Chapter 1

Every night around seven o'clock she would past the same spot walking ever so briskly like she was always in a hurry! Whether to catch a bus or a train her feet would be moving speedily so as to reach her destination in time!

Wherever that was!

With strong feet, swift, firm and shiny; showing off their caramel complexion as lights from the passing vehicles would project onto her body displaying a glistening appearance of smoothness and shininess, as though, beady stars were imbedded into her honey glaze skin.

Over her broad shoulders would be the accessories of fashionable bags which would hang at her elbow while colorful shawls dangle and dance from her neck each time the wind blew upon her skin; causing her to look even more attractive to the gazing eyes staring upon her each time they would see her passing by!

Her focus was never to the left or the right, and never to the hissing sounds either always begging for her undivided attention each night she was heading to her destination; but always, only to wherever she was going!

There was no denying it that she was indeed beautiful and didn't needed much from Mary-Kay, L'Oreal or Black Opal to enhance what the supreme master had already given to her!

Naturally, she was looking fluffy, fertile and fantastic and everywhere she went, all the eyes of the men would be staring at her in amazement like they had seen a goddess in the flesh!

Just looking at her one would only see bubbles of colorful lights glowing out of her skin; a radiant glow which would depict to others that she was definitely indeed a perfect creature!

Almost too heavenly and free from all the drama and personal baggage they would have encountered time and time again in pursuing previous pursuers!

Similar to a Christmas tree, she was always the center of attention wherever she went!

Every man with warm red blood running through his veins wanted to know more about her while hoping that she would be the one... the one who would let them forget about any previous relationships and settle down with her for good!

While some men thought, she was just too hot for them and nervously feared that she could have them in constant altercations with other guys who desperately wanted her all for themselves!

But, someone was constantly lurking in the shadows and keenly watching her; and he was very adamant about knowing who this young, gracious and beautiful woman is! This gracious beauty who had not only caught his eyes but also his heart and the picture of her forever seared into his brain as he would keenly watch her passing his place of work each evening around 7:00 pm.

For sure, she had gotten his attention and he wanted her to know what she was doing to him - the effect she had on him and how he was feeling about her!

However, his courage was very low and he knew that he was in no position to care for such a woman as gorgeous as her... a woman who seemed as classy as the royals dwelling in palaces!

And for several months once the clock touched 6:55 pm, Eric Bent would race to the outside of the gas station building where worked and lingered around just to see this beautiful woman pasting by his place of business.

Oftentimes, hoping, he would develop enough courage to say something to her that would make her realize how deeply he was feeling about her!

She was in his fantasy day and night; he just couldn't get her out of his head and he wanted desperately to approach her! Many times he would actually checked himself to find out if he was obsessively crazy about her, or, he was only falling in love with her because what her outer appearance looks like!

He thought about the implications it would have on his life if he made that move allowing her into his world!

Secretly, he thought about starting life all over again, providing a new home with the woman he now considered to be the apple of his eyes and the sweetness of his soul!

All the risks had outweighed the implications and he considered it to be passion and absolutely real love!

Now he began thinking about all that he wanted to do for her so as to make her life much better... fulfilling some of her unattainable dreams which would pull her closer to him and possible add to their memoir!

Eric began saving money towards a car because he saw himself driving her places; the both of them going on long romantic rides in the wide country sides!

He dreamt about picking her up from work, her school and any other place that she would call him to take her!

Soon after the car was achieved, Eric fantasy shifted to something else... he began preparing money towards buying a home and having the illusion that Corny would be having his children; and often imagining them nestling up together, watching movies and sipping on hot chocolate!

All that he was now doing was only because he fantasied about doing such with her!

It was now three years since Eric had been eyeing Corny and the two strangers whose encounters were only by sight still remained as such; gazing up at each other, every time the clock touched 7:00 pm outside of a busy gas station located on Arlington Road.

But, the years were going fast and Eric knew he had to say something to her or possible lose her to someone else for good, if she wasn't already taken by then!

He wanted their encounter to be very special and not with him being all sweaty, full of grease and grim, and attired in an overall that made him looked bigger than he actually was and like a dirty clown without the red nose popping on his face!

However, time was of the essence and three years and six months after admiring this beauty from a distance, Eric decided to make his move!

