mingling with the light out there created an awesome mystification, just as her conflicting feelings. Then she remembered her fighting all the adversities, all the courage she had shown to rise above the culture that was stifling to women of her country specially her.
"I want to make coffee. would anyone care for some?" She said as she finally turned around and faced them.
"I've already made some. Let me get you a cup." Stacy said while getting up.
Anna sat on a chair of the dinning room. This was as far as she could be from Steve in their small and combined living room and dinning room.
"So, how are you doing?" He broke his silence.
Stacy returned with the coffee and placed the cup on the dinning table, where Anna was sitting.
"Fine, fine, how about yourself?" Anna's answer was as superficial as it could be.
"Fine!" He answered her with another vain short phrase.
Was that all they could talk about? As she was hugging her cup, she searched for that one stem of rose he had brought her. Still wrapped in plastic, it was laid on the coffee table. She got up and went to pick up the rose. Gently, she unwrap the rose from the plastic paper and went to the kitchen and placed it in the only vase they had and poured water in it. Then she brought the vase and placed it on the coffee table.
"Thank you for the flower!"
"Oh, it's nothing."
Stacy was outrageous of the formality that they were using to talk to each other. She wanted to leave them alone for awhile, but she did not have any place to go; and besides such action of her would upset Anna even more. Everything seemed intense. Steve was obviously distressed; nonetheless, he was remarkably decisive. He felt the weight of his responsibility to break that cold situation.
"Anna, would you like to go for a walk?"
Stacy finally sighed of relief. Anna's mind meandered for a moment, then incredulously she said: "Sure, why not. Stacy come with us."
"No, thanks. You two go ahead."
To Be continued
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