Living Again

Part 2

     The year passed, and they saw in the new year at a night club. After the midnight kiss to welcome in 1985 David said to Angela, "Do you know we've been together nearly ten months. I love you so much. I was lonely and depressed before I met you. Life was really getting me down, but now I feel like I'm living again. Is it too soon to ask you to marry me?"

He didn't get the response he hoped for. Her happy smile disappeared and a look of sadness passed over her face. "Yes, David, it is too soon. Let's give it some time, don't think about the future just yet. Let's live for the moment."

He dropped the subject and her happy mood returned.

They grew closer together in the following months, and in March, one year after they had met Angela moved into David's unit. Ten months of happiness followed and in January they went out for dinner on her thirtieth birthday. She didn't seem as happy as he had expected and when they drank a toast and he said "here's to another year," she looked worried.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, "You seem worried about the future. You're not sick are you? Please don't tell me you have cancer or something."

"Of course not silly, I promise you I'm in perfect health."

"Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just think all of us are lucky each birthday that we've lived another year in this wonderful world."

"Yes, you're right." He didn't push the subject further.

From then on she seemed to change. She still smiled and laughed, but not as much as before, and it often seemed forced. She was less talkative and often seemed distracted. Though he tried over and over, he couldn't get out of her what was wrong. He didn't dare mention the marriage subject again. They didn't go out as much anymore, and even their regular walks by the river were reduced to the occasional Sunday. It went on like this for the whole year, and she didn't want to go out on New Year's eve as they had on the previous two years, so they stayed at home. But as her birthday approached on January 29th she seemed to brighten up.

At her birthday dinner she looked happier than he had seen her for months. After her third glass of wine she exclaimed happily "I've never been thirty one before! I made it!"

"Of course you did," David said, puzzled at her remark. "Why wouldn't you? Are you sure there isn't something you're not telling me?"

She didn't seem to hear him and said "David sweetheart, let's go dancing."

They found a club, and after another two drinks made their way onto the dance floor. There wasn't a band, the music was supplied by a DJ. After a couple of songs, some slower music came on and the first song made Angela exclaim with delight. As "Islands in the Stream" played she held David and whispered "Hold me close, don't ever let me go."

He couldn't fathom her sudden change, but he couldn't be happier at the transformation and he held her tight.

Later in the taxi on the way home she said "David, remember the question you asked me on new year's eve two years ago?"

"Yes," he almost stammered in anticipation. "I asked you to marry me."

"Ask me again, darling."

With his heart in his mouth he spoke the words he had been saving for so long. "Angela, will you become my wife and spend the rest of your life with me?"

"Yes, David, yes, yes, yes!"

They held each other close, and when the taxi arrived at their unit the taxi driver beamed at them and gave his congratulations.

The next few weeks passed like a dream. Angela was happier than David had ever seen her. Their friends were all delighted, and at the engagement party David and Angela announced that they planned an October wedding.

"Let's get married in the Botanic Gardens by the river, it's so beautiful there," Angela said one evening a few days later.

"We'll have the wedding anywhere you desire, sweetheart," David replied. "The Botanic Gardens by the river will be wonderful."

*****
As David and Angela made their wedding plans a woman in long blue robes sat at a table in a darkened room illuminated only by a lamp covered by a purple cloth. She sat with her eyes closed as she meditated, while holding a crystal ball in her hands turning it over and over. Then she opened her eyes and turned over six cards all depicting different symbols. She studied them, then closed her eyes again. A bright light slowly moved across her vision field.

"Could it be?" she muttered to herself. She looked again at the cards.
"Yes," she murmured, "The mysterious visitor is returning. It will be here very soon."

*****
A week later David and Angela were strolling arm in arm along a street on their way back to their unit after having dinner at a nearby restaurant.

"I just realised that today is our third anniversary, sort of," Angela remarked.

"How do you figure that?"  David asked.

"Well today is the twenty sixth of March, and that's three years to the day that we met for the second time at that cafe near the river and went for a walk together and realised we were destined to be together."

"Yes, destined to be together," David murmured thinking back to that wonderful day. "Happy third anniversary, my love. Wow! Look up there in the sky, it's like fireworks to celebrate our anniversary."

They gazed up to see a bright point of light like a sky rocket moving quickly across the sky leaving a faint trail of smoke. It disappeared a few seconds later.

"It's a meteor," David explained, "Look, there's another one over there. I read in this morning's paper that a comet is passing close to the earth and as we pass through its tail we'll see more meteors than usual. Angie, what's wrong?"

Angela had stopped with a look of fear on her face. "David, I've seen it before, twice before. I saw bright lights in the sky like these ones, just before I had the fall, and then the time I got really sick, and....no, no, no, it's going to happen again!"

"What's going to happen again? What are you talking about?"

At that moment there was a loud crash at a nearby intersection. Two cars had collided and one came skidding wildly out of control onto the footpath right towards them.

Please go on to Part 3, but don't forget to vote first.
Thanks guys :)