Unloved (Part 5)

James sat restlessly while watching American Idol, and chuckled to himself as he sat hypnotized by the contestant that was oddly horrific at singing. The door swing open, James seemed to jump at the sound that brought him out of the current state of mind. "James! I'm home, sorry I was so late how-" Elizabeth paused as he caught a glimpse of James on the couch. She was awestruck; never had she payed attention to his left undamaged side. He was beautiful. His hazel eyes were like fire, full of energy. His jaw was strong, a true man. His nose was straight and tall, perfectly aligned. His features seemed to go together as pieces from a puzzle. She came to a conclusion, James was a man who let his mood get the best of him. She thought back to the time when they were both in college, good friends. What had happened to him? What happened to the man who had a cup overflowing with confidence? She sighed out loud and caught herself staring expressionless at James. He raised and eyebrow at her and came to grab her bags.

"Someone's daydreaming today," he winked. Elizabeth forgot her troubles for that split second and gathered herself together.
"Sorry I'm later, I-" she paused to decide whether or not she should tell him, the answer was no, "I met traffic, you know how Main Street is." she smiled. He didn't reply, he nodded and continued to take the bags into the kitchen. "I'm warning you James, I'm a mean cook, stay outta my workshop-even if it's your house and all." James chuckled a soft, warm chuckle and continued watching television.

In the kitchen, Elizabeth struggled to find all the tools needed for her dinner, and silently laughed when she found them. When she was sure everything was absolutely perfect, she brought everything outside to the couch. The suede cream colored couch creaked as Elizabeth sank into the soft cushioning. "Here you go Mr.Mysterious, medium rare cooked to perfect perfection." she smiled, almost a snarl from feeling proud at herself for creating dinner. James seemed to realize her excitement and returned a smile, less mocking but still letting her know he was amused. They ate in silence for a while until Elizabeth reached for the wine, suddenly, James laughed in an uproar as she looked to find the source of his laughter. She too, laughed, but unfortunately, snorted and had the wine come back out her nose.

"Might I say Liz, you're the first woman that I've seen to snort out wine-pretty amusing actually." James frozed, engaged in thought, then frowned and continued his chuckling. The two laughed until nighttime came around and James excused himself to his bedroom. Seeing there was nothing else to do, Elizabeth too, returned to her room. She lay motionless, staring absent-mindedly at the ceiling. Suddenly, the familiar lullaby came on, except with different lyrics,

"Can't you see, you're the only for me. Now you're gone the sky is gone too, all with you.." the lyrics went on as well as the melody as Elizabeth lay still staring out her window, hoping she would find the man in the lit room. The music went on, and so did her hopes.

To be continued....

Unloved (Part 4)

"James, I'm gonna head out and make you dinner tonight, so don't eat until I get home, alright?" Elizabeth grabbed the keys and dashed out the door, stuffing the plate of food down her throat, "By the way, this is delicious! Thank you so much James!" As soon as Elizabeth left the door, James sank down in the sofa chair in front of the television. He sat still-a statue almost, staring blankly at the flat screen 42" television, deep in thought. He hadn't let go of that Summer day yet, and Melody nonetheless. Suddenly, he ran from the living room to the restroom and stopped when he found the mirror. He looked closely, as if he didn't recognize his reflection, and stroked the right side of his face. Since the accident, the right side of his face has numerous scars, not exactly horrifying, but James had curcled in on himself and didn't allow himself back on his legs. He stared for a minute, laughing, as if he found it humorous, but he sighed and stroked his cheek.

"A man's scar is a man's medal," he mumbled quietly.

Elizabeth was out on the town at Albertsons trying to find ingredients for James's dinner. She stopped at the steak refridgerator and stood deep in thought. In the corner of the store on top of the refridgerator was a mirror, one that was bent into a bulbous shape. In the corner of her eye, she could see a man, but when she was absolutely sure her mind was clear, she took another glance-nothing. "My paranoia is getting worse day by day.." she continued to shop. She grabbed a blood soaked styrofoam tray that had two steaks, a few spices, a bottle of Berry's wine, and checked out. By the time she finished, the sky had become dark. The sky was dark, clouds blocked out the moon, and cold winds blew violently. She got near to the end of the parking lot, under the parking lot light was the red BMW convertible, James's car. As she began to the load the trunk, a man grabbed her from behind the waist, "Miss, you better tell that weeping boyfriend of yours that he better pay up before you and him both become like that bitch last Summer!". Elizabeth was then freed, but when she turned with horrified eyes, the man was gone. The drive home was tedious; Elizabeth's mind was running with thoughts of what the man had meant, but it did not come clear-the pieces did not fit.

