by Kylie Parker
“That was the best night of my life.” Josephine whispered, gazing at the rain. “It was…”
“Magical.” Mona finished her sentence. “You’ve told me that story ten times already. Frankly? I get jealous every time I hear it.”
“Jealous?” A faint smile curved Josephine’s lips. “Why?”
“I’ve been with my Bill for more than fifteen years.” Mona spoke in a silvery voice. “We have two, great kids; we love each other very much. I wouldn’t change this for the world. But, I’ve always wondered what it would be like if I met someone who’d just…” She faltered,“Sweep me off my feet, like he did with you.”
“He did, Mona.” Josephine admitted. “He did everything he could to prove me wrong. He made me believe in him. And then he failed me. He’s a different man to me now.”
“You’re talking about a man who risked his life for you, sweetheart.” Mona spoke, turning her head to the right to face her: “Twice.”
“Mona, please!” Josephine begged, her voice quivering. “Don’t try to change my mind. This is my last day in the States for I don’t know how long. I don’t want to spend it arguing with you.”
“It would have been enough.” Mona’s voice became bass-deep, with a hint of change behind it.
“What?”
“The money that he stole for you,” she explained. “I did the math; we would need a little more than $560,000.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore.” Josephine whispered, blinking back tears, as she turned her gaze to the window once more. “I’m going to France and he’s probably wound up right back where he wanted: breaking into people’s homes.”
“You’re being too harsh on him.” Mona remarked. “But, you’re right. It’s going to take us a while to see each other again. I don’t want to argue with you. When does your flight leave?”
“9:15.” Josephine was quick to reply. “All flights from Burlington were booked. JFK was my only choice.”
“Then JFK it is.” Mona smiled down at her. “I need to call Bill; let him know that he’ll have to pick up the kids from their grandma’s. Then, I’m all yours.”
“Go ahead.” Josephine encouraged. “Excuse me for a minute, will you? There’s something I need to do before we leave.”
Moving around her friend, she made it to her front door and stopped under her doorframe. Sadness pierced her ribs and squeezed her heart, as she glanced left, up at the blue, neon sign of “Christine’s” club.
“It’s tearing out my heart.” She thought to herself. And then, something incredible happened, something that made her feel the sorrow in her bones: The five words that she had just used were a direct quote from one of her favorite songs: Bon Jovi’s “(It’s Hard) Letting You Go”. It crept into her mind. In a split second, she could even hear the sad, keyboard introduction playing in her ears. She dropped her gaze from the sign, trying with all her might to fight back the tears, to no avail. Josephine squeezed her eyes shut, upon hearing the echoing drum beat. She took two, slow steps: she abandoned the warm, fuzzy feeling of her home. Thick raindrops landed on her long, brown hair. More of them soaked her face, as she slowly looked up at the sign once more.
“Our table, Tim; I want to see our table, one last time.” One more thought ran through her mind, as Jon Bon Jovi’s nasal voice filled her ears. Josephine stepped onto the road, unable to stop staring up at the sign, as more and more drops of water fell on her hair, her hands and her face. The torrential rain would not deter her. Walking down the narrow street, she recalled the night when she knocked on his door. Josephine’s tears mixed with raindrops, as “Christine’s” club got closer and closer…
It ain't no fun lying down to sleep
And there ain't no secrets left for me to keep
I wish the stars up in the sky
Would all just call in sick
And the clouds would take the moon out
On some one-way trip
I drove all night down streets that wouldn't bend
But somehow they drove me back here once again
To the place I lost at love, and the place I lost my soul
I wish I'd just burn down this place that we called home
It would all have been so easy
If you'd only made me cry
And told me how you're leaving me
To some organ grinder's lullaby
It's hard, so hard, it's tearing out my heart
It's hard letting you go
Now the sky, it shines a different kind of blue
And the neighbor's dog don't bark like he used to
Well, me, these days
I just miss you, it's the nights that I go insane
Unless you're coming back for me
That's one thing I know that won't change
It's hard, so hard, it's tearing out my heart
It's hard letting you go
Now some tarot card shark said I'll draw you a heart
And we'll find you somebody else new
But I've made my last trip to those carnival lips
When I bet all that I had on you
It's hard, it's hard, it's hard, so hard
It's hard letting you go
It's hard, so hard, it's tearing out my heart
But it's hard letting you go
With the heartbreaking ballad still playing in her ears, Josephine lazily climbed the few steps that led to the front door, but did not stop there. She left it behind, making her way towards the window in the corner. A simple look through the window doubled her sorrow. The sight of their table, the empty chairs and the dark fireplace brought even more tears to her eyes.