Abruptly stopping her, one Friday night while she was on her way to another destination that seemed very important to her, but which he was ignorant of!

Standing on the grounds of the gas station where many pedestrian use as a short-cut to the main street or to the bus station, Eric patiently waited for his beloved victim and as she approached him, he smiling asked her.

"Hi gorgeous, are you leaving work or leaving home?"

His face and his long stares were very familiar to her, and so smiling back at him, she asked.

"And, why do you want know?"

Still smiling, he replied.

"I would certainly like to kill this curiosity which has been eating me up for the longest while!"

"I have been admiring you for years now and I just can't wait any longer to meet you!"

The strange beauty replied, laughingly.

"Okay, let me help you kill your curiosity, I'm on my way to work, now!"

It was the first time he had seen her mouth opened... had seen her laugh and how beautifully her pearly white set in her mouth, and immediately, he had fallen even deeper in love with her!

"She is stunningly beautiful, inside and out!"

He told himself.

"So what kind of work do you do?"

Eric asked with concern in his eyes.

Intentionally ignoring his question, Corny turned to him and asked with a questioning look on her face.

"Who am I speaking to, may I ask?"

Eric was now flooded with anxiety as burst of perspiration took hold of his body while he try finding word apologizing for not introducing himself by name, before being nosy in her personal life.

"I'm so very sorry, my name is Eric, Eric Bent and I'm the supervisor at this gas station; and I've been working here over five years now!"

Eric replied nervously.

"Well, I am Corny Thousands and it is nice to meet you, Eric, but I do have to run now and catch my bus before it leaves me stranded causing me to be late for work... I hope to chat with you another time, ok Eric!"

The drop dead gorgeous beauty said while trying to walk away in a hurry from his presences!

"If you should ever miss the bus; please come back here, and I will give you a ride to work, alright!"

Eric said loudly, with all sincerity in his voice, as he tried reaching for her hands to touch her.

Relaxing his grip from around her hand, their eyes held focus while their stares were fixated for a brief moment as she hastily walked away from his loosen grip, and he stood his ground, staring at her back until she was out of sight!

With her disappearance, Eric returned to the office and back to duty even though, his thoughts were consumed with the woman he just met named, Corny Thousand, the woman he had waited for almost four years to introduce himself to, and now, had finally done so!

His moments with her, even though brief, were precious to him and he knew he wanted her now more than ever!

The next four hours would be time for Eric to reside from his duty and right up until 11:00 pm that Friday evening, his thoughts were consumed with the elegant beauty who had given him her name as Corny Thousands!

Reaching home from work that Friday evening wasn't any different for Eric and he went to bed thinking about where Corny worked and what time she would be off from work during the early hours of the morning.

He had calculated that she would be off from work around three to four o'clock in the morning since most businesses held an eight hour shift, and she usually passes his place of business 7:00 pm. But he had no clue of what company or business establishment she was working for since she had hurryingly whisk away from his hands to catch the bus!

Completely stretched out on his back before falling asleep, Eric thought about how he would make sure that he would gathered the information about where Corny was working when she was passing by his place of work the following day.

Corny had caught her bus to work that Friday evening just in time, and had made her way to work like she usually did!

However, her mind wasn't set on Eric and his wooing words at the time, because to her, it was a trend for men to be telling her how beautiful she is and filling her head with all that they could do and wanted to do for her!

She had something up her sleeves more important than just being the pretty delicate flowers on some man's arm that they could parade around and about with like their sport car!

Her main focus now was getting pay and saving enough money so she could send herself back to school, to improve on her education as a hotel manager.

The position she was holding now was in one of the biggest hotels in the city; but it wasn't the position that would help her make her move up the ladder to where her desired ambitions were lying.

For her, it was good money, honest money and money she could save enough of to make her dreams be fulfilled, that was if, no major bumps came in the road that would holt her backwards and reverse any of her plans!

Corny was pretty focus and knew what she wanted for a very long time now, she also knew that she didn't want any man exchanging with her their fat wallets for a piece of her beautiful flesh... very determined, she wanted to push open those career doors all by herself!

By nine pm., her costumes were on and she stepped out on stage looking like a goddess with her large feathers in hand while dancing to her favorite song "You can't hurry love" as the well-dress audience stared upon her like they had seen an angelic being from the heavens!