To be continued.....

Blinded.

The night an everlasting black
No thoughts, just darkness
The moon was nowhere to be seen
The stars shone violently,
But it was only a faint glow

Then a meteor shot across
The sky lit with love and hope
The stars seemed to set fire
Suddenly, the night was bearable
The night was lit

But the meteor fell over the horizon
Soon, the stars were gone
Just a faint murmur of existence
Nothing had changed
But she was blinded

She could not see
For the light had blinded her
Her sky was gone
Never the same again
Just the memory of existence

Unloved (Part 3)

James sat motionless on the corner of his bed. His mind was running with thoughts of Melody. Melody was beautiful, her smile took everyone's breath away and to James, she was the sun to his sky. Without her, he was a sad useless man. The Summer Melody was murdered was the same day James was left with a scarred face-and heart.

After work, James came home with flowers and chocolate to make up with Melody after the couple fought. As he walked into the her home, he found the door open-unlocked. He called out, "Honey! Melody! Look what I brought you!" but there was no reply. Just the silence and the sound of his heart beating loudly. He slowly walked up the stairs as they groaned in reply and went into Melody's bedroom. There, he found her laying motionless and stabbed in the heart. Before he could even react, a man dressed in black appeared in the doorway and that's when James became unconscious. That Summer, he was a prime suspect in the case of Melody's murder. He went through hard times and quit his job as head of the Commerce Bank and rot away at home. His life was a living hell. Being questioned by the FBI multiple times a day. Until the Winter of 2008, he was proved innocent in Melody's case, but the murderer was never found.

In Elizabeth's room, she was sound asleep until she woke up at the sound of a guitar strumming past the decorated walls of her room. The sun wasn't up yet, but she opened up the small window and listened closer. The sound came from the next window, but she couldn't quite make out the charming player from the light. The mysterious man sang quietly, as if to himself-a lullaby, "I'll never forget that smile that lit my sky, the laugh that filled up the room.." she lay awake until the sun rose, listening to melody that filled her small room and eventually, she fell asleep.

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!" Elizabeth woke to the sounding alarm next to her bed-startled.

"Some damn alarm," she mumbled. She slipped on a red robe and tied it around her waist. To her surprise, she awoke to James behind the stove, staring with full concentration at the pan with eyes that seemed to drill a hole through it, intensity. "Ahem, Mr.Mysterious, the poor pan is going to die of a heart attack if you stare at it any longer." she joked. He jumped, startled by her sudden appearance and cleared his throat.

"Oh, right, sorry. I thought I should've cooked you some breakfast, you look exhausted. Any sleep last night?" James stared at Elizabeth with concern and authority, head titled and angled toward the pan, one eye paying attention to Elizabeth. Absent minded, she replied,

"Mkay, thanks. I do feel hungry, but if you need to go it's fine with me." she took another glance at James and smiled, then continued to examine the room with intense curiosity. The small apartment had a charm to it. She couldn't explain it, but the balcony door wall was made out of stone bricks and the other side of the room was painted black, with a quote.

"No home is completed without love. My life is incomplete without you." Then on the other corner of the room, it was a bright yellow, the kind of yellow that gave you hope. Yellow, with pictures of James with a band called The Forgotten.

"Some creativity is going on here," she thought.

"Liz, I have a long day ahead of me, and if you need to go out for anything, feel free to take the car if you don't have one. I'm just going to lay low in my house, find some bandage for this-marking." he smiled a bright smile, one with excitement. James handed her a plate with scrambled eggs, a pancake, and some bacon.

"Hope she isn't startled by it," thought James. His mind was busy today, many thoughts and "what ifs" as well as memories that he didn't want to remember. He didn't want to head out and face the world.