“Look at them: all alone; empty and so, so dark. They’re like my heart: my heart without you, Tim. My life without you…”
Josephine put her head in her hands, as more tears spilled from her eyes. A cold sensation made her stomach chill with fear. Dropping her arms, she flipped around, only to realize that her friend had followed her.
“It’s time.” Mona silently mouthed to her. Overwhelmed by emotion, Josephine collapsed into her friend’s embrace, bursting into loud, wailing sobs. Closing her eyes, Mona put her arms around her back, as the rain pelted down around them.
“Let it out…” She whispered. “It helps.”
“God, it hurts so much…” Josephine sniffled, her body shaking violently, as two tears rolled off her face.
“I know, sweetheart…” Mona added, caressing her back. “I know.”
“Take me away…” A whisper of despair left her lips, as she leaned back. “Take me away from here.”
Chapter 32
Josephine was so distraught that she cried for most of the long drive to New York. Preoccupied with her situation with Tim, she had yet to realize that, by going to Paris, she would essentially leave her entire life behind, including family, friends, and loved ones. As much as Mona tried to comfort her, it soon became clear to her that no matter what she said to Josephine, Mona simply could not make her friend feel any better. Josephine only seemed to calm down when the two friends arrived at JFK airport, at 6pm.
The massive, glass door of Terminal 4 slid open sideways. With a heavy heart and two, large suitcases in her hands, Josephine walked into it, followed by her friend. Seconds later, she found herself waiting at the end of a very long, boarding line. To add to her frustration, Bryan Adams’ “Please Forgive Me” was playing from the speakers.
“Oh, great…” She gave a huff of exasperation, putting her suitcases down on the floor: “a love song about forgiveness.”
“I like it.” Mona chirped, with a big smile on her face, as more and people queued behind them. “It’s a good old, happy song.”
“You seem to be in an awfully good mood.” Josephine complained. “I’m leaving. Aren’t you just a little upset?”
“I am.” Mona nodded. “But, I still believe in miracles. Do you believe in miracles, Josephine?”
“No.” Josephine shook her head sideways. “Not anymore.”<
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“You should.” Mona suggested. “Remember when my phone rang, back in the lounge?”
“Yeah, why?”
“That was my cousin, Glenn.” She smiled yet again. “I haven’t told you about him. He’s the man behind the music in JFK. And I needed to ask him a favor.”
“What favor?” Josephine asked, her voice pitched higher with curiosity.
“This…” Mona winked at her, just before the introduction of Eric Clapton’s ballad “Wonderful Tonight” filled the air. Josephine was just about to start yelling at her friend, but then, something else grabbed her attention. It was a stentorian, male voice, audible over the music, calling out: “Joey!” Abruptly turning her head to the right, she saw someone pushing through the gathering crowd behind her. He would not stop calling out her name, turning quite a few heads.
“I know that voice…” She whispered. “Only one man in the world calls me that.”
Mona took a few steps back, biting her lower lip, in a clear attempt not to laugh, as he finally reached her friend. It was Tim, with a large bag wrapped around his shoulders, panting for breath.
