@}~~{}~~~
(*Flashback cont...*) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As their lips parted, Manny opened her eyes to find Craig smiling down at her. Craig. Her Craig. Her first love. Her only true love. It was like a fairy tale. "Craig," she whispered.
"Yes? Anything," he answered truthfully.
"I want to know you," she said.
"Know me? Manny you're my best friend. You know all about me," he said confused. She let go of him and sat on the swings. He sat beside her.
"It's been so long Craig. A lot can happen in a year," she said. "What happened this year?" He thought about it for a moment and answered.
"Well.......I came here. I felt so alone at first. All my family was back in Canada." He paused. "You were back in Canada. Our kiss goodbye lingered in my thoughts day after day. But I would call you and you never brought it up. I never brought it up. It's like it never happened. It was like it was just a dream. The kind where you wake up and wish you could go back to sleep so you can feel like that again."
"I felt the same way," she said softly. Craig sighed.........a sigh so deep you could feel the sorrow within his very soul.
"I wish I had known. I wish I had done something. I should have told you how I felt. Then........then maybe none of this would have happened," he said in frustration.
"But it all worked out," she said taking his hands in hers. He smiled. She felt his hands and fingers. "You don't play the guitar anymore?" she asked concerned.
"How do you know?" he asked.
"You fingers are smooth. They've never been smooth. They're always calloused from your guitar."
"No. I gave it up when I came here," he answered.
"But your music? It was your life," she said.
"The band broke up........I felt too alone to write songs. I was tired of writing sad ones."
"I'm sorry," Manny said.
"It's not your fault," he said. "It's mine. Excuses. Regrets. What's new?"
"Don't talk like that Craig," she said shaking her head. "We're together now.....that's all that matters, right?" He looked into her beautiful brown eyes and smiled softly. "Maybe you can start playing again?"
"I would like that," he answered. After a moment of deep thought he began again. "I thought I would go insane. Christmas came and I missed Angie so much. I was homesick. I needed to talk to you. Then, Joey moved here and I never got that chance. The whole Lina fiasco threw my life out of whack. She threatened to abort the baby if I talked to you. She knew I loved you."
"I wish I knew that," she said tears silently falling down her cheeks. "I thought you hated me. I thought you forgot about me........us."
"Never," Craig said concerned. "Never Manny........" He took her hands and kissed them. "It was torture to see you with Jerry," he said.
"It was torture to see you with Lina!" Manny exclaimed. "I couldn't believe you were engaged. My heart broke a thousand times that night."
"I'm so sorry Beautiful," he said kissing her hand again.
"Apology accepted," she said kissing him on the cheek.
"My year was a nightmare Manny. Please tell me yours was better," he demanded.
"Maybe slightly better," she said laughing. "I think I practiced what I would tell you when you came home for Christmas a million times. But you never came."
"I wanted to..." he said but was interrupted.
"I know. At least I know now. I was crushed back then. I was sure you had forgotten me. When I was accepted into UCLA I spent my time convincing Emma to come with me and practicing what I would say when I saw you," she said pausing.
"Why was it so hard for us?" he asked. "We should have just told each other."
"Sure would have made things easier," she laughed. "I guess we were both afraid. We have this history. We stopped dating for a reason......."
"Manny......I'll make things right. From now on.......I'll make things right," he said holding as if she would disappear if he let her go.
"You already have Craig," she said accepting his warm embrace.
(*Flashback cont...*) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As their lips parted, Manny opened her eyes to find Craig smiling down at her. Craig. Her Craig. Her first love. Her only true love. It was like a fairy tale. "Craig," she whispered.
"Yes? Anything," he answered truthfully.
"I want to know you," she said.
"Know me? Manny you're my best friend. You know all about me," he said confused. She let go of him and sat on the swings. He sat beside her.
"It's been so long Craig. A lot can happen in a year," she said. "What happened this year?" He thought about it for a moment and answered.
"Well.......I came here. I felt so alone at first. All my family was back in Canada." He paused. "You were back in Canada. Our kiss goodbye lingered in my thoughts day after day. But I would call you and you never brought it up. I never brought it up. It's like it never happened. It was like it was just a dream. The kind where you wake up and wish you could go back to sleep so you can feel like that again."
"I felt the same way," she said softly. Craig sighed.........a sigh so deep you could feel the sorrow within his very soul.
"I wish I had known. I wish I had done something. I should have told you how I felt. Then........then maybe none of this would have happened," he said in frustration.
"But it all worked out," she said taking his hands in hers. He smiled. She felt his hands and fingers. "You don't play the guitar anymore?" she asked concerned.
"How do you know?" he asked.
"You fingers are smooth. They've never been smooth. They're always calloused from your guitar."
"No. I gave it up when I came here," he answered.
"But your music? It was your life," she said.
"The band broke up........I felt too alone to write songs. I was tired of writing sad ones."
"I'm sorry," Manny said.
"It's not your fault," he said. "It's mine. Excuses. Regrets. What's new?"
"Don't talk like that Craig," she said shaking her head. "We're together now.....that's all that matters, right?" He looked into her beautiful brown eyes and smiled softly. "Maybe you can start playing again?"
"I would like that," he answered. After a moment of deep thought he began again. "I thought I would go insane. Christmas came and I missed Angie so much. I was homesick. I needed to talk to you. Then, Joey moved here and I never got that chance. The whole Lina fiasco threw my life out of whack. She threatened to abort the baby if I talked to you. She knew I loved you."
"I wish I knew that," she said tears silently falling down her cheeks. "I thought you hated me. I thought you forgot about me........us."
"Never," Craig said concerned. "Never Manny........" He took her hands and kissed them. "It was torture to see you with Jerry," he said.
"It was torture to see you with Lina!" Manny exclaimed. "I couldn't believe you were engaged. My heart broke a thousand times that night."
"I'm so sorry Beautiful," he said kissing her hand again.
"Apology accepted," she said kissing him on the cheek.
"My year was a nightmare Manny. Please tell me yours was better," he demanded.
"Maybe slightly better," she said laughing. "I think I practiced what I would tell you when you came home for Christmas a million times. But you never came."
"I wanted to..." he said but was interrupted.
"I know. At least I know now. I was crushed back then. I was sure you had forgotten me. When I was accepted into UCLA I spent my time convincing Emma to come with me and practicing what I would say when I saw you," she said pausing.
"Why was it so hard for us?" he asked. "We should have just told each other."
"Sure would have made things easier," she laughed. "I guess we were both afraid. We have this history. We stopped dating for a reason......."
"Manny......I'll make things right. From now on.......I'll make things right," he said holding as if she would disappear if he let her go.
"You already have Craig," she said accepting his warm embrace.