Prompt 44

I sat on her bed, resisting the urge to talk through the best part of the film.  I glanced at her to gauge her reaction, but she was too deeply engrossed to notice.  Once it was over she agreed with me that this was one of her new favorite movies.  We talked about it for some time, and popped a bag of popcorn.  While we painted our nails a deep purple, our talk shifted to the relationships in the film.  She grew quiet - unusual for her.  “Is there anything between you two anymore?” she asked.  She didn’t need to explain her question or attach any names.  I knew what she spoke of.

“Hey there stranger!” I called form across the field.

“You’re back!” he said, breaking into a grin. “How was the St. Croix?”

“Full!  Little Falls is always interesting when we’ve had as much rain as this.”

We talked on for a little while, and I got to tell him that Giovanni got saved.  A brand new born again believer.  His big eyes softened like I knew they would, and he said in a voice barely above a whisper, “Della, that’s the reason we’re here.”

It was getting dark, and no one was around.  I did not cringe when his hand came to rest on my shoulder.  We walked the rest of the way, over the bridge and across the road, until he dropped me off at my room for the night.

That night he ran his hand though my hair - something I usually only let my mother do, and he spoke all the tender words to me that are easy to hear.  But I woke up and it was just a dream.  It was a beautiful dream though, and I woke with a soft smile that did not leave me all day.  With an amazing river trip behind me, and the promise of joy ahead of me, nothing could bring me down.

Then, just that week, I heard the news.  

“There never really was anything,” I said, blowing on my still tacky nails.  From across the bed, my friend looked into my eyes and saw more than I would ever tell.  “Really,” I said.  “It was just a dream, nothing more.”