ROMANCE // SHORT STORY BY FABIANA ELISA MARTINEZ
OK, here I am. Hi, darling! How are you doing? I’m so happy nobody had the same idea. I didn’t want to be surrounded by a crowd. Yes, I know. Spirit of community. To tell you the truth, I don't care at all. I haven’t felt very social lately. I only told Julia I was coming here to watch it with you. Yes, I saw Julia today because she didn't have the glasses. Can you believe it? How long have we known about this? People have been making reservations for a year. There’s not a single empty room in any hotel, expensive or cheap. But nobody had my idea. We are in the right place. Well, I can see a family in the distance. Yes, back in the other section. No, no. To your right, almost at the far fence. They seem Indian. Maybe it's something like a religious thing for them. Not sure. But don’t worry. I don't believe they have seen me.
Let me lie down. It feels so good. Remember when we looked at the stars holding hands in Cape Town? Ah, yes, in Mexico too. My joints may have aged but not the feeling. Isn’t that what matters? You and I again, under the same sky in a different hemisphere following the path of celestial bodies that are as young as they were when you kissed me for the first time. The grass is so fresh. I love the green smell spreading through my hands. Do you care? Are you comfortable? I am. Oh, don’t worry about my pants. For the last year, I haven’t paid too much attention to my clothes, I swear. Well, yes, maybe my pants will be stained by the wet grass, so I go home and wash them. That’s it. There are more serious dramas to cry for. Why are you so tense? Look at the sky! It will open up, I promise. Have I ever broken a promise to you? No way those clouds will hold. We still have some minutes until the show starts.
Well, as I was saying. I gave Julia the last pair of glasses and then I asked what her plan was. She can be quite cerebral. You know her. One of those proper souls that only visit the dentist before 7 am. Well, yes, that might reflect a responsible attitude, but how could she dare not plan to see such a spectacle of nature? I read in the paper that we won't be able to see another one like this in more than twenty years and further west. So, today is the day. And that’s why I tell you: these clouds will open up.
Oh, look! To the right! No, no up. Down. There, follow my finger. You see it? There comes the moon. Oh my! Yes, I have them on. They were giving them for free all over the city, but I bought a bunch. I didn't want to trust the free ones. So, I bought a package in January and gave good protective glasses to people, Lana, and the grandchildren. No, I’m not sure where she’s going to watch it. She’s possibly at work and they will take some break at the crucial moment. The grandchildren will watch it at school. They had parties planned. We prepared special eclipse sandwiches yesterday. Yellow cheese, white cheese, and a slice of eggplant. I only told Julia I was coming to watch the eclipse with you. I didn’t want anybody to interfere.
Are you happy? This is so beautiful. Waiting for a miracle to happen in front of our very eyes. A planned miracle without much fanfare. Like being inside a kaleidoscope turned by a noble giant we cannot conceive. I’m so glad we chose this spot. No big trees around, nothing to cover the sky, pristine grass giving us a fresh bed of comfort. No, I’m not cold. Are you? The temperature will drop while it happens. I’m glad I’m here. We had to see it together. Don’t you think?
Look, look! There comes the moon. No, for the life of me, I won’t peep from the corner of the glasses. Do you want me to become blind? My sight may not be the best, darling, but I need to keep moving around, taking care of business.
Did we? I don’t remember... Oh, wait! In Johannesburg? Ah yes, but what year was that? 1963? But that was a partial one. And I didn’t see it with you. You were in school and I was spending time with my aunt at the beach after my uncle died. Yes, you are right. I remember now the note. You sent it to me through my cousin Jake. Yes right! That I was more beautiful than any eclipse. You knew how to get to a girl’s heart from a very young age!
Wait! Do you feel the wind? So sudden. See? All clear. No clouds at all. That giant knows how to move the sky contraption. Listen. We are in a deep cave of abrupt silence. And now a bark, and another. Where are all those dogs? I cannot see any here. No, the Indian family didn’t bring any pets. I never asked if they were allowed here. They should, don’t you think? Let me see. Glasses off. They are sitting in a circle all looking up. They seem to be chanting.
You know? This black moon scares me. It’s not right. I’m glad I’m next to you. We owed each other this ceremony. Maybe the kids would say that we’re silly, senile perhaps in our stretching any excuse, natural or fabricated to relive our romance. I prefer to be senile here with you, I don’t want any black moon between us. I don't want the distance, the cold, the terrified chirping of the unseen birds nested between you and me. I want to follow the dance we seeded almost fifty years ago and move along with you until the end. Let the planets deal with eclipses, interruptions, and darkness. I’m here with you and no intrusion can break us apart.
The moon is moving. Follow my finger. There is the sun again. A thin-sided yellow smile. It lasted only four and a half minutes. Darkness is not brave, my love. Did you see it? It doesn’t last. The rigidity of the orbits obeys the discipline of order. We are all happy back on Earth. The light is back. Darkness is dying. Our blindness from the sun was just a yawn, a blink, a skipped beat of an old pure heart.
Well, that was the end. I think it’s officially over. I promise we will do the same next time, even if it is a partial one. You’re very welcome. You have a smart wife, darling. Who comes to see the eclipse at a place like this? But you know what? This is nothing more than another park. A little silent and with taller trees. And maybe stones and flowers strewn by sad people, but a park nonetheless.
I will be here next week, my love. With the children. We brought the granite you wanted. A tombstone from the old country. It will be a good support for my back when I come to read to you. Wait for me. I won’t let any obsidian moon veil our lifelong love.
Author
Fabiana Elisa MartÃnez is a linguist, a language teacher, and a writer. She speaks English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Italian. She is the author of the short story collections 12 Random Words and Conquered by Fog, and the grammar book Spanish 360 with Fabiana. Other short stories of hers have been published in five continents in publications like Rigorous Magazine, The Closed Eye Open, Ponder Review, Hindsight Magazine, The Good Life Review, The Halcyone, Rhodora Magazine, Mediterranean Poetry, The Writers and Readers Magazine, Automatic Pilot, Lusitania, Heartland Society of Women Writers, and the anthology Writers of Tomorrow. She is currently working on her first novel.
contact information:
Fabiana Elisa MartÃnez
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fabielisa@hotmail.com
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