Unforgettable (2 page)

Then Cossie marched into the room, a
wicked witch carrying a broom in front of her. "Get out of
here"

"Stay out of my way," he said and
the voice tickled a memory long buried in Linda’s mind.

"Her niece says you're not allowed
to see her," Cossie said to his face.

The stranger turned to Cossie and
almost shouted, "I know you're lying."

"I never lie," Cossie shouted
back.

One of the women coughed and Cossie’s angry’s
swept over them.

"You're been returning my letters."
He took a handful of letters from his pocket and threw them in her
face. "Those you haven't kept."

Cossie tried to shove him away with
the broom and he pushed her aside and walked over to them gathered
by the window.

As he stepped closer he called,
"Linda," and Mrs. Clark fainted, but Linda Clark fainted at least
once a month, so some residents were ready and slowed her descent
to the tile floor.

He walked over to the supine woman, looked at
the heavily made up face and the silky clothes, and turned
away.

His blue eyes scanned the others,
settled on her and he slowly stepped closer. "Linda?"

Mrs. Moon looked at him, tried to
recognize him without white hair, without a goatee and suddenly her
heart skipped a beat and she was scared. Could it be? Was it
him?

"Arthur?" she said.

"Been away," he said and her hand
covered her mouth. They had been friends, then lovers, and then
good friends. He had wanted to be closer, she had been young and,
frankly, foolish. Then he'd left on business, government business
she'd heard.

"Long time," she said.

"Too long."

"Oh Arthur," she said and rushed
into his arms and he held her as only a man can who has
loved-a-woman-and-lost-her-and-refound-her can. They kissed and
ah's echoed around the activity room. Then they stood apart and
looked at each other.

"Where you been?"

"Government work."

She nodded.

"Wounded, hospitalized, a business
career."

"Why are you here?" she said more
than a little confused.

“
Don’t you know how,” he paused
listening to the song, “unforgetable you are?”

She shook her head. It must be a dream. But the
tears were no dream.

"Always said I'd take care of you and here I
am."

"I don't need you," she said and
turned away from him.

"I didn't mean it like that." He
stepped closer and lowered his voice. "I have money, more money
than I can spend in ten life times and more houses than I need or
want, castles really. I thought you might like to live in one of
them."

"Like a house sitter?"

"If that's what you want," he said,
"and we could get reacquainted. Or not. Pay you a salary. You'll
have a staff. Got more money and staff and houses than I know what
to do with."

"But ... but this is so sudden."

"I've been writing to you for years.
Asking. Begging."

"I never got a letter."

He motioned at the letters on the
floor. "At first I thought you were still angry at me -
"

"I was never angry at you."

“
- and then they started coming
back. Return to sender. Address unknown."

She looked at the dozens of letters on the
floor.

"What did you say?" she said.

"There's no easy way to put it."

"What?"

"I'm dying. I'd like you back in my
life as a friend. Even for the short time I have left. When the
doctor gave me the latest news, how little time I have left, I had
to come and hear it from you in person. No letter. No third party.
Face to face."

"I never knew."

"I figured as much."

"But we've changed so
much."

"You were the nicest, most
unforgetable person I ever met,” he said. “I bet that hasn’t
changed.”

"But . . . ."

He held up his hand. "I don't have a lot of
time and I would like a friend around at the end."

Cossie marched into the room. "The
police are on the way."

"Good," Arthur said. "I'd like them
to look at those letters and find out who was interfering with the
mail."

Cossie looked down at the red
stamped letters on the floor and hurried out of the
room.

Arthur turned to Linda.

"We haven't got much time."

"What will my niece Claire
say?"

"Nothing, bribed her with a
cruise."

"You did?"

In the distance sirens sounded.

He held out his hand.

"Come with me and let’s enjoy the
time we have."

"Oh Arthur," she said and took his
hand.

He led her from the activity room
and Larry said, "What about us?"

Arthur looked at Larry then at her.
She nodded once.

"I'll send a car," Arthur said.

As they exited the activity room,
she noticed the floor was wet and cried out.

Arthur slipped on the wet floor, but she caught
him and stopped him from falling.

"That would have been a nasty fall,"
he said. "Could have broken my hip."

She saw Cossie running down the hall
with an empty red plastic cup in her hand.

Arthur squeezed her hand tightly.
"Together we can conquer anything."

They walked out the front door across the
parking lot to his chromed motorcycle.

"I've never been on one of these
things."

"Easy as riding a bike," he said.

He climbed on and showed her how to
do it. She hiked up her pale blue housedress and lifted her
slippered foot over the seat behind him. She held onto his black
leather jacket and squeezed her legs against his jeans.

A police car with flashing lights
pulled up the driveway. She waved at the police and at her friends
watching in the activity room as they drove away.

*****

About the Author

Ted Stetson was born in Brooklyn and attended
Seton Hall and Hofstra. He graduated from the University of St.
Thomas in Houston, Texas. He lives in Oregon with his wife and
son

Find out more at
http://www.tedstetson.com

Other titles by Ted Stetson at
smashwords.com:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=ted+stetson

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