“Tim!” She let out a gasp of surprise, eyes wide open, as their gazes met. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, thank God…” He sighed in relief, pulling out a piece of paper out of his pocket. “Please, read this.” He requested, handing it over to her. It was an application to the fire department. “Joey…” Tim whispered, pulling the bag from his shoulder. He placed it on the ground, before taking a short step forward. “Please, don’t go, baby.” He added, leaning over her. “No more breaking and entering. I want to stay here and become a firefighter. I’d do anything to be with you again.”
“Anything?” Josephine whispered, her lips shaking, as she rolled her teary eyes up to meet his gaze again.
“Anything…” Tim said with a nod, feeling his heart thumping in his chest. She tossed the application across the floor, biting her lower lip, looking deep into his eyes. Closing her own eyes, she leaned in towards him and circled her arms around his neck. Tim shut his eyes and fastened his arms around her back, as relief left him on a gasp of breath. The gathering crowd burst into loud applause. Mona herself frantically clapped her hands, with a happy smile on her face.
“I love you, doc.” A soft whisper left his lips, feeling two tears rushing down his face.
“I love you, too.” She replied in her sweet voice, slowly leaning back. Tim tilted his head down to meet her lips. A gasp of surprise escaped her, as he pressed his mouth against hers. In a split second though, she returned his deep, passionate kiss, stroking the back of his neck, as he held her tightly in his arms. With the sound of the applause growing louder in his ears, Tim lifted her off her feet, feeling her hot breath on his skin. Easing Josephine down ever so gently, Tim kissed the tip of her tiny nose, pressing his forehead against hers. Josephine opened her eyes and glanced around, before a smile of embarrassment spread across her face. “We’ve become a spectacle.”
“I don’t care.” He spoke in a lazy tone, as more than two hundred people continued to applaud.
“I told you…” Mona interjected, running towards her friend. “You should believe in miracles.”
“Thank you.” Tim spoke, turning to her. “You’ve been a lot of help.”
“What would I do without you, Mona?” Josephine wondered.
“You kids take care.” Mona winked at her. “Goodnight.”
“So, you: a firefighter, huh?” Josephine asked. “When did you think of that?”
“Yeah,” he admitted. “A friend gave me an idea. Do you still want to go to…”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she interrupted. “Everything I want is right here.”
“So, where to, doc?” Tim said, his voice raspy, as he caressed her back.
“Wherever you would like, Mr. Firefighter,” Josephine laughed; “Wherever you would like.”
Chapter 33
Tim was still unable to wrap his head around the fact that a simple gesture like that had obviously changed Josephine’s mind and convinced her to stay. But, he would not complain and would definitely not start a conversation about it. This was not a moment to analyze things. They were together again; that was all that mattered.
Having missed her touch all these days, his initial thought was to take her to bed. Still, there was something that Tim Shaw had never experienced: a real date with someone that he cared about. Therefore, he drove Josephine to Bryant Park Winter Village, a huge place that offered all kinds of seasonal events, delicious food and a large, ice rink. It was very popular; they would be surrounded by dozens of ice skaters, but privacy was the last thing on Tim’s mind. He wanted to offer her a romantic date and for him, Bryant Park Winter Village was ideal for the occasion.
Festive lights shone all around them, as Josephine put on her ice blades. Holding onto his arm for balance, she tried to steady herself.
“I still can’t believe you talked me into this.” She protested. “I haven’t done any ice skating in years.”
“It’s just like riding a bike.” He teased her, as they both staggered across the ice rink floor.
“I used to fall off my bike a lot.” Josephine chuckled.
“Don’t worry. I got you.” Tim assured. “Besides, we’re not going to be skating for that long.”
“What do you have in mind, Mr. Shaw?” Her question made his eyes glint with amusement.
“A night with you,” he was quick to reply. “Do all the things I’ve missed so much.”
“Very interesting,” she commented, as they skated towards the upper right corner of the rink. As soon as they reached it, Tim rolled left and faced her. He pulled his arm out of her grasp, put his hands on her wrists and pulled her closer.
