Harper's Life - 3

The man rushed through the aisle, passing Harper and then the woman stood up and turned around, her aesthetic face, she was almost ridiculously gorgeous, her sculpted mouth and the slash of cheekbones, her short hair to fall inches above her broad shoulders, "Woman in the window?" her eyes were darker, the diner became stiller once again, she kept her eyes on the man as he left the diner. The red cushion wetted with the every step of falling tears and then she sat down, wiping tears with tissue. There's no way, is she the same woman," the sunlight was searing and she stood up, passing Harper, a wallet kissed the shining floor, and the red wallet caught his eyes. The shining terrazzo floor pressed up against his feet and he rose, he was filled with the sense that the snowy day when his mother passed away would not pass without any consequences, he ran behind her, her short hair stirring with her every step she took, "Hey," he said, watching her stopping and turning, the every second and every memory of that day was still a vivid image to his head. "She's the same woman."

"You dropped your wallet," the sunlight was bright on her face, and her eyes washed with inexplicable tears. "Oh sorry," she said, "Thank You." She took the wallet and then proceed to walk away. The flattening trees stayed the same with no wind moving and then he said, "So you really didn't like the book?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" she asked with turning herself and staring at him and then her face awash with expectant and charged, "You're the writer? Anna's son?" her eyes widened. "Yes, I'm her son," he said, As his face turned dull "I saw you reading my book in my neighbor, so what're you doing here?"

"Actually I was visiting my brother, I live here,"

"So Lucas' your brother?"

"Yes and he owns this diner and I'm just taking care of it, unfortunately because of his job there he couldn't come here very often," the smile was initialed on his face and then he said, "Are you free right now? I would love to talk to you more, perhaps some feedbacks as well." He laughed

"Not really," she said, "I need to be somewhere right now, but we'll meet again for sure, it's a small town until then bye." The lonely road with greens got filled with her high heels and then she became a speck to his eyes. He paused to study her, her intricate fingers smooching the bushes and flowers. He receded to the diner again, thinking about her. He ate some biscuits with coffee and then drove to his cabin. The faintly luminous sunlight shimmering onto the kitchen and then he cleaned the stuffs. Still thinking about her, how she moved from sadness to joy, "What could be the reason for her to be sad?" he sat on the chair in the front porch. The greenish vibrant trees reflecting onto the lake. "I should write now," the wind unfurled and scattered on his face, "I forgot to buy a laptop," He rose and walked inside, "I've to go and buy a laptop." He drove once again and this time to the city, passing the same diner, and looking towards it in hope to see her but couldn't found her, he had got a laptop and was sitting with in front of the lake, the soft breeze was there and his focused all on the white screen, "Same as usual." The slash of her cheekbones was still rummaging on his mind and then his finger pressed against the words, "How was I supposed to know?" Wasps swam lazily in the summer air by the lake. "Could he be her boyfriend?" he imagined her wry smile and by the time he rose the sky was already dark and he went inside with his laptop. He lay down onto the scraggy bed, "He could've dumped her at that time." He stirred with every time he thought about her. The next morning he woke up with the sun rising, he walked outside, the spring air was warm, softly fragrant. The collar chafing his neck and he decided to go to the diner once again. He drove and parked his car and could hear her voice even from outside. He opened the door and went inside. Her face glinting with the bright shimmering light, "Welcome," she said, "Oh, you again, the writer." He smiled, glittering drops at her ears and the perfect coiffure, She sat still on the counter, with a smile from ear to ear. "I'm just here for my breakfast,"

"Well certainly you're in the right place, sit down, I'll catch up with you in a minute," he sat down, a waitress came and took the order for him, 'A nice bacon cheeseburger.' And was waiting for his meal and staring at her as she left the counter and watching her as she came towards him with his burger. The diner was mercifully silent but this time there were some people, perhaps the commuters, she sat in front, passing the plate. The stiller diner stayed the same and he began to eat and then she asked, "Well how's the burger?" folding her restless hands on the table.

"It's good,"

"So what're you doing here in this small town?"

"I moved here,"

"Oh really? Do you like our small town?" a exhilarated smile propped on her face

"I mean it's so beautiful and greenery,"

"Well true, it's so green and that's the beauty of this town," her eyes locked at him with a great profound, it was an intimacy of such immensity that he was motionless. He finished the burger and then took out his wallet. "Oh please," she said, "Don't worry about it." A sweat smile beamed onto her face, "It's alright, " he said, "I can pay,"

"You're a famous writer, and I want to leave a good impression of this diner to you," she chuckled, and the landscape outside shimmered with the light and heat, "So how's your new book going?"

"Well I haven't written anything but now I've decided to write something based on this town,"

"Really? So what's the story would be about?" intrigued had joined her

"A love story maybe,"

"Oh a typical Harper's book?"

"I'm still not sure whether I should write another love story,"

"You definitely should and I can help you with it or maybe I can give you a nice tour of this town if that's alright with you,"

"Yes, that would be great," a luminous smile jutted on her face and then she said, "I'm so excited, that could help you to write with great details, I'm very excited for your book." He smiled but then the door swished open and the shinning floor beamed with a shadow, she rose with a raggedly tensed face. "Meet me at 8 near the ocean," she whispered, "What ocean?" she sluiced through and passed Harper, "You'll find it if you want to." She whisked to him and Harper watched her, she put her hand on his chest and her lip, were on his, he rummaged through the aisle, passing them. "So how's the interview goes?" he heard her and then pushed the door to open and went outside. The sunlight mingled in his hair and the hot road pressed against his feet, he walked to his car and drove to his house. He was so startled, didn't even said anything. "So he's her boyfriend." Still this didn't matter for his world to change, for this equilibrium for him to endure. "Why I had my hopes up?" he found himself stricken with the old memories once again,

"Winnie?" he let himself fall on the messy quilt and was writhing with sadness, With the every thought of Winnie. Nightmares were always more frightening in the dark, he lay back, trembling and was fighting for his every breath to scream, shuddering, clammy. This time it was worse, much worse than he'd ever experienced. He had killed Winnie, what choice had he had? Her body hacked to pieces, Harper frenzied with the bloody knife then the look in his eyes, and stabbing. "What was the reason?" he had intended to forget the every grisly detail of his nightmare, with his own perpetrator self. He rose and left the rustling satin sheet. He walked to the front yard, the summer breeze was there. "Ocean?" the sweet aroma and the stirring of leaves and the rattling lake. "What ocean was that?" this time he waddled inside, put his boots and walked out. Her voice, her atheistic face, her proficiency, still rummaging into his mind. The silent city swallowed him and the roads were shining with every light, the shining moon. He'd asked anyone he saw about the beach, and he'd find hard to find it, "You'll find it if you want to." Her words kept booming in his thought. He saw smoldering, wisp of smoke rose and he could see a beach, and a bonfire. He parked his car and the hot sand pressed against his boot. He could see some guys around bonfire and a woman sitting near the ocean and incongruous. Her hair stirring with the every wind radiating from the ocean. He caught the gaze of her and she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "You found me."