The eyes of eons. [Slow Editing]

Chapter 3

          My life began to shape up. It hasn’t happened in one moment, but half a year has passed before I began to feel like a real urban citizen. I decorated my bedroom in a modern style, my wardrobe gained interesting pieces of clothing, and my unoriginal food taste got spiced up with several new discoveries. My appearance got transformed too. My plain haircut I upgraded to sharper version, though it just made me look fresher rather than different.

     In a year, came more changes, but mainly in my family. Valeria got pregnant again, as it would turn out later with Samantha. Shelly was pregnant too, expecting her second child sometime in March of the next year. Emily, very suspiciously to me, started making her runs, too frequently, to a local deli market. Her turkey club sandwiches had a real name - Dave. For the whole month she’s been giggling and making googly eyes to him until he finally asked her out. 

     Around that time Roberta met Maximilian. She was keeping it to herself, but first I noted a change when during our conversations over the phone, she began to sound relaxed, without those tense notes that usually were irritating to death. 

     They met in the hospital. He’s been hiking in our area and by accident stepped on unsteady wooden log and slipped braking his arm in two places. Roberta attended him and in three days he got discharged. One day, he returned with a bouquet of flowers...and kept coming back until she had accepted his courtesy and agreed on a first date. 

     When I saw him for the first time I’ve been skeptical. The atmosphere around him seemed weird and the contrast between him and my mother stood very radiant. He had long braids, beard, a hippy like tunic of a green earth color, loose pants, and a thin band around his head, and on the top of everything he drove a motorbike. Puzzled, I mutedly protested against him, until I caught them dancing in the living room. He was carefully holding her in his arms, like you do with fragile things, his eyes were closed and his nose was tracing by her ear inhaling her fragrance. Slowly swaying from one side to another, even being totally different they looked happy together. I instantly warmed up to Maxim, his appearance stopped bothering me, just became nonessential at all, as long as he loved her, I didn’t care about his looks. 

     It was during one of my visits back home. Late one summer evening, I was sitting at my swings in the garden, aimlessly kicking the air around. Maxim was smoking his pipe on the porch and he addressed me, he laid his pipe aside, and strolled my way. He didn’t look serious but his eyes were wandering about the yard, which was cleaner thanks to his efforts.

     “Don’t you mind if I join you?” He gestured on the second seat.

     “Not at all.” I responded with a weak smile.

     “Thank you.” He slipped down cautiously aware of his past injury. For a minute or two he was silent. “Your mother is very special,” he cleared his throat. “She is very compassionate. I remember I was laying there in the forest, the pain was excruciating, but I knew I had to survive. I managed back from woods to the road in four hours. I guess, my will to live was bigger than death. Somebody picked me up and delivered me to the hospital. I opened my eyes and saw lights everywhere, but her cherry eyes. . . It was like a wakeup call. All my life I was seeking for freedom, rejected love for meaningless research. I wish we met ten years earlier when we both were younger, but, it is what it is.” He smiled. “It took me seventy-four days and fifty-three bouquets of flowers to persuade her to have a date with me. After sixteenth time I’ve almost gave up, I told myself that if this woman would refuse me again I'll leave her alone. I was waiting her at the parking lot of the hospital, she took the flowers but shook her head “NO”. I resolved to go. All that day I’ve stayed restless, I didn’t like to be rejected but more than that, I didn’t like my weakness. I went back to the hospital at the end of her shift and saw Bobby caring the flowers and smelling them on the way. That moment I was sure that even if it will take me a year I won’t stop returning. In another ten bouquets she has already gifted me a smile. Alexandra, I want to ask you to give your consent on our marriage.”