Angry Night
“My
head!!” I groaned as I regained my senses.
Then
again, had I passed out? There was no way to be sure. But what I
knew for sure was that my head was throbbing.
“Why
in the world is it so dark?” I mumbled aloud.
Talking
to myself had become something of a habit lately. Then I realized I still
had my eyes shut.
“Damn,
I’m an idiot,” I thought to myself opening my eyelids.
“Oh
my God . . .” I said softly waving my hand in front of my face.
But
I couldn’t see it, not in the slightest. I couldn’t see the motion of it
going back and forth or the outlines of my fingers. I saw nothing, only
blackness.
“I
can’t see!” I gasped whipping my head around in every which direction.
Whether
it had been from the lighting in my eyes, hitting my head against the floor or
a mixture of both I was blind.
“Why
this? Why now!! Haven’t I suffered enough?” I screamed out into the
blackness.
I
stood up on a wobbly pair of legs. Pain shot through my ankle. I
must have twisted it. I tried to get a bearing on the situation.
Well I at least knew where I was, in the kid’s playroom. Unless someone
had moved me, but that was a ridiculous thought.
“Someone
HELP!!” I screamed as loud as I could.
But
if they were all still near the nurse’s desk I knew they wouldn’t be able to
hear me. I wondered if I should try to feel my way back. I’d most
likely end up lost, but there was no point in staying here. I put my
hands out in front to me and began walking around cautiously. I slowly
put one foot in front of the other so I wouldn’t bump into anything.
The
first thing my hands came in contact with was glass. So I turned around
and tried to figure out which side of the room the door was on. I
determined I had to go left. I moved in that general direction until I
hit a wall. I felt my way down it. Eventually my hands met the corner
where the wall met the window.
“Damn
it!” I cried.
I
should have come across the door. Unless this was the wrong
wall. I pounded my fist against it. It was so frustrating!
“Please
don’t let this be permanent,” I whispered and retraced my steps.
“What
was that!?” I cried out as something touched my shoulder.
I
whirled around and felt someone grab my hand.
“Who
are you?” I asked yanking my hand away.
I
got no reply.
“Who
are you?” I repeated a little louder.
But
the only response was the person grabbing my hand again. I began to feel
a little scared. Why weren’t they telling me?
“Guys,
if this is some sick joke,” I said trying to yank my hand away again. But
the person’s grip was too strong.
“Please,
I’m blind. Who are you!!?” I insisted trembling.
The
person grabbed my other hand.
“Why
won’t you tell me who you are!!?” I shrieked feeling tears come to my eyes.
I
struggled but there was no use.
“Please
let go of me!” I yelled at him or maybe her. But the person refused
to. They took my hand and raised it to touch their face. My hand
trembled as it came in contact with a cheek. At that moment it was as if
this feeling shot through me. This warmth. Suddenly I was no longer
afraid. Don’t ask me how or why I knew, but it was A.J.
I
gently moved my trembling hand to his chin. There was his goatee. I
traced its rough lines with my index finger. But it couldn’t be! It
just couldn’t. A.J. was dead. I moved my hand over to his ear, it
was laced with several hoop earrings.
“My
God...” I whispered.
This
couldn’t be right. I was hallucinating or something. My fingers
made their way to his eyes, there lay a pair of glasses. I almost
laughed, they had been hiding his beautiful eyes much too long. Then I
moved my hand back down to his lips. They were warm against my
fingertips. He kissed them gently.
“A.J.
. . .” I began hyperventilating. “It can’t be you, you’re gone.
You’re dead. God, now my mind is playing tricks on me. It can’t be,
it can’t be . . .”
I
kept repeating those three words like a chant. Tears started to stream
from my unseeing eyes. I felt his hands brush them away. I nuzzled
my face against one. Letting the warmth soak through. Letting his
presence consume me.
“Close
your eyes,” he said softly.
The
sound of his voice startled me. It drifted into my ears like sweet
music. He was so close his breath brushed past my face. It was warm
like an inviting summer’s breeze. My whole face tingled with
anticipation. I hadn’t heard his voice in so long I’d almost forgotten
how wonderful and sexy it was.
“Close
them,” he repeated.
I
closed my eyelids. Almost immediately I felt his thumbs move over them.
His hands lingered on my face a moment then he pulled them away.
“Open
your eyes.”
I
slowly opened both of my eyes not really knowing what to expect. At first
I saw nothing. Only the bleak darkness I had before. But suddenly
the room came into focus and before me stood the most beautiful sight I had
ever seen, A.J. I threw myself into his arms and began weeping like a
baby.
“A.J,
I can’t believe it’s you,” I choked. “Oh my God, it’s you. It’s
really you.” I cried over and over.
“I’m
here.”
I
no longer cared how or why he was here with me. The only thing that
mattered was that he was. I was going to savor every glorious moment of
it. I pulled away to look at him. He smiled at me. But as I
pulled off his glasses I could see the water in his eyes.
“I’ve
missed you so much,” A.J. said running a hand through my hair.
“What
are you doing here?” I asked. “Well, not that I’m complaining. I
mean this is great. But J, you’re supposed to be gone. I mean . .
.”
“Shhh,”
he cooed pulling me close to him.
He
pressed his lips against mine. I don’t know how long the kiss
lasted. But to me it seemed to be forever. How much I’d missed it,
how much I’d missed him. When he pulled away I was in tears again. He was
back. A.J. was back.
***
