NOW OR NEVER

Nick was on his way to Santa Maria. On his way, he decided to a break in San Pietro. He stopped in the nearest café. Where he unexpectedly saw Joe, she was his old friend. She used to work there. It was a surprise for him, because it has been 5 years since they last met. They had a little talk about them. In the middle of their talk Joe asked, “Have you ever met her after?” and he smiled.

She brought him his favorite drink and she went the kitchen and start working on the dish, which he asked for. He made himself comfortable before having his drink. There was a little girl singing with her cute little guitar. It made him to feel like the old times.

(“Drinks bring back all the memories, memories bring back, memories bring you” song continues to play in the background.)

While, He having his drink, a girl rushed into café with her guitar. The manager already did the arrangements for her. She took her guitar from her bag and went to her chair and started playing it. Everyone on that café at that moment enjoyed it. Nick took a photo of her in his old camera while she was playing. After the play, he introduced himself to her and asked her name. She said that she was June, a local guitarist. He asked her autograph on that photo. She was surprised on seeing that photo and he gave her another photo with his autograph on it. She demanded a drink for accepting that photo. He took her uphill for that drink. He brought her a drink. It was quiet and lovely place to have drink. She enjoyed the view of city from that place. She loved being there and being with him.

He invited her to his place, which was just above that building. She felt secure and clam in his place and it was clean and not like hers. He requested her to stay for the dinner. While he was cooking, she took a small tour around his place. She started with the room just right behind her. The room was full of Wildlife photos. She noticed that every photo has his name on it.  One picture from his collection stole her heart. It was a picture of lioness milking her cubs. Then she went to the room next to it. It was full of paintings and which was a perfect replica of what she saw in the previous room. All of that painting was painted by him. Then she went to the last place. It was open on one side. The room was full flowering plants and most of them were lily, rose and zebra. There was a guitar and hammock chair. She had a complete view of the city while sitting on the chair. While she tried to pick the guitar, he called her for the dinner.

He prepared mushroom risotto and pasta con pomodoro e basilico for her with delightful dessert pistachio panna cotta. Surprisingly those were her favorites. She fell for him at very first moment, when she tasted it. After finishing the lovely dinner, she went to the hammock chair. He brought the dessert for them. While having the dessert, she asked him to play a song for her. The mild breeze and drizzle in the breeze along with his song made her more comfortable than she ever felt. She forgot her home while she was with him. It was late, hence she prepared for leaving and he said that he had a bike. He took her in his bike. She hugged him tight from the back, which made her warm and comfortable in that cold.

He dropped her at her home. She had no idea of leaving from the bike. She just hugged him tightly before saying goodbye. She wanted to say something to him but she couldn’t say it to him, which was she wanted him for rest of her life. She was just smiling at him but he took the first step, he kissed her. She couldn’t take her lips from his. Actually the truth was she doesn’t want to. He left her in her home and went to his.

Nick smelled something when he woke up. He figured out that it was coming from a cup of cappuccino which was kept near his to bed. He was surprised of seeing that. When he fully opened his eyes, he saw June. And she was making another cup. It was a beautiful morning that he ever thought of.

They two were truly happy together. They thought that they were perfect for each other but they never said to one another. After spending some time together, she asked him to get ready for a little trip. Without asking a single question he got dressed up. She took him to her favorite spot on Santa Maria. The place was called Sanctuary of Holy Mary, which was located at the end of shore.

“Why here?” he asked June.

“This is place where I used to play with my mom when I’m young.” She replied.

“And mom?” he asked her.

“God took her from me like he took my dad” she answered.

They both took a walk on the shore by interlocking their hands. At the time of dawn, he kneeled before her and he proposed her by making the Holy Mary as his witness for his love. She always wanted that. But she enjoyed by making him wait. She said that she need some time to think about it. He knew that she was playing with him. It’s because he heard what she was talking to her friend Joe. She said to Joe that she was going to propose him anyways. He took it as a joke and he was happy by seeing her happy.

She took him to a café, where she was going to play that night. He gave her guitar. He ordered a coffee and sat on the middle, where she can see him clearly. His presence gave her more confident which she never felt before and she rocked it. After finishing the play she ran into him. She hugged him tightly, in a way that he couldn’t able to breathe. She kissed him in front of everyone. Everyone simply started smiling and clapping.

After dropping her in her place, he went to his. June called Joe to help her to plan for tomorrow. She had a huge plan to propose him back. Joe understood that she loves him more than everyone in this world. Even she got jealous of him. But she was happy for her. They planned overnight and did the arrangements to. June asked Joe to invite him over the phone next morning.

Joe called Nick and demanded his immediate presence. He ran to the place where she asked him to be. Joe was standing alone and crying but June wasn’t there.

“Hi Joe, is everything ok. Where is she?” he asked. She just looked into hospital.

“What happened?” he asked.

“There was a shot out in her floor between two gangs and …” she started stammering.

“And?” he asked.

 She started crying like rain. He ran to the reception and asked about June. The women in the reception said that she was in room no 113. He asked her about her condition. She just stood still. He ran to the 113, where he saw her holding her last breath for him. She smiled with tears at him. He wiped it and kissed her. She tried to say something to her but she couldn’t. He understood that what she was trying to say. He took her hand into his and said,

“YOU AND I ARE PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER AND DON’T BELIEVE ANYTHING ELSE!”

She cried. He lied beside her. She took her mask off and kissed him for the last time. He felt the warmness of her breathe. For a moment they had everything in front of them. Suddenly he felt that the warmness of her breath decreasing. He saw her closing her eyes. Tears came out of her eyes. He wiped it. He called the doctors and they requested him to go outside for a moment. He couldn’t able to lose the grip of her hand.

“Nick, Nick!” Joe called him. He wiped the tears from his eyes and said, “Yes Joe!”

She asked him, “What happened?”

“Some old memories, Joe” he said to her.

“June, right?” she said.

“Yes!” he replied.

“It was past Nick.” she tried to convince him.

“The way of heart cannot be explained, it wants what it wants” he replied to her.

“Is it good or bad?” she asked him.

“It’s neither for good nor for bad, it is what it is.” He said.

They both had that meal together. And he asked the name of the little girl singing. Joe said, “She is June”. He gifted his June’s guitar to that June, who standing in front of him. After spending some time Joe, he went to saw June.

He brought her favorite roses along with him. He kept them in her grave and kissed her. While leaving he took that photo (the one with his autograph) from his pocket and a ring which he brought 5 years ago for their wedding, he kept them along with the flowers.

And he went to the Sanctuary of Holy Mary. Joe found Nick in the Sanctuary of Holy Mary and gave him a letter which was wrote by June on that day when he proposed her.

His eyes were filled tears on seeing that letter and his lips couldn’t stop smiling while holding that letter. His ears wanted to hear the words of her. His heart couldn’t wait to read it. His hands started to dance and his fingers doesn’t helped him for holding that letter for little longer, they opened it.

To be continued…

THANKS FOR READING J