1 LOVESTRUCK

The atmosphere was disagreeable with what I had chosen to do. The weather was unbearably cold and a strong wind blew past the Hamouz cafe where I had chosen to spend my afternoon reading for an exam which I could not fail to do. There were people here, students like me who had chosen to spend this boring afternoon reading like I was while others were here to just watch the world go by.

My seat was next to the wall to the left of the counter and from here, the wooden door which was wide open, save for the curtains that hang on it, was directly facing me. I had chosen this position because in the absence of anything motivating, I had found the big building opposite the cafe on the other side of the road quite a beautiful site to behold. I would look at it every once in a while when I had read something quite unfathomable and tell myself, "I need to own a building like that". Surprisingly, that sentence would give me enough motivation to read on and even the concepts that had proven formidable in class found themselves at the mercy of my mammoth understanding.

But my motivations were always short-lived. One, there was a number of people here who had little understanding of my desire to pass my exams for they constantly passed just in front of me with a cup of coffee and snacks. The smell of coffee would greet my nose and my stomach would always signal the desire to host one in. That was an agreeable need considering how cold the weather was. Unfortunately, my body always found sleeping and not reading, quite enjoyable after a hot coffee. To prevent that, I had to cajole my stomach into agreeing to wait.

Secondly, the winds would sometime find the interior of this cafe a beautiful path. It would blow by and force my books shut just when I was in the middle of coming to terms with a concept. I found this very irritating.

At one time, this very annoying wind swept through the cafe and lifted the revision materials I was using up in the air, much to the disappointment of my already overworked patience. To prevent them from finding a cup of coffee a beautiful landing spot, I rose to grab them back before they could fly far. But my seat and table wouldn't let me move as fast as I wanted and my body couldn't stretch enough to grab them before they landed squarely on the face of a lady.

The lady grabbed the papers and was just about to shove them away when my pleading and apologetic eyes met hers. And this, dear reader, was the beginning of my bewitchment.

Standing at approximately one and seven meters tall, the lady upon whose face my papers had found refuge, was ravishing. She had a slender body and her brown eyes seemed to be looking directly at my soul. They were the most amazing set of eyes I had seen on the face of a human being. Her cheeks seemed to be radiating with light and as I stood there in awe of her beauty, she opened her mouth and said, "your papers?". The words caressed my ears and her soothing melodious voice reached deep in my heart. I began to sweat despite the coldness of the afternoon.

"Wind.." I began to talk but somehow the words and thoughts evaded me. My thoughts were foggy and my mind was blank, full of only one thing: the angelic beauty that blessed me with her view just a few steps from me. Her hijab covered her hair which was wrapped at the back of her head, giving her beautiful face a limited view. From here, I was able to notice the lips that curved with a smile when she noticed, or so I thought, that her beauty had completely enthralled me. Oh I loved the shape of her mouth when she smiled!

Dear reader, do not be mistaken to think I had never seen a beautiful woman before. I had seen many. But this particular girl had a beauty that was more than beauty and my heart fell on the very first sight of her. For the very first time, I felt I had met someone with whom I would sail through the tides of life and smile and laugh at the the nothingness of our existence. I was LOVESTRUCK. Standing and shaking before this lady, my heart spoke of only one language, "this is love, it has to be love."

"I'm sorry, it was the wind..."

"It's ok. I understand." Her voice sounded unreal. It was hard to believe that a woman endowed with such beauty could still posses such a golden voice. She handed me the papers and walked toward a chair that was just a few feet from mine. As she walked away, I wanted to tell her, "I'm Noah, nice to meet you" but I couldn't even get a word out of my mouth despite opening it twice with that very intention.

Her steps seemed to have been calculated for she walked with such aura and elegance that watching her became an instant obsession. I was in front of greatness.

I struggled to walk back to my seat and, despite several attempts to walk to her and introduce myself, I found myself sitting and burying myself in my studies. This time, what I was reading became a complete stranger and even the beautiful building across the road turned into a big, messy, ogre. I couldn't get my eyes off her.

As luck would have it, she had come to study for the very exams I was studying for. This offered me an opportunity to at least introduce myself. Oh how I wanted to hear the sound of my name as pronounced through the gates of her gorgeous mouth! I moved closer in an attempt to achieve this goal and the heat inside me forced me to unbutton the black trenchcoat that I was wearing to fend off the cold.

"Excuse me...are...you reading for the upcoming exams?" I asked having pried on her enough to confirm that indeed that was the case.

"Yes I am," her response came fast and flat and I realized that I was not going to be able to have much luck with getting her name. But I had to try.

"Oh that's great. I'm studying for the same." My answer didn't disappoint me, dear reader. It was the perpetual blush that I wore on my face as I spoke that betrayed everything I said or did. And I tried to hide my admiration for her but in as far as the mind was strong, the heart was weak. I kept blushing.

"That's good." Her response hit me like a nail on the head. Her tone was defiant and she seemed to be telling me to get lost. This time, my blush faded and my heart sunk.

