The crown of life

Chapter Nine: The last letter and the first kiss in Stephanie's life

I entered Central Park and started walking, trying to convince myself that what I was doing was not crazy, but it was to no avail. I still believed that this was total madness and that I would leave here with a broken heart, but I decided to make the most of these few hours of my stay in New York, in my hometown, because this might be my only chance to see him.

I took a deep breath of the air around me. Everywhere I saw couples in love holding hands and girls holding red roses in their hands.

I was glad that none of them paid attention to the right part of my face, which I covered with my golden hair already in my apartment.

I was walking and admiring that wonderful and big Central Park. Then I smelled a nice smell of hot dogs and suddenly felt a terrible hunger for food that I hadn't felt since dinner, which was like every night a box of vanilla ice cream.

I went towards that smell because I decided to buy myself a hot dog and eat it with pleasure.

I stood in a long line for a hot dog stand that moved quickly, so in 10 minutes I got my hot dog and ate it on the bench.

When I threw the bag in the trash, I went to the Zoo to see some wild but trained animals.

The seal splashed me with water, ruining the purple long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans I wore to meet Richard this morning. But I can't be angry with that sweet animal, so I quickly gave him a hand of peace, which he touched with his fin.

I did not enter a house with snakes and other insects because I am afraid of them.

The giraffe touched my scalp with its tongue and made me laugh heartily.

When I finally reached the king of animals, I bowed to him, and when I stood up and looked into the lion's eyes, I saw that he had a scar on the left side of his face.

For a moment I wondered if he was fighting for his lioness or maybe he was defending her from other lions, and that's how he earned that scar, or if it was something completely different.

After I finally left the zoo, it was already half past two on my cell phone, I was getting a little nervous about meeting him.

An hour and a half later:

The cell phone showed three o'clock, and my heart was beating fast as I sat on the bench and looked around. I got up from the bench and looked around once more. But no one was there with a rose in their hand.

And my heart wanted to explode from strong beats. I took a deep breath, put my cell phone in my bag and walked towards the Central Park exit.

But right at the exit, I saw a gentleman with a purple rose in his hand, he was facing the fountain and was looking at something, something like a photograph.

I was standing a meter away from him, but I was afraid to call him because I thought it might not be him.

I saw him put that paper in the pocket of his white suit and turn to me, and I lose my breath because I saw in front of me Dr. Gabriel Day, the one who left me alone in this cruel world.

At one moment I want to shout at him, to attack him because he promised me in numerous letters that he would never leave me alone without someone of his own, but he still did it, but in another moment I want to hug him and never let him go.

"Dr. Gabriel Dayu?" I call to him instead of both unattractive and rude options.

The gentleman with a purple rose in his hand approaches me slowly and silently, and when he approaches me, he gently grabs my right hand.

"Stephanie, let's sit on the bench, please," says an unknown man who looks remarkably like Dr. Day and knows my name.

I just nodded to him, but when we got to the bench, I refused to sit down.