Clever Little Book
Part II
The old woman paused for a moment gathering her thoughts and then she began to speak.
“Let's suppose I decided to go with you on this venture of yours...where would we go?” she asked him.
“Anywhere your heart desired,” he answered excitedly. The old woman was intrigued by the seaman's offer.
What have I got to lose, she thought. The possibilities of distant lands they could see were endless and she'd never sailed on a Yacht before.
“Let's order a bottle of wine and talk about it,” she said.
“Okay, let's do that,” the old seaman replied. They ordered some wine and food for him and they sat and talked and enjoyed the afternoon together at La Cita's Cafe'.
It was the most fun the old woman had in a very long time and the seaman was overjoyed to be in her presence. As they laughed and talked and enjoyed each other the hours that passed felt like mere moments. The two of them had so much in common. Everything had seemed to come together perfectly but the old woman still felt hesitant.
Now having possibly found her love she was just as afraid as she was excited. She realized that in all the years she had longed for love she had spent very little time actually preparing for it. And so many thoughts raced through her mind. Like how the Watcher had told her that love was not all fun and games or two sets of eyes meeting across a room. She remembered the advice she had given to the young woman about her husband David and also what Bob had just said about people not seizing the moment when love presented itself.
She wondered had the Watcher known that the old seaman would come back for her. But more than those, she questioned if she could live with the regret of not taking this chance to travel the world and finally live. In her heart she knew that she couldn't. But it was still a lot to consider.
“Give me a few days to think about it,” she told the old Seaman. “I really feel good about the idea, but it is all so sudden that I just need time to think everything through.”
“Okay fine,” the old seaman replied. “Either way, we best be getting you on home. It's getting rather late now,” he said.
“And so it is,” the old woman remarked.
Finally standing to leave they realized that they were the last two people in the whole Cafe'. The whole day was spent and they had hardly noticed it. They left the Cafe continuing their talk as the old seaman walked the old woman to her house. As they reached her house, surprisingly the old woman had made up her mind.
“Yes!” she said. “I'll go! But first there is something very valuable and precious to me that I must get from inside. I won't leave without it,” she told the old seaman.
“Then let's get it at once, so we can be off,” the old seaman said.
When they got inside, the old woman decided to put on a kettle for tea. It was rather chilly out and she thought the old seaman might want to warm himself a little. As they sat at the kitchen table the old seaman noticed her family portrait on the mantle.
“Are these your parents?” he asked the old woman. “Yes, but they have long been deceased,” she said.
That reminded her of the unopened boxes in the basement that were forwarded to her when her parents died. She wondered if she could summon the courage to face them now with the old seaman beside her.
“When my parents died some of their things were forwarded to me from EL Salvador. I stored the boxes in the basement unopened because I didn't want to face what might be inside. I was sure there would be old things of theirs that would bring back memories and make me sad. I've never had anyone to help me face it”, she told him.
“I would be honored to go down with you. We can open them together,” the old seaman said. The old woman smiled.
She was thinking she could get use to having a companion rather easily. And the old seaman was rather charming and handsome. He reminded her of someone but she couldn't quite put her finger on it, maybe her father. He was also charming and handsome and mother said he always had been since she first saw him many years ago.
After they enjoyed their tea they started down the stairs to the basement. As the stairs creaked under their weight the old woman got more and more nervous. The seaman noticing this took her by the hand and pulled her closer to him. She felt surprisingly comfortable with him and liked being in his company. He seemed strong and fearless, possibly from years being out at sea battling storms and such. Either way she liked it and wanted him around.
“Where are they?” he asked her in a stern voice.
“Those over there,” she said pointing to some boxes in a corner of the basement.
The old seaman walked over to the boxes and began to rip off the tape. The old woman was tickled as she watched him. She felt like her knight in shining armor had finally come to rescue her from all of her fears.
“This one is full of old books,” he said of the first box. “Come and see. There is nothing in here that would make you afraid.”
He motioned for her to come over so she did. While she looked at the books the old seaman began ripping the tape off of another of the boxes.
“This one is full of pictures, possibly from your childhood.”
The old woman began thumbing through the pictures. Some made her laugh; others made her sad thinking of days she spent with her parents. As the old seaman opened the smallest box he found the urn inside. It had what he believed to be her parents names etched on the outside of it and it was sealed shut.
“The urn is here in this one Sweet Heart”, he said to her. “You don't have to see it if you don't want to but I think you should.”
The old woman smiled that he had called her Sweet Heart. Slowly she stepped in closer behind him and rested her face on his back. He then took her hand and placed it on her parent's urn and the old woman began to cry as she felt the cold metal urn under her hand.
“It's okay,” he told her. “It's just some dust. Your parents are at rest with the Power,” he said.
The old woman was surprised that he had made mention of the Power. There was so much she liked about the old seaman. She felt like she had been with him for much longer than just a few hours. She decided she had seen all she needed to see and told the old seaman she was ready to go back upstairs so he closed up the boxes, took her by the hand and shutting off the light lead her back upstairs.
She felt a lot better now having seen what was in the boxes. She was glad to put it behind her and happy that the old seaman was there. The old seaman noticed an antique record player in the old woman's living room and asked her if it still worked.
“Yes it does,” she told him. “It belonged to my parents.” When I was a child they would play it and dance to their special song.”
The old seaman plugged up the record player, laid the needle on the vinyl album that was on the wheel and Isabel's parent's favorite song began to play. It was a song called “Cross Hairs,” and was performed by a very popular band from New Jersey known only as “Black Fluid.” Isabel's father had first heard this one of their many hit songs on an International radio program many years before he met Isabel's mother. On the night of their very first date , he held her close and played it for her and she loved it just as much as he did so they called it their song. It reminded them to always keep each other close ensuring that neither of their hearts ever strayed. Upon first hearing it, one might believe it to be speaking of disaster. Isabel's father however, came to call it “The Lover's Creed...” It was a beautiful song with a somber melody and upon hearing it, the old seaman couldn't resist taking Isabel into his arms and dancing with her. As Isabel closed her eyes and rested her head on the old seaman's chest she wondered how she had gone so long without him and was glad that he had come back for her. She had no doubt in her mind that she would be very happy sailing the seas together with him. As they danced into the evening they both felt young again.
The old woman decided to put on a kettle for tea and then they danced some more. When they tired they sat on the couch and talked until they were both sound asle
ep sitting there. As they slept, they both had the exact same dream.