Mina's POV
I exhale in finishing my work for the day. I take the submitted new food recipes in the folder for the Food Column for the Romania Journal. I put my black heels back on before standing to my feet then walk over to my boss’s office.
She is on the phone when I walk in. She’s a well respected woman in her early fifties, brown hair with some gray to it. She has a black and white spotted dress on with red heels. Her taste of clothes makes me smile in a good way whenever I see her.
She waves at me with a smile on her face. She points her hand on her desk where she wants me to place my folder down. I place them down then mouths the words for her to have a good afternoon. She does the same before I leave her office.
I go back to my desk to log out of my computer. I clock out before grabbing my purse to head for the elevator. My coworker tells me to have a good afternoon. I smile saying to her, “I will for sure. You do the same.”
I go to the elevator but stopped before I hit the first floor button. My coworker, Emily runs up to me. She asks me in a whisper, “Have you heard anything from him?”
I feel a cold chill go through my entire body at the thought of the man. I close my eyes trying not to think about him. “Not for a few weeks now.”
“That’s good. Maybe you are in the clear now.” She whispers in a positive way.
“Maybe. But I am still going to be keeping things different in my life. No daily routine.” I honesty tell her with a heavy heart in all that has happened for the past few months.
Emily places her hand on my shoulder then encourages me to have a good afternoon again. I give her a small smile then press the first floor button. The elevator doors open for me and I enter. The doors close. I tune out the not so great elevator music until I am at the first floor.
I push open the door to see that the day feels decent even with it being cloudy. I hear a ding from my purse. I come to notice my phone has been blown up with phone calls and text messages from my mother. “Really? Give me a break.” I lowly growl in frustration when turning off my phone so I do not have to be bothered by her hounding voicemails and messages about what has been going on with him. But I am not going to give in to him or my mother. It’s not happening.
I put my phone back in my purse and decide to take a walk down a street I have not taken in several weeks. I notice how everyone is going about their day like it is just another day for them. Those days do sometimes feel nice; at the same time, it can get tiring real quick in the same old same old. I decide to run a few errands, get some things done since I am around town. I walk down the street to see the once flower shop that I stopped by nearly every week a few months back.
It has been a while since I have visited them. I work up the courage in me to make my way over there. When the sells lady, Josie spots me, she smiles in joy at the sight of me. “Mina! It has been too long!” She comes around her cart and hugs me. I cannot help but to giggle in joy of seeing her again as well. “How are you, Mina?”
“I am doing alright. How are you?”
“Getting by like always. It truly is good to see you. And you come at a perfect time. Your favorite was just picked this morning.” She goes to her flower cart; she pulls out the pink with a hint of white roses. I see that they are fully bloomed and freshly picked from her rose garden. They are so beautiful when she uses a small band, putting a dozen of them together. I get my wallet out, ready to pay for them. She tells me that they are free. I know that the roses are not truly free.
Before I could say anything, she tells me that she gave me a discount and I am going to take them. “Josie, I cannot take these at this price. I am more than willing to pay for their price worth.”
“Mina, you have been my regular for a long time. I also know that you have been going through a tough time. You deserve a little something after all of the business you have brought to me. Take them. I am not taking no for an answer.” Josie says when extending the dozen roses to me.
I can tell by the look on her face that she is not going to take no for an answer. I take the roses without another word. Josie leans against the cart knowing how much I appreciate what she has done. “Thank you, Josie. I needed this.”
“You’re welcome, Mina.”
“What markets will you be at this week?”
She tells me which ones she will be at while I take a moment to admire the roses until I get a sudden warm feeling through my body. I have a sense that someone is looking at me.
My eyes look to the left but no one is there like I thought. I swore I felt like someone was standing maybe half a foot away from me. Maybe I am over thinking things with all that has happened to me. I need to enjoy myself for a few minutes longer. My eyes gaze back down at the roses when suddenly a slight dark yet warm voice says, “Beautiful.”
I gaze to my right to find a tall, dark and handsome man standing near me. He smiles the most amazing smile to me before saying, “The flowers, my lady.”
I smile by the words he has spoken. I do not think I have heard anyone speak like that. I ask him out of curiosity, “‘My lady?’ Where are you from?” He still has that charming smile on his face when I ask him.
This man is strong built with broad shoulders, shoulder length black of hair with fair white skin. His eyes are dark brown that would make any woman melt to their knees, getting butterflies in their stomach just like I am right now.
“A long way from here.” He says.
His smile is starting to even make myself smile. But I have to keep to myself. “Well, good night.” I walk past him, about to head home when he says something I never thought anyone would even say to me.
‘Why think separately of this life than the next, when one is born from the last.’ I stop from taking another step, amazed to hear those words come from this man. I lightly smile when I turn around to stare upon him.
“It’s my favorite poem.” I tell him in somehow feeling that he already knew that poem is my favorite.
“It speaks to you of yearning; of one soul pleading for another.” The handsome man tells me when taking three steps over to me. I think the same thing about the poem since I first heard it years ago from my father reading it to me. Something in my mind and heart is telling me to know this man in every possible way that I can, even to love him.
“I’m Mina.” I tell him without hesitation.
