 | I could still hear Eddie's voice screaming out those last words to me, "I'M GOIN TO MARRY YOU THERESE!!!!" I couldn't believe what he said. Did this guy just ask me to marry him? Wait, no. He demanded to marry me. What did those words mean to him? Was it just for the moment, or is he going to keep his promise given to me on that haunting day? I don't know. It didn't matter. It doesn't matter. Whether I felt happy that he wanted me as his wife, or sad that I couldn't be his wife, all in all, it didn't matter.
What was I supposed to do? I had a life here in NY and he had a life there in London. The time and love we spent together was amazing and honestly, I didn't even know a love like this existed until I met Eddie... but all that was just a dream, this is the part when we wake up. THIS is my reality now.
Back at home, I'd pretend as if nothing happened. I'd tell my family all about the beautiful scenes of London, and I'd show them pictures of the places I explored and visited. I told them all the wonderful things about London, leaving out my own wonderful love I experienced with Eddie. I figured, if I forgot about him sooner, the easier it will be to move on. I walked around with a plastic face, looking fake and happy, when deep inside, I was dying. I looked forward to everynight because nightime gave me the oppurtunity to dream and when I dreamed, I found a way to escape from this world and into a another one, a better one.....with Eddie. My dreams at night gave me the oppurtunity to be someone else, anyone else... but myself. In my dreams, Eddie and I would be dancing under the stars forever and he'd be holding me tight, never wanting to let me go, and... I'd be married to him. I wouldn't care where we lived, as long as we were together, and of course, we lived happyily ever after.
God, was it supposed to end up like this? Do we fall in love just so in the end we could go back to our miserable and unhappy selves? No! I wasn't "miserable" or "unhappy" before I met Eddie! What was happening to me? I'm not this depressed person, I don't cry myself to sleep over a past relationship! Let me explain why I've come to be such a bitter person. You see...
Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. Months turned into years: two years precisely. Yes, two years have passed now, and never a call OR a letter ever come from Eddie. NOT A SINGLE ONE. I don't know why I was so naive and dumb before. At first I thought something must have gone wrong with the mail delivery, but yet, still no letter. THEN I thought something terrible must have gone wrong with Eddie, himself. He loves me, and I love him... but too much time has passed by... and I've realized... he has forgotten about me. He probably moved on with his life, being the upperclass citizen that he is, with his father owning a museum and all, he must have found someone more "suitable" for him according to class and wealth. I don't know. Why am I talking like this? Clearly you can see that I'm angry, but you'll never hear me saying that I don't love Eddie anymore. I just have hatred in my heart, not for Eddie, but for this world! Why do things have to be this way? Do happily ever after endings only happen in fairytales... or movies... or stories we read when we were little? This isn't fair, life isn't fair.
What hurt the most was the fact that there never came a night when I didn't dream about him. Over and over again, I'd have the same dream... we'd be dancing until the break of dawn, and he'd be holding me so tight, never wanting to let me go. And then.... I'd wake up. This was torture! My girlfriends tried their best to cheer me up, and many offers in regards to dating always came up. But one by one, I declined every single of them. I don't want anyone else but Eddie.
Everything changed in my life, except my love for history. If anything, history saved me from growing even more insane! Whenever I was sad, I'd escape myself into my old hisotry books and continue in being fascinated by the past of other people, as long as it wasn't mine. I decided to make myself happy, I'm not like the person who stays home everynight wishing to die. SO I became more active in this organization, I joined, called the American All-Star History League(ASHL). It was a national club, basically, where teachers from all over volunteered their time and work to tutor and well, teach(duh) troubled students from all over the country, their love for history. I started off as a student and eventually, I became one of the teachers.
This was the same organization that made me a foreign exchange student and brought me to London, and to Eddie. I've been in this organization for practically all my life, and I loved every moment of it. Unlike everything else, I found refuge in it. As a hstory teacher, I found my lost happiness.
Once, in every two years, the ASHL would hold a formal banquette. This year, the theme was 'Medieval Times'. No, not the entertaining food festival. There would be dancing and entertainment and food... all planned to depict life and how it was in the Medieval Times. I decided to wear this beautiful goldish beige dress. I felt like a princess in it! It was tight and fit all my curves at the top, and then flowed down gracefully to the floor. Just try to imagine Belle's dress, in 'Beauty and the Beast', it looked almost exactly like that, gloves, hair and all. My earrings and my necklace was all I wore as my jewelry. They were simple, and yet, extravagant and elegant. Eddie always said he loved simplictiy, he said it was natural beauty that attracted him so much. Anyway, I was actually lookng forward for this dinner. I was going to meet people all over the United States, some new, some old, but overall, I was looking to have some fun, and enjoy myself.
