AFFAIRS OF THE HEART

Silent passion.

Monica closed her eyes ,listening to the rattle of film through the projector as the credits scrolled by in their iconic jagged font. It almost seemed a shame to play the soundtrack , as the nostalgic noice was evocative by itself .But she liked this new score , a strange unearthly blend of music and sound design , all triply synth and theremin .It suited the dreamy world of caligari perfectly.

It was the first silent movie she had ever seen .She'd been too young to read the translated inter titles , so her dad had told the story for her in a dramatic German accent that made her laugh, her father was Korean so it sounded really funny but it was also scary.

The wicked Dr.Caligari was more frightening than Cesare ,the poor somnambulist who was forced to kill at his master's command .But it wasn't either of the main characters who haunted her dreams that night .It was Jane, the beautiful girl beloved by two men, Jacob and Andrew.There was something so outwardly about her.Monica had been captivated from her very fires appearance.

In the opening scene Jacob was sitting on a park bench with an old man who was telling a mornful tale of being haunted .Then Jane wondered into the frame, her eyes wide with wonder as she gazed at something only she could see.

SPIRITS ENGULF US EVERYWHERE

But Jacob wasn't listening to the old man .He was staring at the girl as she drifted past him in a filmly white dress, as though she might be a ghost .Terry identified with Jacob instantly .In that moment , she had fallen in love with Jane , with the movie , with the entire exotic world of silent cinema.

************

I find myself looking through my seat at the comic book store in the hopes that I will se her again.It has been two weeks now since I saw her and I really miss her.I cant stop thinking about her ,hr gothic style,her pale supple skin,her beautiful squinted eyes that made me drool every time she looked at me.The door bell rings and I see her .She is wearing a long T shirt and pink Pajamas pants.Her eyes are red around the edges and looks desperate. She mouths some words that I don't understand because am at the far end of the store.I stand up and move towards her.I feel her scent as I move closer to her .She smells as good as I first remember her.I had really missed her.

With heavy timid breaths she talks to me.

''Suzanne , Can we talk?"

''O-Oh of course''

''At your place ...''

''Yeah sure,let me grab my coat first then we can go.''

I make a silent plea to God to relieve me of my intense needs of wanting to grab her .When we got to my house I couldn't find my keys .I'd be damned.

I normally kept a spare at the bottom of my pea plant at my door but I had lost that one too.Luckily I could always get through my window where I guided her towards.

''Am sorry but we have to go through the window I forgot my keys .''

I take off the window mesh blocking us from the inside of the house.I go in first.

She begins to climb inside as I begin to assist her.Monica steps in through the window ,looking for a place to position her shoe less feet.

I turn on a lamp for Monica.I stay close to the wall to prevent her from seeing my paintings of her.She takes another step in suddenly her foot slips.

''Ooops''

I attempt to catch her fall and I sort of do .Monica falls forward and lands on top of me in a massive thud.Her head lays next to mine.

It hurts ...A lot.

*Groans in pain*

It was a big fall for her to land on me.I'm just glad that we're on my soft bed.However ,her breasts are pressing onto mine and I can feel her.i wonder if she can feel me too bearing in mind she rejected me two weeks ago.

Nipples through her shirt.

Our faces are only a few inches apart .

Surprisingly, Monica gives me a look of entrancement.

Maybe this isn't so bad,

''Oh ,I'm sorry''

Monica scrambles to get off of me and my bed.I sit up.

''I'm really sorry.''

''It's fine, just ignore it.''

I'm just glad she didn't land on my face cause God knows what I would have done to those lips if they were any inch close to mine.

I place back the window mesh and sit Monica down beside me on my bed.

''So ...Why are you here? Don't get me wrong..I like your company very much but I'd like to know.''

Doing something along these lines I didn't expect it.

''I ......Uh....''

Her embarrassed tone instantly drops and she hangs her head down ,unsure of how to continue.

''........It's ...It's hard to say.''

Her soft voice begins to quiver,She takes a gulp in and anxiously picks at her picks at her pajama pants .I let her say what she need to.

''My ...My parents are getting a divorce..''

.....

''Uh?''...

Monica looks at me with the biggest look of destitution that I've ever seen in.This is a side of her that I haven't seen before.I'm unsure of how to handle this.This is an extremely sensitive topic .Regardless of my inexperience with this phenomenon ,I have to support her.She can't go through this alone.I'm unimpressed with my inability to see this sooner .This is why she looked shuddered and not herself today.Her words become heavy .I can hear the despair in her voice .Tears start flowing off of her chin ,leaving trails of sorrow.She moves closer to lay against me and cries onto my shoulder.

I conclude there is not much that I can say in this situation .So I grab a hold of her and hug her tightly .She makes a small noise of surprise ,but soon hugs me back .We embrace .I couldn't be happier right now ,but that seems selfish considering the situation.

I ask her a question .

''Why did you come to me?There are other people you know and there is your boyfriend too''

''You are the first person I thought to come to Suzanne.Besides I haven't talked to my so called boyfriend in days now. ''

Not gonna lie that statement sent a warm shiver throughout my body,especially in one place. However now isn't the time for that .I need to act seriously .Now Isn't the time to be thinking about me.This is about her.

We hug for a surprisingly long time, Monica breath becomes longer and more fluid the longer we hld one another.I thought she would have pulled away long time ago, but she remained ardent about staying like this.She seeks solace in my company I couldn't be more honored.

After I finish mentally calming myself, We both climb into my bed .It's big enough for the two of us to have adequate room.I turn off the lamp and pull the blanket over to myself.

''Goodnight''

''Goodnight''

We face away from each other .Even though I can't see her the fact that Monica is on my bed is mesmerizing.