Only you, just you

Some Enchanted Evening Part two

                                       'I've been looking for pieces of you everywhere I go and in the eyes of everyone I meet.
                                                          Until I decided to look within and found you in my heart.
                                 You left a part of your self in my soul. Oh my love , your love reaches places I never knew existed.
                               I love you in me and I love me in you. We are unique and divine. We are one!'   Author unknown

    Poppy stood in the middle of the piazza waiting anxiously for Rey to return.

      She didn't know what she was more annoyed about. Missing out on her delicious Italian dinner or  imagining never seeing Rey again. For all she knew Rey could have found him and forgotten all about her friend standing alone, by herself, in a foreign country.

      Poppy breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw Rey limp slowly through the crowd. The look on her face was all that Poppy needed to know that the mystery man remained a mystery.

      As she got closer, Poppy saw the look of sheer exhaustion and despair on her tear stained face.

       "What happened?"  She asked as she ran up to Rey. "I was so worried."  Poppy frowned when she noticed the reason Rey was  limping she was missing a shoe, but then this was Rey and she was not surprised. Stranger things have happened.

      "I don't know. He just .. just... vanished into thin....thin air."   Rey  couldn't help the catch in her voice. She was past caring if people stared at her as she cried.  There was no hope left. He was gone and she was never going to find him.

      No. Now wait just a minute! A small voice screams inside her head.

She would never admit defeat.  She gathered her stubborn determination and perseverance and used them, for all that they were worth.

"Okay, here's what I think we should do. Let's rent a car, set up a loud speaker and drive around and shout out his name!"

    "Oh dear." Poppy could see as plain as day Rey had gone around the bend. " I think we need a Psychiatrist."

    "How is a Psychiatrist gonna find him?"  Rey sniffled at this.  Then she got a brilliant idea.
         "Maybe if I look up every hotel in Rome......"
She limped as fast as she could , forgetting her painful ankle, to a vendor selling cheep tourist trinkets , postcards and hotel  brochures, leaving Poppy to stare at her in bewilderment.

  "Excuse me, Ma'm?"

  A deep masculine voice spoke behind Poppy and she turned to look up into whiskey brown eyes.

" I think this shoe belongs to your friend. I wanted return it."

   "Oh wow, thanks." Poppy was impressed that this tall  dark and handsome stranger had rescued Rey's shoe and brought it back.   Most people wouldn't have cared.

   The tall dark and handsome stranger remained standing next to her but his eyes followed to where Poppy was looking. There was the girl in the red dress. Her back to them as she purchased a small book .

     "Hey, is your friend okay?" He asked with concern.  Poppy looked at him again and was relieved that she could understand him. He was  American thank god.

    "Oh yeah, she's just chasing down the man of her dreams. Her destiny."  Poppy scoffed. She felt ridiculous telling this handsome stranger their crazy story , but he asked so she'd tell him.  Poppy smiled ruefully, " We've been all over Italy trying to find this guy and he keeps getting away."

Chasing a name, ridiculous.

    "Maybe I could help.... I have friends at the embassy. I could ..."

   He was interrupted when Rey came back and she looked up at the man talking calmly to her sister in law.  "Thank you." She said to him dismissively. She wanted to get rid off this guy so she could continue her search.

        "Here's your shoe." He bent down and with gentle fingers picked up her foot and slipped the shoe back on her foot. Rey looked at the man in shocked surprise. What in the heck was he doing ?

   "Kinda sweet huh?" Poppy said grinning, thinking the situation looked like Prince Charming had finally found his princess and was placing the glass slipper on  Cinderella's slender foot.

    The mysterious man hadn't seen Rey's face properly until now.  A  ethereal light from the moon shown on Rey's face and in that moment he had found her.  The woman of his dreams. He couldn't let her get away.

    "Poppy we need to keep looking for Poe." If anything Rey was tenacious in her search. You had to admire her for that.

   The tall man looked at her and spoke .  " Poe? Um, that's my name. Poe Dameron at your service."
Poppy's mouth fell open in shock, then she noticed the blue blazer he was wearing.

It was him!

    Rey gasped and turned to him, looking at him with new eyes. Then without warning she fainted .  He caught her in his arms exclaiming, "Ah, this is a first!"

Apparently he had never had a beautiful woman literally fall into his arms before.

      When she woke a few moments later , she saw his face hovering close, concern etched deeply in his eyes.

  *************

      They strolled hand in hand, through the  Trastevere  neighborhood , passed ivy encrusted alley ways and hidden cafes to the Gianivolo Hill.  The view was breathtaking.
Lights from the ancient city sparkled and shimmered in the balmy evening.  Rey loved  this view. And standing next to Poe made the sight even more beautiful.

    They talked about themselves. Sharing their life stories. It came as no surprise to Rey that he loved poetry and opera.

      "Who's your favorite?" He asked her as they came to a fountain, gurgling pleasantly.

    She had to stop and admired the fine craftsmanship of the fountain and considered her answer. Water splashed on her face , causing  her to laugh. Poe fell in love  with that sweet sound and marveled to see her face light up with joy.

    "I'd have to say 'Rumi'.  She smiled at a memory she had of her favorite poem. " I know he lived like hundreds of years ago but what he said still is true today."

      She got a far away look in her eye as if she were trying to remember something then spoke.  " Love calls, everywhere and always.We're sky bound . Are you coming?"

At the  last sentence Poe joined her. He also knew this one.  "How 'd you know that?" He was pleasantly surprised she would be able to quote that poem by heart.

   "Oh I could tell you lots of things. I actually teach him. I'm a philosophy teacher."

He was definitely impressed. Not everyone knew Rumi.
    They continued to walk until they heard music. One lone man was playing a saxophone to a empty street.
'How funny' Rey thought. This was her favorite song. 

   Poe took her hand and placed it on his shoulder, and circled her waist with his warm hand. He pulled her close into his chest. 'Hey,this is my favorite song in the whole world." She said  with a chuckle.

       He looked down into her astonished face. "Mine too." 

Could there have been a more romantic setting?  She couldn't think of one as he hummed in her ear, causing her to shiver in delight.

  This was an 'Enchanted Evening' for certain.