He extends his hand to my right hand, grabs it softly. He pulls it close to his face. He kisses my hand gently on the top. I smile when he does this. I am getting more curious of where he is from. No man I have come across has ever done this. I have only seen it in movies or from reading books. It is something more when experiencing it myself. I have smiled more than I ever have in months in just a few moments with this enchanting man.
“Vlad.” He whispers to me.
We stare at each other for a moment; it feels like hours in glazing upon him in the best way possible. I did not realize how close I am to him until he asks me, “What other poems or stories do you like, Mina?”
I get my head back to reality, answering him, “Shakespeare is one of my favorites. My other top favorites are Romeo & Juliet. Their story may have come to a tragic end. At the same time, the time they had together to love one another is what matters. They experienced what real love is supposed to feel like in life unlike most people of this generation.”
Vlad is in agreement with me before saying, “Very true. Bittersweet story it is. Shakespeare is a good one. One of my favorites is somewhat dark but I like it. The details, how he tried to hang onto the things he loved so dearly. Edger Allen Poe. I like his work, The Raven. He did have bad things happen to him but he would try to hang onto it like any man would to the things he loved most.”
I notice the way he spoke about Edger Allen Poe like he knew how it is to hold onto the things he loved dearly but lost them. I did not want to ask about it. I want him to tell me if he wants to tell me.
We start to walk down the street, talking about many poems, books and songs. We have some of the same taste in literature. I learn that has does have some dark taste for things. However he made good points about the things he liked. We keep on walking until I notice that it is getting dark now.
Before I can say anything, I see that we actually stopped at my doorstep of my apartment building. I did not realize this until now. “This is me, Vlad. Thank you for the walk. It was really nice. Have a good night.” I start to walk up the stairs but stop when he gently grabs my hand. I stare at him in feeling my face a bit warm in blushing to Vlad.
“Do I have a chance that I can see you again, my lady?” Vlad asks me in his charming smile. I feel my cheeks become warmer by the second just by hearing his amazing voice and smile. “ I would like to see you again, Mina. Maybe a stroll in the park or a coffee from a book store?”
“Both sound nice to me, Vlad.”
“What day and time works best for you, Mina?” He asks me.
I stare into his dark brown eyes, feeling like I can completely trust him. “Tomorrow morning around 9 sounds good. Meet me at the flower stand?” I ask him.
“Yes. I will meet you there, Mina.” He pulls my hand to his lips once more and kisses the top of my hand gently. “I will see you in the morning, my lady. Have a good night.”
He pulls his hand away from mine. As it is happening, something inside me tells me not to let him go, not now. Vlad walks across the street then looks back at me for a moment with his smile that I like the more I see it. I watch until he disappears from my eye sight.
I cannot help but to smile about Vlad. I grab my keys, unlocking the door. Then use the stairs to my studio apartment door on the second floor. I use another key to unlock the door. I go inside and lock the door behind me then to turn on my lamp on my bed stand. I take off my white coat and hang it on the coat hanger behind the apartment door. I set my purse onto the small table near the door. I decide to leave my phone off and in my purse for the night. I can use my bell alarm clock by my bed to wake me up in the morning.
I go over to my roses and take out my flower vase, fill it with the right amount of water before placing the roses into the vase. I admire them before I head over to my bed, changing into my comfy pajamas. I cannot stop thinking about Vlad as change; make dinner for me to eat. My mind sinks into the thought of his eyes, smile and the softness of his lips on the top of my hand. I brush my fingers upon my hand of where he kissed.
I bite the bottom of my lip in the fact that I cannot wait until tomorrow morning to see him again. I quickly go to my small closet in thinking of what I should wear. I know I want it to be plain, simple but cute as well. I go through some of my clothes. I lay three different outfits on my bed and two dresses. I see the black lace zip top with the white ivory flare pants and double buckled black booties. I knew that this would be the outfit to wear tomorrow.
I put my other clothes back in the closet then hang my outfit up by my mirror in the bathroom. I start to see the sun setting in the distance. It turned out to be a decent afternoon. I hope the same for tomorrow morning to be the same.
I go over to my small night stand and open the first draw. I pull out my blue flower designed Bible. It is the King James Version for women. I sit on the edge of my bed, opening it and finding exactly what I want to read for the night. I read 1st Corinthians Chapter 13 verse 4 through 10. I look upon the words that I know exactly by heart.
‘Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes the imperfect disappears.’
I glare upon my bible book mark that has the very poem Vlad and I spoke about. I admire the cursive font of the words. I speak the words out loud, “Why think separately of this life and the next, when one is born from the last.” I smile while I close my Bible, setting it on my night stand.
I get tucked into my bed and lean over to turn on my speaker then press play for my CD. I have some trouble of sleeping without music, no matter how hard I try. I hear the song from the band, The Civil Wars, O Come O Come Emmanuel begin to play. I turn off the lamp and get relaxed under my blue bed covers. My body turns over, listening to the music get me sleepy that it changes to another song by the same band. The song is called Dance me to the end of Love.
The words of the song make me think of Vlad when smiling about him. I am beginning to feel myself falling asleep, still thinking about Vlad, his enchanting smile and his voice saying the word, Beautiful. I thank GOD for the nice afternoon he blessed me before I am out for the night.
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