Brandon Figliolino
New Year’s Eve
January 27, 2010
New Year’s Eve
The young man, well-built and strong, stood
inside his stateroom, pacing the floor, deep in thought. He looked around the
desolate room, lit only by a single table lamp and the moonlight shining
through the glass doors of the balcony. He lowered his head, fumbling with
something in his pant pocket. He removed from it a small box, wrapped in
velvet, and opened it, admiring its contents. Soon, we will be together, he thought to himself. He closed the box
and replaced it back into his pocket. Glancing upward, he noted the time of 11:30
on the wall clock. Tension filled the air. He became weary with excitement. His
muscles locked up and his breathing became rapid. He clamped his eyes shut and
inhaled, then exhaled. Standing near the dinette, he clasped his hands against
the back of the seat for support. His head lowered once more.
So many thoughts cluttered his brain; a
tedious puzzle. He did as best he could to sort through all the individual
pieces, hoping and praying he could get each to fit into the context of the
bigger picture. But he was never good at puzzles, and now he felt hopeless and
lost, and he had no one to help him sort through the irregularly shaped pieces
in an attempt to put them together. It was not as though the puzzle had once
been built, and then by some unfortunate chain of events been destroyed. No, he
had gradually accumulated the pieces and just needed to assemble them together.
He had been putting off doing so for some time, but now, he knew he had to put
the pieces together, for the sake of both himself and her.
He could see the outcome, the bigger
picture, so clear and concise in his head. He dreamed of their future: the
memories they would make, the family they would create, the lives they would
live in concert. But fear of rejection and apprehension towards the future made
the man question his heart. Never in his life had he felt such passion, such
endearment for one individual. This made him scared, if not petrified. He had
never felt the warm smile of a friendly face, or the compassion of any
individual. For so long, he had been alone, deprived of living. Until, he found
her.
The man raised his droopy head and looked
out towards the sliding glass doors. The moon was shining ever so vividly in
the sky in its gleaming radiance, watching over the ocean as it rippled and
swayed in a peaceful motion with the ship. He looked out at that moon; it
reminded him so much of her. Its warmth, beauty, and light all evoked the
characteristics she possessed. He smiled, and began to lose himself in the
memory of their first encounter.
