When Life Begins Again

Chapter Four

“I can meet you back here tomorrow to talk again if that’s what you want. I don’t have a cell phone so I won’t be able to contact you. They won’t let us have one because they don’t want us calling the cops on them. They allow us a bit of freedom so we feel like we have a choice. And give us small amounts of money so we can buy stuff but not get on a bus or train to run off,” I tell him, looking down at my hand.

He leans in closer and pulls my face up to look at him. “If that’s what we have to do then we’ll meet here every morning till we can come up with a plan that works. I’m going to get you out of there Annabelle. I promise you that,” he tells me sternly.

“Okay. I’ll come here in mornings to meet with you and talk to you. I’m glad I meet you Daniel,” I tell him, staring straight into his eyes.

“Good. Just don’t forget about me. I have to be going but I’ll see you tonight. I’m coming to your show to see what that’s all about. But I won’t talk to you because I don’t want anyone to know that we know each other. Until the morning tomorrow,” he tells me, pushing up from his seat. He leans forward and presses his lips to mine.

I kiss him instinctually, like it was something I needed to do. It felt right. A rush fell through me and shivers came all over my body.

He pulls away, smiling at me then heads out of the café.

That was my first kiss. I felt shocked and amazed all at the same time. I couldn’t believe he just did that. But it was incredible all at the same time. I look down at my muffin and see it’s not even half gone and pick it up then start eating it till it’s gone. Between bites I drank my hot chocolate which was now a bit cold. I looked over at the time and saw that it was 11am. I had been here for two hours. I need to go do something else.

Someone else walks into the café and goes straight to the counter.

I get up out of my seat and take my garbage to the bin then I make my way outside. Once the door closes behind me I look across the street at the tall building I’ve been trapped in for a week. It’s about 5 floors tall. The outside is made up of bricks, like an old school. There was nothing on the outside of the building that would draw attention to it. It just looked like a regular old building. But the inside was a whole other story.

Somebody brushes passed me heading into the café and takes my attention away from the building.

I turn to the right and start walking. I’ve got about 6 hours till I have to be back. I’ll explore the area then maybe look in a*****e and then head back. I’m not in a rush to get back there but I don’t want to find out what will happen if I’m late. As I walk a little further I come across a nature park with tall beautiful trees and benches scattered around in different spots. I walk over to a wooden bench underneath a willow tree. I sit down and look around at everything. “This place is beautiful,” I say out loud.

Someone sits down beside me and says, “Is it your first time being here?”

I look over at them and say, “Yes. I’ve been stuck inside for awhile and I just came to this area a week ago so it’s my first time seeing everything.”

She nods her head and says, “Well I’m glad you got the change to explore. This is the most beautiful spot in the area. I like coming here with my dog so she can run around and play with other dogs.”

I look passed her and say, “Oh, is she here with you now?”

She smiles at me and says, “She’s playing with her friend Pixie over there by the rocks. She’s a golden retriever. I named her Glory because she’s glories.” She then turns her attention over to her dog and calls for her.

A big golden coloured dog comes running over waging her tail. She runs up to her owner and rests her head in her lap.

“Sorry, I never told you my name. I’m Flora. My mother really loves flowers,” she tells me, rubbing Glory’s head.

“Oh, I’m Annabelle. You have a lovely name. And your dog is beautiful,” I tell her, smiling at the dog.

“Thank you Annabelle, you have a lovely name as well. Glory, this is our new friend. I’d like you to meet her. She’s new around here,” Flora tells her dog, directing the dog's attention towards me.

Glory moves over to me, tail waging happily. She barks and licks my hand.

I reach out my hand and pet her lightly. She has soft fur and feels like a teddy bear. “Hello there Glory, it’s nice to meet you too,” I tell her, smiling.

Flora smiles over at me and her dog.

“Oh, Flora. Since you are familiar with this area, do you have any recommendations for places to eat?” I asked her, thinking I should get some lunch.

“Yes, there’s a really good place not far from here. It’s called Clover’s. They have a variety of different foods and it’s not too expensive. It’s just across the street, to your left,” she tells me.

“Thanks a lot. I haven’t eaten much today and I’m feeling kind of hungry. I think I’ve been walking around for about an hour. It was really great meeting you Flora, and your dog Glory. I hope I’ll see you again some time,” I tell her. I give Glory another gentle pat then I stand up from the bench and look up at the tree. I just love the way that the leaves come down from the tree.

Flora stands up with me and says, “It was lovely meeting you as well Annabelle. I hope all goes well for you. I must take Glory to play with Pixie again. You take care now.” She turns and walked off over towards the rocks by another bench.

I hold onto my little purse and make my way over to Clover’s in hopes of finding something decent to eat. I have about 30 dollars left so I won’t buy something big. Looking around I wait till it’s safe then I run across the road and turn to my left, stopping when I reach the building which said Clover’s.

A man walked out of the restaurant and brushed passed me saying, “Sorry.” He looked at me briefly then walked away in the direction I came from.

I opened the door and stepped inside. I walked up to the greeter and said, “Table for one please.”

She smiled at me, picking up a menu and said, “Certainly, you can follow me.” She then lead me to a table off to the side of the restaurant.

I sat down at the table and looked around the room. It was a beautiful restaurant. The walls were covered in green wallpaper with a leafy design. There was a wooden trim along the middle and top of the wall as well as the bottom.

The greeter smiled at me and said, “Your waiter will be right with you.”

I nod and thank her. She was a lovely woman. I go back to admiring the look of the restaurant. There was fabric draped across the ceiling, coming down slightly but not touching anyone’s heads and the lights coming from the ceiling were like chandelier, with crystals hanging from them.

A male waiter comes over to my table holding a note pad and pen and says, “good afternoon miss, may I get you something to drink while you go over your menu?”

I stare down at my menu, forgetting to even look at it and say, “I’m so sorry, I got so lost in admiring this place that I forgot to look at the menu. I’ll just have some water to drink. Is there any thing you could recommend to me from the menu? I’ve never been here before and I’m not sure what’s good.”

He smiles at me and says, “that’s quite alright miss, you’re welcome to look all you like. My recommendation would be the house pasta with a side of garlic toast. It’s really good and it's only 15.99”

I smile back at him, picking up my menu and say, “I’ll take that then. I love pasta and I’ll trust your judgement.” I then handed him the menu.

He writes down my order and takes the menu from me. “I’ll be right back with your water and the meal will just take a few minutes,” he tells me, then turns and heads towards the kitchen.

I look out at the seating around me, there was a few other people here but most people had someone else with them. I spotted a family a bit further away, sitting in a booth. Looked like a mother and father with their three kids. It made me miss my own family and I became sad. Soon, soon I’ll be free from these people and I can go find you.