"I'm Noah," I managed to say after a momentary silence. I didn't even know whether it had come out politely or rudely for I had no control over my thoughts at all. All I hoped for was that she would tell me her name too. She looked up and our eyes met. This time, if there was anything still standing in me, her brown and penetrating eyes broke all of them. I was certain I had fallen in love with this beautiful stranger.

"Noah? Is that your name or your dog's name?"

"Ouch! That hurts. Doesn't the name sound worthy of a human?"

"Yes it does but... anyway, I'm Jessica."

I felt like the heavens had curved open and I was walking in with my arms wrapped on my chest. An angel up there must have smiled on me for her acceptance to tell me her name registered such a beautiful feeling inside me that I was ready to understand everything that I read thereafter. Unfortunately, that would be the last piece of conversation I had with Jessica on this particular afternoon. My day just became bright.

From the days that followed, I looked for Jessica everywhere. I frequented the Hamouz cafe in the hopes that she'd show up but my luck was always bad. Then I searched for her Facebook account and was lucky enough to find her there. I sent her a friend request and stared at my phone for what looked like eternity, just waiting for her to accept. When she did, my feel-good hormones lost their control for I put the phone down and sprinted like Usain Bolt to celebrate that small achievement. That angel must have smiled on me again.

After several days of communication, she finally agreed to an idea I had conjured up to get us closer. I suggested that we should write a notebook together. On this notebook we were to write anything and everything from nature to animals and to school works. Every day, we would take turns at writing on this notebook. Little by little we started warming up to each other.

She became comfortable with me and I gathered enough courage to have a well thought-through dialogue with her without getting lost in her beauty. Before long, we were best friends. My plan proved ingenious.

But my feelings could not be caged. They could not be made to settle for second-best. My feelings could not stand being referred to as just a friend. I tried as best as I could to control them but every day they proved beyond my control. Her smiles melted my heart, her laughter became the merriment of my memories whenever we were apart. Her voice echoed along the paths that I treaded, her eyes radiated into the room where I would spend my nights. I was going crazy over her. But I was afraid.

To tell her that I love her was almost impossible. I couldn't mount such courage. I was too afraid to do that. I was afraid of losing her friendship, of losing her trust, of losing the respect she had for me. Oh but what to do! What to do! Something had to be done. So I chose to hide behind this:

From the gate enters her,

The beauty sparkling in her eyes

Her steps bewitching me with every stride,

I stand a lone at the corner of her desire

She walks past me without a single desire

My heart yearns to hear her call my name

But I'm so lost in the fear of her rejection.

Can such an angel as Jessica look twice at a mere man like me?

My head hurts at the unknowing

But my heart yearns for the knowledge.

Thus I write in my heart's pure desire

To tell Jessica that my love for her is immortal

And to ask just for a piece of her life

To be constantly present in her future

And to say "I love you Jessica" for the rest of my days.

I gave her this poem on our way home one evening and pleaded with her to only read it after we had parted ways. But no, she could not listen to me.

I stood there in astonishment as she ripped the paper open and poured my words into her soul. I watched too as her face brightened and darkened in alternations and my perspiration increased with every minute I had to wait. At so many instances I had prepared to run away but my legs thoroughly disagreed for my knees felt weaker and my legs grew fatter and heavier. I had to wait like a plentif awaiting his sentencing on the dock. I had to wait but to wait in a beautiful anguish.

"Who do you write this for?" She asked after finishing reading and I was astounded by her question. I felt even weaker. "Who is this Jessica?"

"You are the only Jessica I know of."

"But you don't love me, do you?"

"Why do you say that? Did..."

"If you do, why don't you say it? Why hide behind a poem?

"You didn't like it?"

"I want to hear you say it."

"What?"

"You see? You don't love me at all."

"You are wrong Jessica. I have loved you since the day I first saw you. I.." I don't know what happened dear reader, but before I could finish pouring my heart out, Jessica planted a soft kiss on my right cheek and whispered, "I love you too Noah". There are days I have felt good in my life but no day can compare to this.

My heart pounded faster and my knees relaxed and became flexible. I held Jessica in my hand and pulled her closer to me. I looked into her eyes and asked, "what did you say? Please repeat it. I want to hear it."

"I love you Noah," she said. It was confirmed. Her eyes radiated with love, her cheeks brightned and the color of her skin turned red, the color of love. I grabbed her and put her body onto mine, looked into her eyes one more time and whispered, "thank you Jessica for finding me worthy of your love."

She looked at me wearing that beautiful smile that had attracted me on the very first day. "You are a great man Noah and any woman would be happy to be loved by you."

I hugged her so tightly, her breasts hard-pressed on my chest, her little body wrapped in my arms. I listened to her heartbeat, heaving through her breast, causing a sensual sensation throughout my body. When I released her, I brought my head to hers, tilted her chin upward and gently kissed her beautiful lips. They were the sweetest lips I have ever kissed. The touch of our lips reverberated throughout our bodies and for the very first time, she transformed me into an angel too.

Dear reader, I suppose you are wondering what happened next. As I am writing this, I'm sitting on the couch in my house watching my beautiful Jessica dress up our first born son. Yes. We got married.

