by Stacey Rue

Created on: June 08, 2008   Last Updated: May 21, 2011

She Was Just Gone

As a young man, I have never had a mushy feeling in my life until now. As I stand here hearing her words, it is impossible for me to believe them. Didn't I have all the time in the world? A lifetime of love ahead of me? I did. Until now.
Forget about that for a minute. Let me take you back six months ago. I took on a job as a tennis instructor for my city's recreation program. The hours were great for me. I could still manage a full load of classes at the local university and get back home in time to get myself ready for teaching children the art of tennis. I had not expected anything more than just a paycheck and a fun time working with kids. All that changed on a warm Wednesday afternoon when Mikey and Sarah showed up for their first lesson. Suddenly the ketchup stain from yesterday became a huge problem. I should have put on clean shorts. I knew my breath was okay and my pits would not stink but my shirt had more wrinkles than an old gray elephant. The shirt was gray and I'm sure their mother thought I looked like that old gray elephant.

Mikey and Sarah's mother turned out to be their step-mother. So, she was probably younger than the math I had worked out for her age. I cannot sound anything like a love sick reader of Shakespeare so I'll just tell you what she looked liked. She had golden red hair that shined in the sun. When she turned her head, some new shade of reddish gold would sparkle. Her green eyes had flecks of that same reddish gold in a strange mixture of colors for eyes. I could not look her in the eyes just in case she could read my mind. At first, she would drop the kids off for the lesson then take off. When, she came back to pick them up we would quickly discuss the day's lesson. Through all these months I had learned that she was their step-mother. Their father had been a widower. She fell in love with the kids and wanted to be their mother. There was a question of whether she loved their father but there was no question she was devoted to the children. It seemed to be a strange fate to choose. Yet, they were happy.

At first, I was just attracted to what she looked like. That red head fantasy stirred in my head each time I saw her. I did not have any girlfriends during this time so I guess that would help to fuel my interest in her. Of course, no one else could compare to her at this time. You could tell that she worked out. Her body was fit and tone. Her skin glowed healthily.

She could charm with just her smile. I don't

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