Love

We crossed our first speed bump. It felt like riding a horse jumping over a hurdle. Allen held my hand and set my soul on fire. We drove to my parents’ house. “Focus on the road,” I whispered to him. I could not take my eyes off him. His left hand was on the wheel.

He wore suspenders. I wanted to pluck them, as if they were harp strings. A black squirrel crossed our path. We slowed down to a halt. “I can’t take my eyes off you,” he announced in the form of an apology. “Sorry, hon. Choose your outfits, wisely.”

I wore a plunging neckline and had dabbed my collarbone with musk. My scent was earthy, fragrant, distracting. He turned on the radio. We found a station with an eighties love song: “Piano in the Dark.”

“I hope mom and dad are home,” I said. “Wait, are you taking me in the right direction?”

“I have a surprise for you,” he said.

“What is it?” I couldn’t wait for an explanation.

We crossed a bridge, and the sun beat down on our car. “A surprise worth waiting for,” those were the final words Allen said before he pressed his index finger against his lips to hush me. I looked at the road in stunned silence.

After a few more minutes driving in suburban neighborhoods, Allen turned to me and said, “I want to show you something.” He drove a couple miles and then stopped in front of a house with a bow on it. It was our new home. “Your parents and I thought you’d appreciate this. Come, take a look around.”

The realtor was on-site waiting for us to arrive. We got out of the car and ambled around the property breathlessly. My mouth agape. It was a new beginning. After we smashed into each other, giving a hug and kiss, we toured the location. Allen had taken into account my perspective. It was as if he had read my mind. All we had to do was sign the papers to make it official. That day, my heart opened up. I had someone who cared for me. It was love, quite possibly.