François' Quest

10

"Do you believe in love at first sight?"
Both napkins said the same thing!
François knew that that was what she was going to ask him. He certainly wanted to know what she thought too. Lowdian's eyes were wide open, her hand rested over her mouth.
"I can't believe this." She finally spouted out.
"I can!"
"You can?"
"Yes."
"How can you?"
"I don't know I just had the feeling that we were going to ask the same question."
"What is your answer?" She asked coyly.
"What's your answer?" He asked in a mocking way, pretending that he was not going to be the first one to answer the question.
"Wellllll, I know one thing. That is for sure."
"What is that, pray tell?" He waited.
She was squirming a little bit now. Not sure if she should say. The wine they were drinking had given her more courage than she would have had drinking coffee. Her confidence was building because he had written down the same question. Okay here goes, "Most people don't believe in it..........." She paused, looked at him for a moment, "............until it happens to them."
"Oh, so the experience makes them believers."
"Right!" She said.
"Do you believe in it?" He was still probing.
"I would like to believe in it but I am not sure." She got shy all of a sudden. Then, "Do you?"
"I do!" He said with such conviction.
"Has it ever happened to you?"
He stared deep into her eyes.
"Just once!"
Both of them knew what he meant.
'Oh man, did they turn up the heat in this place?' She was sweating now. 'Wow! It must be the wine that is making my face hot.'
Just then the waiter came over to ask if they wanted dessert, it broke the moment which was getting very heavy and uncomfortable for Lowdian.
"Excuse me a moment." She got up, took her clutch-bag, walked directly, blindly to the lady's room.
Splashing her face with a little cold water would help - she hoped. Feelings were rushing through her. She didn't know what to do with them. She had strong feelings for François. They were instant. But it is very difficult for a woman to forget her husband quickly. Especially when the love ran deep. But he was gone. He was her past. François could be her future. She better not rush things, risk making a mistake. Is it possible for someone to love again, when the first love was so true, pure, meant to be eternal?
She took her lipstick out, pressed it against her bottom lip, looked in the mirror and saw her hand shaking.
François was sitting at the table chastising himself. He had scared her and he knew it. Why had he done that? Stupid! Idiot! He risked her running away. Too fast! Too fast! Had to be more careful. Give her time.
When she returned to the table he was somber. "Listen, before I forget....."
His voice and tone calmed her down, she could feel that he had changed directions in the mood and conversation.
".........I will have to do some investigating on my own. I need to talk to several people tomorrow. So I won't see you......." He noticed that she shrunk ever so slightly in disappointment that she wouldn't see him, and he liked it. "......until the evening." She sat up straighter again, ever so slightly, he noticed and he liked it.
"Who do you have to see?"
"I want to get the coroner's report and then see him to hear what he has to said about it. I have a friend in the police department that I need to talk to, to find out who was on the case and who decided that it was an accident instead of murder. I'll need to move quickly. I will give you a call when I find something out. Is that all right with you?"
'Wow! He backed right up.' She thought. 'Maybe my overreaction turned him off. Stupid girl! Should control my emotions better. The man meant no harm. He doesn't have any baggage, obviously, like you do.'
"Sure that is fine. I have business calls to make too."
"You know, we never got around to talking about what you do for a living." He smiled a friendly, non-threatening smile.
She leaned across the table for 'a whisper' again. "I was working in a doctor's office, but when Denzil died and I realized that he had been murdered by people trying to stop him from continuing in his goal to literally cure the world, I quit my office job and continued where he left off."
Without flinching, François looked her square in the eye, in disbelief, "So that means that your life is in danger too."
Without flinching, Lowdian looked him square in the eye and asked, "Was that a statement or a question?"
Then they both smiled at each other. It was a lovely gentle smile. A kind of truce. Both saying to each other, without a word spoken, "Sorry for getting carried away before, can you forgive me?"
He drove her home, at her gate he turned the car off.
"I have a confession and an apology." He looked a bit sheepish.
"Okayyy. Ggggo ahead. Whaat is it?" She elongated each word with a little humor.
"Well, ever since I set eyes on you....I.....I.....well, I have wanted to kiss you."
"Is that the confession or the apology?"
They both smiled at the humor of the question.
"No, no that is the confession. I will never apologize for that."
'Okay good.' She thought but didn't say. "Go on... I'm waiting." She said smirking.
"The apology is for kissing you in the cave today."
"You want to apologize for kissing me?"
"No! No! No!..........I am not apologizing for kissing you.....I am apologizing for kissing you.......in a cave."
"Ohh! Why? I don't understand."
"Well, as the mother of my ten children I really didn't want our first kiss to be in a cave. What will we tell the children?" He put on a mock confused face.
They both started laughing.
"But, how can we wipe out the memory of the 'cave kiss'?" She asked.
"Like this......." Then he gave her a proper 'cave-less' kiss.
It was heavenly.
"That will do it." Is all she said after their lips parted. "Thank you."
"I will call you tomorrow." He said softly.
"Okay." She whispered and got out of the car.
He waited until she was inside the house looking back at him from the doorway.
He honked.
She waved.
She closed the door. Leaned against the back of it. Sighed. Then said to the cat that came to greet her,
"I'm in love with him."