Unloved (Part 2)

Jame's suddenly broke out in laughter, and then cleared his throat and tried to contain himself. "I'm sorry Liz, but I'm pretty surprised you didn't run away yet, let alone see me another time." he smiled a heart warming smile.
"Ah, yes, well that's where you're wrong James, I'm moving in." and she returned a smile.
"Moving in huh yee-" but once again, Elizabeth stopped him.
"Well, seeing your inconvenience of getting out and that I currently need a home, I was hoping-" she paused, "well, I was hoping that since we both sort of kind of need each other, we could rely on each other." it seemed almost as if she was asking for approval. James searched through his mind, trying to find the correct answer, and chuckled,
"Well, sure, but I'm not exactly the best person to be around, a beast if you must." he ran his fingers through his hair as small raindrops flew off the top of his auburn hair that was in knots. He took a good look at Elizabeth. She wasn't at all like he had remembered. She stood tall in her black boots and broad shoulders, a woman of confidence. Her hair was a chocolate-brown in wavy locks, and that's when he stared into her eyes. They were a hazel shade on the edges and a shattered green in the middle-that's when he lost his train of thought. Her lips were full, a pink glossy edge to it. His jaw seemed to drop open, but then he cleared his throat again and glanced at her with apologetic eyes, she seemed to understand. James laughed to break the silence and pulled her bags inside.
"So, where's my bedroom Mr.Mysterious?" she took a glance at all the pictures on his table that were covered in dust and spider webs. "Neglected," she thought. A few pictures seemed to stand out from the rest to Elizabeth. As she got closer to take a look, James dashed over and yanked the picture frames away from the top of the fireplace and set them in a drawer. "What was that for?" she questioned.
"It's nothing important." he answered coldly. James headed inside and pretended to ignore Elizabeth. Elizabeth settled in a small room at the end of the hall that had one small window high up near the ceiling and a small bookshelf at one end of the room. That night, she couldn't sleep. She knew she could not ignored James's reaction when she had taken notice to the picture, but also the context of the picture. James was happy, unscarred, with a strangely breath-takingly beautiful woman. For once, James seemed-happy.

To be continued....

Success.

How can the fortunate find success?
Do you fish for it in the sea?
Can you find it in others?

In today's world
The lion devours the lamb
As the lamb struggles to get on its feet

The weaker die and drown
While the shark swims around

Success is not a secret
It's for those who seek it and believe it

We live it and breathe it
But when do we receive it?

Success is a recipe for perseverance
For those who want to reach it
For those who dare to need it

Where does civilization end
And where does survival of the fittest begin?

Because in today's world
I would lose
And they would win

Unloved

He looks for love in the dark alleyways of Boston. He is a man who cannot find love, for who would love a foul, ugly beast? He walks through the crowded streets- alert. Strangers pass by gawking as if he were a creature, some trembling, others pointing and picking up their speed. He turns around and heads home in the same repetitive mood he was in yesterday. "The same damn routine! The same repetitive lifestyle! Where is the excitement! Where is my reason to live?!" He thought. Just as he gets inside, the rain starts picking up as he dashes in. He slowly stumbles over to his old antique telephone that sits on his table lamp and begins listening to the voice messages.
"James! You better repay your debt or so help me god, you will be running around headless!" cries a man. The voice didn't seem human, almost a growl. James groans as he drags his body away from the faint lamp and sits on the corner of his bed. He slides off his bed and sits motionless on the ground, hands between his knees and eyes full of tears, running his hand through his hair- he sits and waits.

Morning breaks through the windows as James gets up to face his reflection in the mirror. He flinches as he takes a look, "Another mournful day I must live," he thought. Suddenly, a knock from outside his small apartment fills the room. With another groan, he pulls his feet to take him to the door. Hiding his face behind the door, he slowly opens it. "Hey, it's Elizabeth from college, remember me?" a high pitched voice echoed in the halls of the apartment and James begins to grimace.
"Yes, well hi there Liz, it's great seeing you. How's it going?" James managed to groan out.
"Well it'd be easier if you got out from behind that door you know." Elizabeth smiled. James hesitated, and began moving slowly as if with caution and stepped out into the sun. He began to flinch away, but Elizabeth grabbed him by the hand. She seemed a little surprised, but gathered herself together. "My, I heard about- the accident, and you have nothing to worry about. I'm here for you, anytime and anywhere. That scar is something I'll have to get used to sooner or later, you know."
"G-g-get used to? What-" but Elizabeth stopped him.
"You know, you don't think this is the last time we're gonna talk right? You're one lonely man by yourself James. I'm here to save the damsel in distress, you know, come to your rescue. It'll all make sense, I promise." Elizabeth

To Be Continued....