Lost and Found 570 words

William was drinking at a bar with friends after work when a woman walked past him and smiled. While doing so she glanced down and to the left as if reminiscing on a private joke or in response to secret knowledge of some sort. The moment happened so quickly that it was gone in the blink of an eye, but to William it seemed to happen in s-l-o-w--m-o-t-I-o-n, setting off a lightning quick parade of questions in his head.

Did you see what I just saw? The way her hips swayed effortlessly? Do you think that is learned behavior or is it just how she moves? What is it about her?

He watched her walk away into the crowd and looked up at his friends who were blankly looking back at him. They appeared to be blank inside, as if beautiful imbeciles grazing in a field, and they were merry with the cocktails and beer. "William," the large one said "do you think Matt here looks like The Crusher? I think he could pass it off, anyway."

"Yeah, I guess I see a faint resemblance, but The Crusher could also read and write." William said inanely while the others laughed and drank.

William hated the pointless conversations of the bunch but was conditioned perfectly to serve and volley in them through years of living in a half-true business world based on acquaintance more so than friendship and meaningful topics. His hooks were honed sharply but loosely tied to the post of passing interest rather than anchored to the cleat of real consciousness. Suddenly, in less than a tick of time, his real consciousness snapped in light as he realized what had just occurred and he thought, forgetting his chums:

That woman,
her,
that I just saw
that evening waving my arms in the lemon-colored light
laughed lightly at me in bare feet
as a child, then
in love with God in Nature
a soft sticker
glued to my soul in our freedom together
lost until this moment when
she smiled at me the same way
again
a child within the mother-
my child love whom I must find forever

William stood speechless with his crew looking on quizzically, and it seemed to him that he turned around and around as if in a movie realization. He ventured forth toward where the woman had disappeared as a stranger known only unto himself does- not plodding but not gracefully going, either. The bar was crowded and the murmur was beginning to suffocate him as a stench would, but he kept on, despite.

And she was there, waiting for him in the center of the room with eyes full knowing and grace exuding from her pores, flowing to the ground beautifully. He stopped inches from her and they stood, looking at each other, and William could feel his childhood heart reconnect in playful solitude with hers. Beautiful could be used to describe it, but not quite roundly enough.

"I knew you would come," she said through the dream quality of it all. "What do you have to say to me?" She asked.

"What the river says, that is what I say." William said into her deeply placid eyes. "I have come to be with you, forever."

The room was silent to them now, even through the fray of humanity contained within.

"Well then, till human voices wake us, and we drown." She said as they melded into kindred spirit, peace, tranquility, and love.

And they were one as children holding hands on the bank next the muddy brown water in the sun.