Author's Note: It is said that love is eternal. For those of you who have been drawn to another or fallen in love at first sight, this story will resonate with you. For those of you who have not, then enjoy the telling of one such encounter, and be open to the possibility. Please be forewarned that the romance is the main entrée with any sex merely the seasoning.
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"Excuse me. I don't mean to seem forward, but have we met before?"
"Er, I don't believe that we have...at least I can't recall meeting you. And yet...I must say that for some reason, there's something about you that...hmmm...please don't take this the wrong way but I couldn't help but notice you..."
"Oh, I'm not offended. I mean that I do stick out. There are not a lot of Asians in this place...in fact, I think I'm the only Asian...or Chinese to be more specific. By the way, I'm Mike, and I can assure you that despite my somewhat awkward introduction, I'm not into the habit of picking up single white females in a bar."
"Ha, I guessed that, Mike. I'm Rose, and just to set the record straight, I am not in the habit of sitting in lounges, trolling for pick-ups by strange men, Asian or not. So, Mike, now that we've gotten the formalities out of the way, why don't you sit down and join me?"
"Thanks for asking. I'd be glad to. Rose, if you don't mind me asking, what made you notice me other than I'm Chinese, slightly overweight, height-challenged, and older than dirt?"
"Older than dirt? You can't be that old, Mike. What? You're sixty-eight? I thought you were more around my age...in the mid-fifties range. Hmmm, well I can tell you, Mike, that what made me notice you was none of the things you mentioned. This may sound weird but I 'felt' your eyes upon me as I was reading. I looked up from my book, and immediately noticed how hard you were trying not to be seen while looking at me."
"Aiyah, caught in the act! How embarrassing. And here I thought I was being so careful in observing you...a tall, elegant, and mature-looking woman with glasses and her long brown hair pinned up neatly. I couldn't help but wonder why you were sitting alone in a corner reading a book instead of drinking and socializing.
"Well, that's just me...the introverted bookworm...who is not too comfortable with strange people. In fact, I don't even know why I'm here. I mean I don't even drink much, and yet, for some reason when today's convention activities were over, I had this strong desire...almost a compulsion...to sit in this lounge. It felt like I was in some strange dream..."
"Then we must be sharing the same dream. When I woke up this morning, I had got this undeniable impulse to drive up the Coast to surprise my daughter and spend some time her family. Crissy always worries that I might be lonely and getting to depressed after my wife passed away a couple of years ago.
"Anyway, after driving all day, I get to this hotel that I have used on numerous occasions on my trips to see Crissy, and find out that the place is booked solid due to your book convention. I was told to check my bag and hang out in the lounge, and that I'd be called if there were any early checkouts.
"Then I walked into this lounge, and my eyes were immediately drawn to you, a total stranger. Jeez, I must have looked like some Asian stalker for you to notice me. In a way I couldn't help it because I had this irresistible urge to talk to you. That is something that I've never done before."
"Wow, what a weird day for you, Mike. I sure some room can be found in this hotel since tomorrow is only a half-day convention agenda. Hey, before I go any farther, I'm sorry to hear about your wife's passing."
"Why thank you, Rose. My wife, Amy, was a good woman, and we had some good years together. Do you know she chased me for nine years before catching me by getting pregnant with our daughter? Since I was without ties at the time, I let myself be drawn into her circle of family and friends while Crissy was growing up. Although I often felt like a moon orbiting Amy's world, I have to admit that Amy was a good mother and wife. Before she died of cancer, we were at a point where letting go was made easier.
"What about you, Rose? Are you married or in some kind of relationship, if you don't mind me asking?"
"I don't mind and wish I could say I was. But, nope, I don't have guys flocking to my door. Like you, I have no real ties and unfortunately, the right guy has never crossed my path. It doesn't help that I own a New Age bookstore in a sleepy little town know for its fishing and lumbering industries. The kind of men in such lines of work...well...they aren't exactly known for their yearning of esoteric knowledge and life mysteries; often smell extremely rank; and have no qualms belching or farting.
"When I first settled in my little town, I was the hippy-dippy outsider who sold incense, candles, and charms. Then as my book selection expanded to include spiritual, mystic, and holistic topics, I'm gradually became known as the 'weird and kooky' bookstore lady. Adding to my oddity was my tendency interject into a conversation whatever sentiment, a song lyric, or part of a poem that pops into my head. Anyway, my quirk added to my peculiarity and sometimes unsettled people
"Do you know that when my hair started to have white streaks, some town folk even went so far as to think that I looked like and then was some sort of 'witch?' I know that I'm not exactly the spiffiest dresser around and am somewhat homely, but being called a witch is a bit too much, don't you think? Anyway, I've put up with such nonsense and have lingered on the fringe of my town and its community as if waiting for something to happen."
"That I can understand since I seem to be marking time since Amy's passing. But, hey, if I can toss my two bits in, don't take what people say about you too hard, Rose. There will always be those who only look at a person's exterior, and not what's inside a person. They fail to see what makes a person truly unique and special.
"Although I have just met you, I can tell you that it wasn't your looks that I drew me to you. Rather - and I know that this will sound like a corny pick-up line - I felt like I've known you for quite a while."
"Mike, I know what you mean. Contrary to popular opinion, I can honestly say that I'm not so desperate to strike up a conversation with any man who crosses my path. Even though I am here chatting with you as if we're good friends, I am a rather reserved and private person."
"I completely understand, Rose. Things like this don't normally happen...and so fast...at least for me...and I'm pretty sure for you too. But, you must admit that our comfortableness with each other is... well...a bit unusual. I mean that here we are sitting and talking like we've know each other forever. I don't know how else to put it or what is happening, but it's like it was meant to be."
"Say, Mike, what I am about to say may sound really strange. I wouldn't blame you if you got up and walked away after hearing what I have l to say. But, I just read a book that might explain our situation. Have you ever heard of - 'past lives?'"
"Doesn't that have something to do with reincarnation? I know that when I was young, my Amah, my Chinese grandmother, used ramble on about karma and rebirth, telling me that my actions would impact my future life. Of course, at the time I couldn't figure out how I would get born again, and ultimately thought that she was warning me to mind my manners and later to stay out of trouble with the law."
"Hmmm, let me see if I can make it more understandable for you. Mike, human life is much too short to learn everything that a person needs to know to obtain enlightenment or completeness. As a result, humans are reborn numerous times until they learn what they need to know. In this sense, their actions in this life and previous live influence what needs to be learned and how many reincarnations they may have to undergo.
"Sometimes...just sometimes...couples find themselves in a situation where they cannot fulfill their destiny without each other. When this happens, the two souls come back together repeatedly, and with each reincarnation, they learn what they can from each other before they are separated once again by death.
"I know I sound like I'm some kind of major nut job...but...people who are meant to be together are drawn to each other. We don't exactly know why, but we know that we were somehow drawn together and that it is somehow right. Maybe, Mike, maybe we were meant to find each other... again.
"Mike? Please say something...just don't sit there. Let me know what you are thinking."