“I’ve been meaning to do this since we came to New York.” He spoke, his voice low, as he stared down into her big, brown eyes.
“What, try to kill me?” Josephine joked.
“Come on, doc,” he whispered. “You know what I’m talking about.”
“I sure do,” she said in her sweet voice, giving him the chills, as a northern breeze tugged at her hair. “You really stunned me tonight, you know that? When I heard our song, I thought that Mona was trying to make me run back to you or something. But, I couldn’t have been more wrong.”
“The song was my idea,” Tim bragged. “I thought about it, when she told me about her cousin. I was hoping to see you somewhere more private and dance to it, but you didn’t give me much choice.”
“I couldn’t stay here.” Josephine sighed. “There was nothing for me here.”
“Nothing?” Her statement puzzled him. “What about your parents? Where do they live?”
“They got divorced, back when I was in college.” She replied. “My mother lives in Dallas, my father lives in Cleveland. I wouldn’t go to either of those places. My dad could accuse me of choosing my mom and vice versa.”
“Sounds messy,” Tim’s smile grew wider.
“You have no idea,” Josephine said, a hint of sadness in her voice, as the breeze turned into a powerful wind, whipping her hair back and forth. Tim would not open his mouth. Believing that anything that he might say could ruin the moment, he only gazed upon her. Letting go of her wrists, he wrapped his long arms around her back. He bent his head down towards her, closing his eyes. And it was at that moment that he felt alive again. Her warm, tender kiss sent him to heaven, as she entwined her arms around his neck. He felt her hair whipping at his face, as he caressed her back. The magic moment made his heart flutter. Blissfully lost in her kiss, he held her even closer, feeling her soft hands on the back of his neck.
“God…” she whispered, laying a short kiss on his chin. “God, I’ve missed your kiss.”
“Not as much as I’ve missed yours.” He spoke in his baritone, as the wind subsided. A small snowflake landed on her hair, just above her forehead. Tim felt some moisture on his temple. Both of them peered up into the sky. Thousands of snowflake
s were gently falling from the grey sky, turning a cold darkness to a magic, winter night. Tim shifted his gaze back to her.
“Perfect…” He thought to himself, watching as more and more snowflakes fell into her hair. “Just perfect…”
“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in my whole life.” A tender whisper left his lips, as their gazes met.
“I love you Tim Shaw.” She said in her soft voice, her words sending him into ultimate bliss, as her lips curled into a broad, happy smile. “I love you.”
Chapter 34
Tim had one last surprise in store for Josephine that night. He was not going to take her to his sister’s apartment. His answer to her continuous questions throughout the short drive was a secretive smile and the same, three words: “It’s a surprise.” She did not seem to mind and returned the smile, but, as time went by, her frustration grew. Happily, she did not have to wait for long. Less than twenty minutes later, he turned right, into the underground parking lot of “Stardom”, a large, luxurious hotel.
The elevator stopped at the penthouse. Seconds later, the young couple walked into a spacious, but dark suite. The only light available was the one emanating from the burning logs in the fireplace in the wall across from them.
Tim tossed his coat on the couch to the left, but Josephine did not allow him to speak. She turned around, put her hands on his hips and pulled him closer, tilting her head up to meet his lips. Their mouths joined in a long, passionate kiss. He peeled off her coat and took her in his arms, as their kiss deepened. He started taking slow steps forward, leading her closer to the fireplace. He dragged his hands down her sides, just before he stopped. Tim pulled her sweater up and over her head, as Josephine’s hands crept around his waist. Tossing it to the floor, he wrapped his arms around her upper back. She tilted her head back, exposing her neck. With her warm flesh in his hands, he slowly kissed his way down her neck, as her soft sighs filled his ears. He buried his face into her chest as he unhooked her bra. Just when he threw it the floor, she arched up into him, feeling the pressure of his chest on her breasts. Then, Tim placed his hands on her shoulders, feeling her smooth skin on his lips.
