This tale that I'm about to tell ought to be kept in a diary and left to remain there. If Alex, my husband, ever get to stumble his eyes upon it – I know there's absolutely no way that I'm going to tell him about it – there's going to be hell to pay. Still I can't shake off the day Charles stepped back into my world, so here I'm going to tell it all as it went down.
It was a hot and sunny day in the month of May, four and a half months ago. I was at work pouring through my office computer, trying hard not to think about my upcoming wedding which was two weeks down the road. Already I've been working hard getting things set for the scheduled date. I was just as excited and couldn't wait for the day to arrive. Alex too couldn't wait; we'd already booked ourselves a one-week honeymoon trip in Vail, and then another in Baja – courtesy of Alex's rich folks of course – and just the thought of being a married woman was all the spark I needed to keep myself shinning for the rest of the year.
My face was still glued to my computer screen when my cell phone started ringing, startling me. At first I figured it would only be Alex, calling to check up on me, see how I was doing and if maybe I could meet him for lunch. I couldn't have been farther from the truth and I just about gasped when I recognised the number that was calling me.
Charles. Oh my God, Charles!
I was double-minded whether or not to answer it. Now that I think back on it, this was the beginning of a string of events which I later realised would have taken my life unto a different route had I not answered the call. Old time's sake was probably the reason why I did.
"Hello," said I.
"How're you doing, Vicky?" Charles' voice floated into my ear. The sound of his voice stirred a lot of feelings inside me. Much of it animalistic feelings: the type that can only be gotten when your former lover calls on you from out of the blue.
"I'm doing alright, Charles. Long time no see."
"Same here. How're you been, girl?"
"I'm fine, thanks. And how about you?"
"Same old, same old. Just living life one day at a time. It's been a long while."
"Gosh, I'll bet. Where have you been all this time?"
"I'll tell you about it if you'd care to meet me for lunch."
I paused for a moment. This was where I ought to have said I'm sorry, Charles, but I can't do that. I've got loads of work to do...
Instead I said: "Sure, tell me where."
The restaurant cafe was almost a block away from where my office was. I decided to walk it since it wasn't that far, and my intention was that I would be back behind my desk on or before one o' clock. Once again I was wrong, but at the moment how was I to know how the day would go.
I spotted Charles easily as he was seated by the window sipping a drink. I felt buoyed just standing there observing him. Even though it's been almost a year since last time I saw him he still was as handsome as always. Charles had been my last lover before I ran into Alex. Although there have been a couple of one-night stands in between, but he was the one person I'd missed deeply and had Alex not stumbled my way, I doubt if I ever would have gotten over him. Tall, chocolate-brown skin, shaved head, excellent lover in and out of bed ... tell me what else would any woman want?
I pushed through the glass door of the restaurant and waved at him. He looked up from his drink and waved back. He rose to his feet as I approached and opened his arms for me to hug him. I felt him press my body towards his. We stood like that for almost a minute, and I figured he was just as reluctant to let me go as I also was, but eventually we both did. I ordered something to eat just as we sat down and started catching up on old times. I was still reeling with the surprise of seeing him after so long, I couldn't stop myself from touching his hand ... but still, how was I to know.
Charles was a freelance journalist. He told me he'd been under contract with an NGO organisation based in the U.K.