“It’s not,” he said. “She wanted to leave, and you had to let her go. Holding her hostage wasn’t the answer. But now, she’s lost. Now, she’s unhappy. She’s living in a world where people make her feel like she’s dirty. Go talk to her.”
There was nothing I wanted more. I was only partially living in this miserable existence. Time passed slowly because my life had no meaning. I was heartbroken, but it was a kind of broken that couldn’t be fixed.
“I’m serious,” Crow said. “Go.”
“That’s what you would do if this were Pearl?”
He shook his head. “I’d be halfway to the airport right now.”
* * *
I hopped on the plane and landed in America an eternity later. Due to the time change, connections, and the long flights, it was nighttime there. I wanted to rush to her house and knock on her front door, but it was too late for that.
I’d have to wait until tomorrow.
I checked into the same hotel I stayed at with her the last time I was there.
Crow called me after I’d been there for an hour. “Hey, you’re on the ground, right?”
“You sound worried,” I teased.
“Just want to make sure. Your flight info isn’t popping up on the website.”
It seemed like he wasn’t mad at me anymore. “Did you get that information for me?”
“Yeah. I got her address. Wasn’t hard to find. Are you going now?”
“No. It’s almost eleven here. She might be asleep already.”
“You have the patience to wait until tomorrow?” he asked incredulously.
“I want to do this right.”
“And what exactly are you going to do?” he asked.
“I’ll swing by and ask her to dinner.”
“Not a bad idea.”
“I want to show her that I couldn’t care less about what she went through. While everyone else stares at her like some kind of freak, I see her as the beautiful woman she really is. I want her in my bed for the rest of my life. I’m man enough to erase every memory she has of the others. It’ll be like they were never there at all.”
Crow paused over the line. “You should tell her that.”
“I will.”
“Let me know how it goes. Pearl and I both hope she comes back with you.”
“That makes three of us.”
* * *
I waited until the evening before I pulled up to the front of her house. It was a petite little place, positioned between two bigger houses. It was much smaller than the mansion she shared with me, but it somehow reminded me of her.
It fit her perfectly.
The sun had just set, and the night deepened. I stared at the front door for a moment and studied the windows. I noticed the gentle blue light that was shifting, obviously the light projected from a TV screen.
She was home.
I got out of the car and walked up the sidewalk until I reached her front porch. I hadn’t seen her in six weeks. She might look different. Her hair could be longer. She could be thinner or heavier. She could look sad or happy. I really didn’t know what to expect.
I stood there as I tried to gather my thoughts. She would be shocked to see me on the other side of her door. I just hoped happiness would linger behind once the surprise faded away. My knuckles rested against the wood, and I took a long pause before I finally knocked.
It was happening.
There was no going back now.
I heard her footsteps from inside the house. She came closer and closer until she stopped right in the entryway.
I knew she was looking through the peephole first.
Good girl.
I wondered what her expression was once she realized it was me. Her eyes probably snapped wide open, and her lips parted with the deep breath she took. Her heart was slamming against her ribs as it raced.
The lock clicked, and she opened the door.
When I got a glimpse of her, I lost my breath. She was as beautiful as I remembered, with long brown hair and mocha eyes. She wore a long-sleeved shirt and black jeans with bare feet. She was over a foot shorter than me, but she made up for her petiteness with her presence. She was curvy, sexy, and absolutely perfect.
I missed her more now than I had before.
She held on to the door for balance as she processed what she was witnessing. Her eyes shifted back and forth as she looked into my expression, seeing the man she would recognize anywhere. She could pick out my voice in a crowded room with a blindfold over her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
“Want to have dinner with me?” I had a speech prepared about being in town on business, but I thought it was a pointless thing to say. She would see right through that. The obvious reason I was there was just to see her.