Searching For the Real Prince Charming

Nobody

“I am nobody,” he said briskly walking away and disappearing into the crowd. Sophia oped her mouth to respond but he was already lost in the crowd. While her mind wondered about who he could be, a night dealing with the recent events awaited her. It was if fate was laughing at her for no reason. Heading home, Sophia wondered about the man she had just run into that called himself a nobody.

Meanwhile, the strange encounter had left Jasper reeling a bit berating himself for saying his name was nobody. Of course, that idea had been going around in his hard since he left the airport.

In fact, it had been his own idea since he made the reservations to New York. It was the one town he could actually become no one important. He could be a face in the crowd and disappear into a quiet life where no one knew who he was.

Jasper thought back to what he left behind. One of the things he had left was his heart. He hadn’t wanted to leave the shattered pieces behind but he was given no choice.

The pain of seeing a woman walk down the aisle with someone else was harder than he ever imagined. He hadn’t dreamed that much pain was possible. Worse than that, she acted as if he never existed. She was acting like she never even have loved him.

Remembering the first time he met Gloria with those golden locks and bright brown eyes had him hooked at first sight. When he fell, he fell very hard.

At first it was simple dates leading to flowers and romantic dinners. Then small presents leading up to the big moment. He had proposed at his favorite spot on top of the mountain.

His heart melted in the moment that she said yes. It was pure order. His life’s plan stretched out in front of him. He imagined walking down a wedding aisle, the birth of their first child, and perhaps a couple more. Holding hands as they traveled into life’s golden years with a bundle of grandkids to enjoy.

It only took a few weeks to fall from this throne of order. She went from the crowning jewel in his life to a lying snake swimming in a sea of betrayals.

He discovered her first lie within days of the proposal. From there it spiraled downward into not answering messages, ignoring phone calls, skipping dates and finally catching her in the act of ultimate betrayal with his younger brother.

Tempted to take them both out, he snapped on the iron control in which he was known for and strode out of the room. His anger consumed him and he found himself lost in the stench of booze. His spiral downward completed itself when he watched her walk down that aisle in a swirling white dress. Only he wasn’t the guy at the altar to meet her. He was left in the audience watching it all unfold until he could take it no more.

Turning, he left the church. It was that moment, that he decided to become invisible. It was the reason he decided on New York City.

It was a city with so many people that it was easy to get lost in. He could hide from the pity his friends were constantly showing him. He could escape from his shellfish family whose happiness was surrounding the newlyweds and ignoring the pain of his betrayal. Not a single word of sympathy, no consoling hug and not even an apology from his brother acknowledging what he did.

The anger was still with him upon boarding the plane. He was looking forward to becoming lost in a city where no one knows him. In a few hours, he would become a nobody.

It was just bad luck that he had run into the mugger on his first night there. The knife was cheap and the threats lame. That pretty girl managed to distraction the mugger long enough to take the knife. It took just a moment to destroy that cheap piece.

When she asked him his name, he was tempted to give it to her. But thought otherwise. So, he told her the one thing he wanted to become with the heartache still fresh in his mind.

However, regret set in the instant she was out of sight. He regretted not asking the same question which she had asked.

He glanced back but she was completely lost in the crowd. He thought to himself that it was better this way since he left his heart behind.

Now was not the time to become involved with some strange woman. For now, his only interest was disappearing in a sea of people and that was what he intended to do for the foreseeable future.

Still there was a tiny lingering thought in the back of his mind. That tiny bit of regret which refused to go away. Reaching his temporary home a few minutes later, he proceeded to lock out the world and morn his past with the bottle of booze he kept on hand just for this occasion.