Unrequited

Reunited - October 1980

It would be four long years until Arianna returned to Birmingham again. Her PopPop Earl was ailing, so Nana Maggie needed to stay with him and care for him. Plus, with the extra expense of caring for him, the money they usually used to go to England had dwindled. So, Arianna threw herself into her studies, and her hard work paid off with good grades.

Arianna always thought of Nigel and their fabulous day together in the city. After all, he had given her her first kiss, and she often daydreamed of their reunion one day. She was sure he would be thrilled to see her. She was sure he would ask her out. She was sure they would become boyfriend and girlfriend. She just had to wait for that day to come.

In her senior year of high school, Arianna's PopPop Earl died. It was devastating to the whole family, as he had been the rock that everything had been built on. Nana Maggie was inconsolable. Arianna noticed soon after his death that Nana Maggie was starting to get weak and sick. Nana Maggie had always been such a strong figure to her, and her weakening saddened Arianna. But Nana Maggie had a broken heart, and Arianna didn't know how to fix that.

Arianna decided that she wanted to go to college for business, with a specialty in fashion design, and Nana Maggie insisted she should go. Arianna started looking at colleges in the States, and there were plenty to choose from, but her desire to see Nigel again kept turning her to look in England for her college studies.

Birmingham University was an excellent school with the degree program that Arianna was interested in. Yes, it would be a little more money to go there, but she really wanted to get her degree in England. To honor Nana Maggie's heritage. They discussed her college choices at length, and finally, Nana Maggie agreed Birmingham University would be wonderful for Arianna. Plus, she could visit with the Taylor family while she was there.

When Arianna arrived in Birmingham to start at University in the fall of 1980, many good memories came to her. Especially the ones of Nigel. She wondered if he was still in Birmingham. He was 20 now and might be off at University himself. Or maybe his dream of being a musician had led him elsewhere. She would not know until she visited the Taylor's home, but she was too busy at first to be able to do that.

As her first semester started, she naturally made a few friends. One was a drama major named Sophie, whom she became very close to. She spent most of her downtime with Sophie, often hanging out with her in the drama room. It was one of those times when fate touched her.

She and Sophie were sitting near the small stage of the drama room when a tall, dark-haired guy came breezing into the room. He surveyed the room and everyone in it before walking straight over to Sophie and Arianna.

"Hello, ladies," he said, his blue eyes twinkling with charm as he bowed deeply to them. Sophie rolled her eyes at his presence, making Arianna giggle.

"Hey, Simon," Sophie responded, sounding annoyed and bored.

"How would you ladies like to come to a concert this evening?" he asked.

This guy sure is full of himself, Arianna observed as she watched him speak. He looked over at her, and then his eyes scanned her up and down. Arianna disliked when guys did that to her as it made her feel uncomfortable. Why were men so obvious in their attraction to a woman?

"What kind of concert?" Arianna asked, and she could see out of the corner of her eye that Sophie was trying to dissuade her from talking to this Simon guy.

"My band is playing at the Cedar Ballroom tonight. I can give you tickets if you'd like to come," he offered, smiling at her.

Arianna quickly agreed. She had wanted to see some local bands, and there was her chance. And maybe she'd run into Nigel there. Simon handed her two tickets and then offered her his hand.