Chapter 25 (The Decision)

Jonathan had attended Alexandra down to the street to wait for a cab together with her.

He softly kissed her good-bye before Alexandra got into the cab, then he walked back to the building´s garage to drive to Arkham Asylum in his Jaguar.

„Where to go, Miss?", the taxi driver asked and turned round to Alexandra.

„453, Westmore Road, please.", she responded and the cab started to move.

Firstly, Alexandra wanted to drive back to her apartment to change her clothes and then to think about, what she wanted to take care of today.

She could still feel Jonathan´s lips on hers and she could still feel his touches when the cab drove counter to the rays of light of the morning sun twinkling through the grey buildings of Gotham City. The cab drove off down the street and Alexandra could see the glittering water of Gotham River right in front of her. It was coloured in a mix of red and orange by the morning sun.

„Excuse me, could you please stop the car?", Alexandra said and bended forward to the taxi driver.

He nodded and stopped the car at the curb.

„Thank you but I´ve changed my mind.", Alexandra said, paid the fare and got out of the cab.

The driver nodded at her to say good-bye when Alexandra closed the door of the cab and walked over to Gotham River, over to the promenade. Suddenly she felt the need to get some fresh air and to watch the beautiful morning sun and the glittering water.

Alexandra sighed when her gaze moved over the water and she twinkled into the still warming autumn sun. Again, this was something she never had noticed before! Suddenly she realized how much her world had changed since yesterday evening. How much she had changed! And she knew, the reason for it was Jonathan.

How cold and how full of hatred she had been when she had arrived in Gotham days ago. How cynical she had been all her life without allowing herself to feel anything.

She had kept closed all doors to her heart over the last years. And now Alexandra had realized that Jonathan had found again the key to her heart even if he might not have been aware of it.

Alexandra was smiling lightly, still being in her thoughts of Jonathan when she noticed a small plump man standing next to her. He was wearing beige and olive-green colored clothes and a green cap. The man was holding binoculars in his hand, observing something on the water.

Alexandra looked over to find out what the man was looking at and she could see something long and dark on one of the wooden piles rising above Gotham River.

The man noticed Alexandra´s interest and passed the binoculars round to her.

„Here, take a look.", he said in a calm, light squeaking voice – a voice which didn´t really fit to his physique.

Alexandra hesitated for a moment then she gripped the binoculars and looked through them.

„Right in front of you on the wooden pile.", she could hear the man saying while she adjusted the binoculars.

Now, Alexandra could see what this black thing on the pile was. It was a bird. A big bird with long thin legs. His feathers were black and Alexandra noticed big white stripes on the sides of his body. He had white and red spots on the cheeks, his eyes were piercing blue and his head was topped with a crown of stiff golden feathers. Alexandra never had seen such a bird before.

"Balearica pavonina.", the man responded when Alexandra kept on looking through the binoculars. "Uhm.. excuse me?", Alexandra asked, rising her eyebrows when she returned the binoculars to the man.

She didn´t have any idea, what the guy was talking about.

"Balearica pavonina.", the man said again and with his head, he pointed at the black bird on the pile. "This is the Latin name for the black crowned crane." "A crane?", Alexandra asked surprised and in her thoughts she had to smile because she had Jonathan in her mind right away when she heard the word crane´. "Yes.", the man responded, having a big smile from one ear to the other. "And do you know what is so great? The black crowned crane lives in Africa. And now we have a specimen living in freedom here in Gotham, how great is this?"

Alexandra frowned.

So, this beautiful bird is completely at the wrong place here in Gotham? Well, this is what he has in common with Jonathan. He´s beautiful, too and at the wrong place here in Gotham as well.´, Alexandra thought.

"Wait a minute.", she said. "If this bird is at home in Africa, what is he doing here then?" "I don´t know.", the man responded and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe he decamped out of Gotham Zoo... but look at him, isn´t he beautiful?"

Alexandra looked at the black crane and the bird was gazing into her direction with his blue eyes as if he would gaze directly at her.

"Indeed, he is.", she responded and again, she thought of Jonathan.

He could be a black crowned crane as well with his black hair and his blue eyes just the crown would be missing.´

Alexandra was torn of her thoughts when she could hear the man´s voice again.

"Did you know that those birds are living permanently in monogamy? They retire in pairs for brooding time.", he said with a big smile on his face. "They even brood their offspring together!"

Alexandra shook her head.

"Umm.. no.", she responded subdued.

Permanent monogamy? Brooding time? Brood the offspring together?´, she thought and suddenly she had to think of the necklace, she had given to Jonathan. The one he had weared around his neck yesterday evening.

Did he put it on just to seduce Alexandra? Or was he wearing it all over the years, although believing that she was dead?

If Jonathan is about to show the same characteristics the crane has then I´ll get in serious trouble.´, Alexandra thought while putting her hands into the outer pockets of her coat.

She could feel her cell phone in her left pocket but there was something else, too. It felt like paper and it felt like being attached to her cell phone. Alexandra pulled the phone out of her pocket and she wasn´t listening to the man anymore who kept on telling about the living space of the black crowned crane.

She noticed a slip of paper being jammed between the two wings of her cell phone. She flipped it open carefully and pulled out the slip of paper. It was folded and Alexandra put the phone back into the pocket of her coat before she unfolded the slip of paper.

She could recognize Jonathan´s handwriting.

Having the good fortune of loving someone so much as you only have once in your life.

I love you, Alexandra Wentzler.

Jonathan T. Crane´

Alexandra gasped and she looked at Gotham River in front of her. For a split second she couldn´t believe what she was reading there.

My God, that´s not possible! He´s still wearing this necklace and he still knows what he had told me 12 years ago!´, Alexandra thought while looking at the black crane again, still standing on his wooden pile and suddenly those three words were echoing in her head.

These three words she never believed to speak them aloud again. But last night she had to confess at herself for the first time, that these three words had come to life inside her again and now they wanted to come out, out of her mouth, those three words.

"I love you..", Alexandra whispered, staring at the slip of paper while saying again "I love you.", this time even louder.

Then Alexandra looked up again looking at Gotham River, at the sun glittering on the water, at this beautiful black crane still standing on his wooden pile, looking at her and Alexandra´s heart gushed over when she shouted:

"I love you! I love you Jonathan Thomas Crane!"

The man put his binoculars down and lookd over to Alexandra, smiling lightly.

Alexandra swallowed and suddenly she realized, what she actually said.

"It looks like you have your own crane you want to take care of, don´t you?", the man asked in a soft voice and his smile got wider and wider.

Alexandra had to smile, too.

"Yeah.", she whispered and looked down to the papaer again, sighing lightly.

Yes, she would take care of her crane and suddenly she knew what she had to do.

Alexandra gripped into the breast-pocket of her coat but she couldn´t find what she was looking for.

Damn, I have it in the other coat!´, Alexandra thought and sighed.

"Doesn´t matter, I know where I have to go.", she said in a low voice when she said good-bye to the man and to the beautiful black crane when she ran back to the street.