Mona Lisa My Love

Chapter Fifteen

A little more than a year after moving from the apartment to the city, I was leaving for work one morning, and I ran into Grace. I was not feeling well. Since the anniversary of the fire, I had been sad and moped around. Sis couldn't bring me out of it. I missed them. I missed mom and dad. I missed our house. I missed our old life, and I would give anything to get it all back. I thought about taking up drinking again but decided that was not me anymore. I was a miserable man.

We didn't need a car in the city. We could get anywhere by public transportation, Uber, bicycle, or walking. Most of the time I rode my bike or walked. I tried to stay in shape by running three or four times a week, but it was harder in the city. I don't like crowds and crowds don't like runners.

I rode my bike most days. The bike stand was just around the corner of our building. One day, I was leaving for my job at Mr. Jensen's hobby shop when I saw Grace. I wasn't paying attention as I walked out our door, and I ran headlong into this girl. "I'm sorry," I said.

"No, I am sorry. It was my fault. I shouldn't be in such a hurry," the girl said, as she was picking up her belongings." When she finally looked up, it was Grace.

"Grace," I said. I immediately felt stupid. Grace was not her name; it was a name I had given her. How stup...

"Hi. How are you?" she interrupted my thoughts.

"Fine," I stammered. "Do you remember I saw you at the hospital a year or so ago?"

"Yes, I remember. How is your sister? Jenny, wasn't it?" Grace always was so cheerful.

"She's good. She healed very well, although she never lets me forget that I dinged her a little. There were too many memories for us there. I got a job at Mr. Jensen's hobby store. I started as a stocking clerk; then I moved up to the painting department. I like it." I could hear I was rambling. I decided to stop talking.

Grace was smiling. "That's excellent. I heard that you had moved up here and I had hoped one day to run into you." She stopped talking and giggled, "Well, I didn't mean it quite so literally."

"I'm glad you did. I looked for you after the fire, but no one knew who you were."

Grace smiled, "Oh, that reminds me. I have a present for you."

"For me? Why? I don't know what to say."

"Here, it isn't any big thing, but maybe you can make use of it," she said, still smiling.

I felt it again. Grace always had so much love surrounding her. It enveloped you. It was like being surrounded by love. I had never felt anything like it.

I looked at what she handed me. It was a book — a copy of Leonardo Paintings and Drawings by Leonardo da Vinci. I got excited. "Wow. How did you know? This book is fantastic. Thank you." I was already flipping through the pages.

Just then we heard tires squealing, a crash and screams. I threw the book in my backpack and headed around the corner, where my bike stand was.

The scene was straight out of a horror film. A car had slammed into a sidewalk full of people and ended up stopping after hitting the bike rack. When I turned the corner, I could see people on the ground bleeding and crying. The man who had driven the car was out of his vehicle, teetering, and looking at the man trapped under his car. It was a ghastly, terrible scene. I was not sure what to do, but then I heard the driver, with the key fob in his hand, say he was going to back the car up so the man trapped under it could get out. He was slurring his speech something awful.

"No," I screamed, and I ran at the driver. I grabbed the key fob from his hand and threw it as far as I could. I am not even sure why I did that, but I knew to back the car over that poor man would not help him. Someone came up to me then and asked how he could help.