Never meant Forever

CHAPTER NINE

Present

Today is the first time since finding this store "bookmintz" I've come here alone without Luna. I also got to know that the old man who owns this store, his name is Martin Mintz he introduced himself to me and I got to know about him- he lives alone he don't have any kids or wife and he uses to live in Savannah, Georgia but recently moved to New Orleans. "wow, do you know I also used to live in Savannah but when I was seventeen me and my dad moved to New Orleans because of his job transfer." I explained him, though I never tell some stranger my life-story but Mr. Mintz seems like a lonely old man so I just thought to talk to him. "you and your dad? why not your mother?" he asked. "Actually my mom died when I was eight months old, since then my dad is a single-father" I told him and I've talked about it so many times that I don't even flinch when talking about my mother's death. "Oh, sorry for your loss" he said "and now six months ago my father also died" I said. "Oh Lord, at such a young age you lost your both parents" he said his eyes wrinkling "yeah, by the way can I ask you a question" I said not able to keep myself from asking him "sure" he said "Is your wife dead?" I asked. "Yeah, she died twenty-four years ago and after that I never married anyone, she was my love-once-in-a-lifetime" he said. "Oh, you must've truly loved her" I said and my heart swells everytime I think about my love-once-in-a-lifetime "I still do" he said and I think after all these twenty four years he still love her and still have not married anyone, where do people find this kind of love? is it even real? "now-a-days love is not like it used to be in the old times" he said matter-of-factly. "These days people move on one day after breaking up and they hangout with someone and love someone and marry someone else." I softly laughed on his speech "I agree" I don't agree, but how can I tell him about me and my love? "what inspired you to open a bookstore?" I asked him, I was sitting on a couch that was placed besides the receptionists desk, a book long-forgotten in my hands that I was reading "my wife, she used to love reading books, actually she lived for books, I had a job but after I retired last year I thought of opening a bookstore. I remember when we used to date, twenty-six years ago we had came New Orleans on a festival and this was a restaurant back then and I proposed her here, so last year I visited this place again and saw that restaurant was no longer here and this was a place to-be-sold so I asked here and there and bought this and moved here and turned this into a bookstore" he explained and then I concluded it must have taken time to renovate this place and why I had never seen this bookstore here before                   "and so this place got ready-"                                 "-one month ago." He completed my sentence "wow, your love story is better than the films!" was all I could say because I was awe-struck, I can't beleive how much this man loved-love his wife.                                              

                                     *
"So this old man opened a bookstore where he proposed his wife, twenty-six years ago? wow, I mean I'm jealous from that old-died woman." Luna said after I told her everything that Mr. Mintz had told me. I said "yeah, we aint that lucky"                                                                        "me not we"                                                         "what?"                                                                          "I'm not that lucky but you are, but you don't accept your lover that's a different thing" Luna said chewing her nails "stopped doing that" I snapped "doing what?" Luna asked still chewing her nails "stop chewing on your nails!" I said to Luna who was sitting on my couch "old habit die hard" Luna said and stopped doing "the bad habit" as I say. "you are twenty-four I haven't seen a twenty-four chewing on their nails" I said "I'm unique" Luna said looking far too pleased with herself "and it's childish" I snapped again "okay mother" Luna smiled "and don't try to ignore what I said" Luna said. "I'm not ignoring anything" I said "yes you are, you are ignoring Charlie." Luna said "I'm not ignoring Charlie I've told him I don't want to see him" I said "but why?"  she asked.