Maripolite

Untitled Part 3

When Nathalie woke up Charles convinced her to have lunch with him. He was upset that she had not remembered him and though her maripolite eyes had dulled he could still see the lighter emerald sparkes that made her the most beautiful woman he had ever known. If she hadn't deserted him in college they might still be together today.

The drive to the restaurant was quiet, very quiet it reminded him of the previous evening he had had with Dianna and those were memories he wished to forget. 

Nathalie did not hesitate to allow him to decide and he had decided on Chinese, he believed he remembered that she had liked Chinese a long time ago and smiled to himself as another positive memory flashed across his mind, but he was quickly brought back to reality.

Looking in Nathalie's direction he thought the girl that liked Chinese food was not the same haggard woman that sat beside him, she had changed so much and it did not seem for good. The thought stunned him and he wondered if their relationship had shaped her life in such a way, he stole another glance at Nathalie and then allowed his thoughts to focus on the drive.

He could sense her mind running through the chance meeting and every couple minutes she would look in his direction questioningly seemingly having just as few questions as he did unable to find the words to discuss the last fifteen years of their lives.

He knew that Nathalie was aware that he had always been wealthy and that he had wanted a happy life with her and not the pretentious life his parents provided. He never wanted to be an image of a man with power but no real happiness. 

Maybe she had left because she thought he did not want her then and that was the opposite. He had needed her so much and if he did not feel abandoned he would want her now all the more. His mother believed that they belonged to two different worlds and they would never and could never have any kind of real relationship, she was wrong then and he briefly allowed himself to believe that she was wrong now.

When they arrived at the restaurant and were seated the silence thundered and he hoped Nathalie would break it. Charles looked through his menu and Nathalie looked through hers. He glanced at her several times but she remained focused on the menu, he wondered how to start any kind of conversation with her, it was so strange to see her again; he sketched her features with each quick look and tried to remember what she used to look like back then.

Her face was still slim with that long black hair which he remembered being so full but now it was so dry it made her look older than she was and the few gray stands in-between didn't help.

Her features were hard from clearly unspoken traumas, but her cheekbones were still as rosy as he remembered. Her eyes which he remembered being full of life seemed to be full of worry with dark circles around them, they sunk into her skull further diminishing her beauty, but she still had those deep dark pools of maripolite eyes that promised a light emerald glow from its center that never materialized. 

Her eyes made all of her shine even now when she seemed broken beyond repair those eyes could make armies go to war for but a moment of her love.

Nathalie's eyes reminded him of how beautiful she used to be a beauty which he slowly began to remember; she had a smile so beautiful that it would wipe away all his worries and all of his often unspoken concerns. 

He smiled to himself and he allowed himself to remember some of the good times he had spent with Nathalie, their lovemaking, her arms, and legs wrapped around him holding him so close and easing his troubles, he willed himself back to the present and focused on her intent towards the menu and the icebreaker came to him.

"Why did you leave me?" Charles asked, heavily he continued "I've missed your smile," he said hoping to open friendly conversation or maybe even see if her smile still held its warmth in spite of her troubles.