Encounter

     We, a crew of four, were sitting around in the truck wasting time when we should have been working, as was the norm. That’s when I saw her. Her auburn hair caught my eye as she came out of a building. I said, “Well, well, would you look at that, if it isn’t the devil herself.” Ray said, "Which one, the redhead?” “Yeah, the redhead.” I responded. “Time was she would have thrown her arms around me and given me a big kiss. Then there was a time when it was 50/50, a big kiss or a knee to the crotch. Now, probably just a knee to my tenders.” Ray, “Wait a minute, you and her had a thing?” “That’s right, we sure did, but I’m afraid it ended badly. Totally my fault. I broke her heart, left her for another woman.”  Ray with more emotion in his voice, “Are you crazy? You let that get away” “Yeah Ray” I said, ”Sometimes, I think that I am crazy, and I really hate it when I do stupid shit, like right now. She probably doesn’t want to speak to me, but I’ve got to talk to her. Keep an eye out in case she gives me a knee to the crotch. I may need help getting up off the ground.” I opened the door on the street side and eased around the back of the truck, stood there looking down casually fumbling with nothing as she made her way up the sidewalk. When she was almost to me, I glanced up nonchalantly and said, “Is that you, honeysuckle?” She stopped dead in her tracks being caught off guard. She looked at me for a second letting the reality of the moment sink in, then said, “I don’t won’t to talk to you. You are a liar Michael Andrew.” “Well,” I said as if I didn’t care one way or the other “I kind of figured as much, but I was hoping to tell you to your face that I’m sorry. I wanted to look into your eyes when I told you that everything I ever said was true. I know you won’t believe it, but I wanted to tell you just same.” I could tell she was starting to heat up, probably reliving the whole fiasco then and there. “Well, you had your chance and you blew it!” she said as she began to walk away. She only made it a few steps before she turned back around. Her head must have been spinning. “Was everything you told me really true?" She asked as if wanting to make it so. “Yeah, it was all true. I totally fell in love with you, but it just wasn't meant to be puddle duck. I’m sorry.” I said as tears welled up in her eyes. “And the worst part is I never got a hug and a big kiss goodbye;” Her tough exterior cracking, she held her arms out and we hugged warm and tight until she pulled back a little and looked at me and smiled. I took one hand and wiped away her tears. “Big kiss?” I asked. “Big kiss.” she repeated, and we kissed long and nice as if it were meant to be, a kiss that probably stopped traffic on the street. The guys in the truck were all grinning. And when the kiss was over, we were both smiling and thinking about what could have been. I broke the moment by saying, “Well, it certainly was good see you baby bird. You take care.” I turned and walked around the back of the truck and opened the door and climbed in before things got a chance to spin out of control. The guys were all excited, someone said, “Man! She still wants you! You can have that! Damn!” I said trying to dampen the moment, “Probably so, but it’s over. She is an amazing woman. She is the devil herself, temptation on two feet. It’s best to just let it go and put the past behind us.” We pulled away from the curb, the rest of the truck giddy from witnessing me dancing with the devil and living to tell about it and me left sitting there with mixed emotions and a sunflower tattooed on my soul.