The days that followed after our confession were the most beautiful days of our lives. Jessica and I were not separable. She loved me with a love that was more than love. And I have loved her with a love that is more than the one she has for me. Through the years, she became a blessing in my formerly boring life. She has been the flower in the garden where formerly only thorns grew.

After six months of dating, I decided to pop up the question. It had disturbed my peace from just two months into the relationship. When you find the right partner in life, it doesn't matter how long you wait. I felt that Jessica and I were meant to be from the very first time and as a result, I took the initiative to make her a permanent part of my life.

It was a Saturday afternoon and we had gone back to where it all started. After several weeks of meditation, I decided "today is the day". I remember the wind was still, the sun peeped through the roofs of buildings and the cars drove by the road that just stretched a few feet from Hamouz cafe.

Jessica sat on one side of the table and me on the other. We ordered for our coffee and as the coffee's aroma greeted my nose, I pushed back my chair and knelt before Jessica. I just couldn't wait any longer.

"My love, since the day I met you my life has had a bigger and better meaning. Your beauty grows upon me and i feel a greater love through all my essence steal. My dear Jessica, I feel for you today, as I have always felt since the day we met, a love that cannot be matched with any other, a sense of belonging that cannot be restrained anymore. I belong to you in away that I have never belonged to another and I would love to keep this bond that we have between us forever alive. In this life and in the next.

"My dear, to love and not to love is a decision that cannot be made by the mind. It's one on which only the heart has a say. And from the very first time that I saw you, my heart chose you instantly. Therefore, my love, I only have one request to make to you. Will you take the leap of faith with me? Will you walk the journey of life by my side? My dear Jessica, will you risk your heart with me? If yes, my love, WILL YOU MARRY ME?"

With my ring in my hand, I saw the tears roll down my beloved's eyes and I instantly knew the future of my life was bright.

"Yes...yes Noah. Yes, i will marry you."

Dear reader, you can just imagine the electrifying joy that I felt. My whole life appeared in front of me, shining in scintillating stars. There was a twinkle from one end to the next and the heart that I had always had inside my chest, celebrated the news with an increased pounding on my chest.

I slid the ring into her finger and gently caressed her finger and kissed the ring as one would kiss a favourite pet. The future was blessed, Jessica and I were going to start a future together. Oh what a wonderful day that was. I still remember it as if it just happened yesterday and even now, there is no amount of words that can correctly describe the kind of elation I went through.

I rose to my feet, her hand in mine and looked at her teary eyes. This time, the tears of joy in her eyes persuaded me to melt and I soon found myself struggling to keep my tears in their well. But a few escaped.

I wiped her tears with my hand as she wiped mine and today more than ever, my beloved shone with a renewed beauty. It was a beauty that even the most gifted poet cannot capture in his most talented prose. Jessica sparkled like an angel. Her teary eyes made her face glitter with elegance. I looked at those eyes and saw my reflection in her. This union was blessed from before.

I hugged and kissed her and embraced her again. I don't know how long this embrace lasted but it was the most fulfilling embrace I had ever engaged myself in. We still hug and embrace, dear reader, but none can match that one Saturday afternoon when my beloved agreed to spend her eternity with me.

Our wedding was done two months later and allow me confess my good listener, that my beloved's beauty has stayed in an upward trajectory since we first met. Seeing her in her wedding gown and knowing that at the end of that day she'd be mine and only mine made very old and young butterflies take swerves in my stomach. It was a feeling beyond description.

Let me not bore you with the details of my wedding day for even I know not what exactly transpired. My elation was too much to allow me the time to know the details.

It's been three years now and as of now, we have been blessed with one very handsome son. His name is Samuel. His eyes are his mother's, a bad thing for a boy people would say, but the joy I receive whenever I look at my son can mostly be attributed to the beauty of his eyes. The very eyes that broke my defenses and make me fall for his mother.

Jessica has been my best friend throughout this journey. We have quarrelled once in awhile but not a single quarrel has seen the death of the day. We have resolved all of them before the day ends.

I am looking at her right now because they are approaching me on this seat of mine. Not a single thing has ever changed with my beloved. Her walking style is still as striking as it was then and her smile has even grown more gorgeous. Her beauty has matured and I would choose my beloved among seventy angels because I cannot think of another who can match her in any way. I cannot think of another who can complete me like she does.

Oh what a tragedy! That I should forget to mention the beauty of my beloved's heart! With her physical beauty did I fall in love. But it was the beauty of her heart that made me want eternity with her. My beloved is the kindest, loving and caring person I have ever known. Oh I'm not just praising her because she is mine. I only talk of the truth. She bewitched me with her beauty but she won me with her heart. And in her love I'm still lost and I'm still swimming.

Oh they are here. It's time to go. Soon this boy is going to start walking on his own. For now he has to be guided. We take turns in doing so and sometimes we do it together. Whenever we do it together, we end up kissing a lot. My beloved still has the most tempting lips ever. Oh what a life! Oh what a beautiful life!

THE END