Time Shift

As he waited he looked around at the different artworks on the wall and in his distraction bumped the customer in front of him with his painting. She turned around and he said, "I'm sorry, I was looking around instead of paying...Miss Victorian Lady." She just looked at him for a minute.

"You know me?"

"Well in a way I guess you could say that."

"Oh?"

"Call me Captain Morgan." She just looked at him, but a smile started to slowly appear. "I hope I didn't do any permanent damage with the ice cube."

"It really is you."

"In the flesh."

"I never would have guessed it. How did you know it was me?"

"Well I'm afraid your beauty is pretty hard to hide."

"Now that is a suave answer but it doesn't tell me anything."

"Okay I'll..."

Then in front of her the cashier impatiently said, "Excuse me may I help you?" Matt stopped talking and smiled. When she had paid for her purchase, she stepped to one side and waited until Matt had paid for his painting.

When he was done he stepped over to her and asked her, "Do you have time for coffee or a drink?"

"Not a lot, but we could go over to the food court."

"That will have to do then."

Once they had their coffee they found a table away from the main flow of traffic and sat down. "First of all my pretty lady would you tell me your first name? I hate to keep calling you Victorian."

"Laci."

"Nice to meet you Laci, and just to make it easy you can call me Matt. She extended her hand and they shook hands over the table.

"Okay now Matt, let's go back to what you started to say. How did you recognize me?"

"Well if I tell you you'll make sure it doesn't happen again, and then how will I ever be able to find you at the next Halloween party?"

"I don't think you can fool me twice."

"Oh okay. You have a very sexy mole over your left breast."

She smiled at him and said, "You're just too clever."

"You had me so entranced that I didn't miss much."

"Did you enjoy the party?"

"Yes I did. It was my first time there."

"Mine too. I couldn't believe how hedonistic it turned out to be."

"It was quite an event."

"You sure surprised me with that ice cube."

"Am I forgiven?"

"Of course, it was quite sexy actually, or more accurately your line was. I liked your costume too."

"Thank you. I felt pretty naked to tell you the truth."

"You looked pretty naked too. Did you see anybody you know?"

"Yes, I figured out a couple of them eventually. One of them was a neighbor, and he ended up with somebody other than his wife."

"I left not long after you did. It was a lot of fun but the later it got, the crazier the people seemed to get."

"I guess I left at a good time then."

"Do you think you'll go next year?"

"I was certain that I would at the time, but now I don't know. I'll just have to wait and see I guess. Will you?"

"I'm about like you. I think I'll wait to decide." The two of them talked for another ten minutes or so and then she said she had to finish her shopping. With a light embrace, they said their goodbyes and parted. Matt went home feeling pretty good about meeting Laci and about his purchase. He thought about calling Brittany, his sometimes girlfriend, but changed his mind.

Christmas was rapidly approaching and with the rush and crush of the holiday season he worried about shipping the painting. Especially considering that he'd waited so long to buy the gift. Christmas was Wednesday, so when he went to work on Monday he arranged to take Thursday and Friday off and take the painting up himself. It would give him something to do while everybody else was opening presents and eating too much. He could leave right after work and stop about half way and then finish on Christmas day. That would give him plenty of time to rest before driving home on Friday. He could call Emily while he was there, but he didn't want to intrude on her time with her family so he abandoned that idea.

Matt left work early Tuesday afternoon and headed north, making it as far as Lexington, Kentucky before calling it a night. Then Christmas morning he headed north again and arrived at his parent's house just after two o'clock. He set the painting up on a cheap easel that he'd bought so they would see it when they got home from Florida, and then grabbed a soda and tried to find something to watch on cable. Maybe he'd just head toward home and stop when he got tired. He went to his bedroom and repacked his suitcase and headed for the front door before he decided to call Emily and just leave her a holiday message. He really wanted to see her again but this wasn't the time to try for that.

He heard her phone ringing and when her machine answered he said, "Hi Emily, it's Matt. I just wanted to..."

He heard her pick up and answer, "Matt, what a nice surprise."

"I didn't expect to find you home."

"I've been home for a couple of hours."

"You done celebrating already?"

"All done, how's the weather down south?"

"Pretty nice I think, but I'm not sure. I'm at Mom and Dad's."

"I thought they went to Florida."

"They did, I just brought their gift up and was getting ready to head home."

"Without seeing me?"

"I was sure that you'd be with family all day."

"God no, six hours was enough."

"Want to get together for coffee or something?"

"I'd love it. Why don't I come over there since you just drove several hundred miles."

"I don't mind coming there, but I'll put the coffee on if that's what you'd prefer."

"I'll be there in about half an hour."

While he waited he took his suitcase back to his bedroom and then went to make coffee. When Emily arrived, they wished each other merry Christmas and shared a long embrace and a kiss before going for coffee. They didn't drink much because they were too busy talking and touching each other across the table. "You still have a room or have they turned it into an office or something?"

"No, my room is still there and intact. Want to see it again?"

She stood up and announced, "I'd love to." The two of them stood in the doorway to his room and looked at it.

"God, Matt this really is weird. It's your old room and you haven't changed much at all and all of those great memories are flooding back to me."

He slipped his arm around her waist and said, "Remember the time we were on the bed making out and Mom caught us?"

"She read us the riot act that day."

"She sure did."

"I also remember sitting on that bed and crying my eyes out the day we went our separate ways."

"I do too. I cried for an hour after that."

"Did you?"

"I sure did." In one smooth motion they turned to each other and shared another embrace before enjoying a long kiss.

Emily looked up at him and used her right hand to gently caress the side of his face. "Oh God Matt, this is all so incredible. This is like some kind of incredible time shift. Those seven years since we split are gone." She put his hand between her breasts and whispered, "Feel how my heart is racing?"

He did feel her heart and then he felt her breasts through her blouse just before they kissed again. The two of them fell onto his bed and were in the throes of lovemaking in minutes. Their hands were all over each other as they made love, changed positions, and made love again. When they could go no more, they lay together and he said, "Merry Christmas, honey."

"Oh Matt, remember when we made love in your Chevy?"

"Of course I do, it was on your birthday."

"Yes and you said, Happy birthday, honey."

"Yes, I do remember that."

"I was so in love with you." They lay there looking at each other for a very long time before she kissed him softly and looked into his eyes and said, "Matt, I still am in love with you." They kissed again and held each other tightly. It was only a minute later he told her, "Emily, I love you too."

"Oh Matt, are you sure? Can this really be happening?"

"I am sure and it really is happening." He kissed her quickly and smiled as he said, "Now about next year's Halloween party."

She smiled and said, "Yes, let's talk about next year."

The End.