The night had too many eyes, too many tears, and too many candles. It left sticky traces of wax in our souls. Escaped from its unbearable seduction, the morning light felt like a benediction: the smell of fresh brewed coffee, the whiteness of the tablecloth, the raspberry cobblers aligned on the window of the freezer, your eyes clearer than any mountain spring ever known.

We finished our coffees. Christina, the waitress, blew us a kiss and then threw her hands in the air. Her high-pitched voice rang in my ears:

“Don’t forget to return to the Six O’clock Café, you love birds.”

“We will be back tomorrow.”

I saw the trolley moving like a red sleepwalking worm through the windows. We rushed out.

We watched the city and the sea come to life from our chairs, side by side. It was a bridal time filled with the smell of salt and sweet oranges. Your lips trembled, and you spoke about our wedding.

We were going to get married on a boat. We would leave the shore on a Sunday morning. Behind us, all church bells would toll. I would wear a simple dress made from hemp, and a crown of pink fresh roses gathered the midnight before our marriage when the moon rose from the waters. A huge basket filled with a thousand cherries would be set at our feet to make our marriage as sweet as their flesh. Blue and white threads wrapped around our wrists would protect us forever.

The end of the line.

How did we end up at the Six O’clock Café again? The trolley must have gone in a circle. We laughed, got off the trolley, and entered the place.

I thought everything looked strange. The refrigerator was now on the other wall, and the tablecloths were no longer white. A long-faced waiter passed me.

I asked:

“Is Christina here?”

“Christina? Oh, Christina quit working here five years ago.”

Numb, I looked at you. There was something deeper than desperation in your eyes. Something that I could not translate.

Your arms pull me to your chest. I could hear your whisper.

“Please tell me we are married.”

I looked at my fingers. I had no wedding band.

---

Reminder

Please stay tuned for more updates on Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku. Tentative publication date: late April. Publisher Literary Revelations.

My books (Only English)
#1 Amazon bestseller, Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings (Vita Brevis)
#1 Amazon Bestseller, Women: Splendor and Sorrow (Vita Brevis)

Thank you to all my followers who reviewed my books.
Please read other reviews here:

Woman: Splendor and Sorrow: Love Poems and Poetic Prose by Gabriela Marie Milton in Portland Book Review
Woman: Splendor and Sorrow: Love Poems and Poetic Prose by Gabriela Marie Milton in Manhattan Book Review
Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings in San Francisco by Gabriela Marie Milton in San Francisco Book Review
Passions: Love Poems and Other Writings by Gabriela Marie Milton In Manhattan Book Reviews

Christina Schwarz, the author of the New York Times Bestseller “Drowning Ruth.”