I arrived at the dinner around Seven (my father drove me in his beat-up cadillac... so much for "making an entrance"). The place looked amazng! It was like a castle, and I have to say... I'm impressed. Although it was only Seven, night fell quickly and the stars and the moon shone perfectly down on me in the dark sky. A cool breeze ran through my hair, and it felt good. Wow, this feels familiar.
I guess I was pretty late, because when the doors opened to let me in, I saw a million heads turn to look at me! Damn, I don't work good under pressure, stop staring at me people! I smiled my warm yet nervous smile, and everyone stared at me a little bit more but then got tired and went along doing whatever it was they were dong before I walked in. It was funny because I saw these girls giving me a stare-down, whispering to each other, "Who is that? Who... is... she?" I smiled. 'Yea, that's right, be jealous. Envy, don't hate. Haha no I'm kidding.' Finally I saw a group of people I knew and I did my thing. I was happy, I mingled, I ate, I talked, I danced, I was happy. The room was, literally, one big castle, or for a more appropriate word, a manor. classy and elegant tables were scattered throughout the whole room with flowers and decorations and candles. In the center, was the dancefloor, and nstead of there being a DJ, there was an orchestra playing heavenly music. I enjoyed myself, and for the first time, I think I forgot about Eddie.
The choreography and dancing was amazing. It wasn't difficult to catch on to the dance moves, and it wasn't long before I was being called, "The Belle of the Ball." On the dancefloor, I laughed and twirled and waltzed gracefully all over. Each turn, I had a different partner to do the waltz with, that's how it was like in Medieval parties or celebrations. I danced with Louie, then Michael, and then... I danced with someone who looked strangely familiar, but I couldn't see his face... it was covered with a mask. Those damn masks. He held me close around the waist, it felt unusual, but again, familiar. His height, his smell, his touch, they all reminded me of Eddie. What's going on, am I going crazy now? "You seem familiar, do know you?" I asked in French. f this person was Eddie, he'd know what I was saying.
The man didn't say a word.
"Have we met before?" I asked again.
He still didn't say a word. I was getting rather impatient so I decided to give up, this isn't Eddie. I thought I could forget about him, but it's no use, I never will... because i don't want to. So finally I spoke to the man in english:
"I'm sorry. I must have mistaken you for someone else; Someone... I used to know... but anyway, you must be new. I'm---" I didn't get to finish. The orchestra music changed, motioning for the partners to switch. As was on the verge on switching to a new partner, the man I was with spoke!
"Yes, I'd like that, Therese," he let me go and disapeared into the crowd. I thought to myself, 'that guy was shady as hell, he couldn't even talk to me until the last minute, while I'm busting my butt trying to make a decent conver--wait a second, HOW'D HE KNOW MY NAME?!'
Eddie? EDDIIE! I know it's him, so I searched frantically for him through the crowd. Unfortunately, it was, like always, no use, I lost him. I must be going crazy, why and HOW could Eddie be here in the States? I sat down at my table, leaning my head on my hand looking sad all over again. No more dancing for me tonite.
All of a sudden, I get a tap on my rght shoulder. I turn around to see that same man!
"Come with me," he said, taking my hand and leading me somewhere eagerly.
"What? No, I don't even know you. Where are you taking me? This is crazy. I'm going crazy." And yet, his hand remained on mine leading me outside of the main hall, away from all the people and into a different empty room, where it was just me and him.
Once I entered the room, I struggled my way out of his grasp, and said, "Who are you?" He stood still, leaning aganst the wall, just looking at me.
"You haven't changed at all, Therese." he said, and smiled. It was him, it was Eddie. I know that smile, and I know this feeling Eddie always had on me. My heart beats fast, and I get nervous, and I could feel butterflies all over my stomach. I gasped, covering my hand with my mouth, and then... I jumped and leapt into Eddie, threw my arms around him and kissed him. Slowly, I took off his mask, and I could see in his eyes, he missed me as much as I missed him. He took me outside at the balcony, where we kissed some more, and just like it was in my dream, we danced under the stars and the moon. We held each other, never intending to ever let go. I had so many questions before, but none of that matters now, we're back!
You would have thought my story ended here. But you're wrong. As the dancing came to an end, I opened my mouth to speak, but my words were interupted by the door behind me opening, by a woman. I turned around to see an innocent-looking girl starng at me and Eddie, and she spoke:
"Eddie, my love... the car awaits."
I let go of Eddie only to stare at him questionably. Did this woman just call Eddie, MY EDDIE, "my love"?
Eddie looked at me and said barely in a whisper, "Therese, meet my fiance."
To Be Continued...
Submitted by Therese |  |
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