Words unsaid

Words unsaid

Each day in passing they say hello. No other words are ever spoken, at least not out loud.

“Hello.” He says.

“Hello” She says.

He smiles and she shyly bites her bottom lip as they pass.

On the walk to her class she thinks about him and how much she would like to say more than hello to this striking man she sees every day. But alas her heart is too shy and the words always die on her lips and so she says “Hello.” instead.

While in his office, the man wonders about the woman he says hello to each morning. How he would like to kiss this woman so tenderly, making her heart beat wildly! But alas she is much too beautiful, he thinks to himself, she probably already has someone kissing her tenderly…he wouldn’t stand a chance. So he’ll just say “Hello” instead.

So days turn into weeks, weeks into months and months turn into two years and still every day without fail they say hello in passing. Both wanting to do and say so much more than “Hello” but not having the guts to do so.

One day something rather…unexpected happens…she was not there to say hello. Maybe she’s sick he told himself. But when over a week passes he begins to worry. What could have happened to her? Could she have changed jobs? Did she even have a job? Was she a student? He could go up to the collage and ask around. But wait, he didn’t even know her name how in the world would he find her? The answer to that question he knew…he wouldn’t. How he wished now that he would have asked for her name. Her name at least! He shook his head sadly at himself. Why had he been such a coward? Why had he let her slip through his fingers? What would he do without seeing that lovely face of hers?

The simple answer to these questions is…he would live. Life would go on. The sun would shine, the leaves would turn, the snow would fall and the flowers would bloom. Life would indeed go on.

So the days passed and passed and little by little he let go of that wonderfully anxious feeling he would get when he has yet seen the woman that brings him joy just by the sound of her voice when she says her gentle “Hello”. And surely enough the flowers did bloom, the sun did shine, the leaves did turn and the snow was falling. Life had gone on, winter was here, his heart was all heeled and he had a Christmas party to go to.

Songs were being sung while presents were being handed out at his office Christmas party. He takes a look around at all the happy faces in his office and smiles when he realizes that he too is happy. Maybe it was the cheerful faces that made him feel this way or the funny jokes his boss was telling. It could even be the spiked eggnog that loosened his frown. He couldn’t really tell, it just felt so good to feel this way after so long.

As he ladled out himself some more eggnog his longtime friend Jim happily strides over to him.

“Hey buddy!” Jim says. “You’re not lookin’ so down in the dumps these days. I told you this party would do you some good.”

“Well I have to admit this joyful atmosphere is harder to ignore than I thought.” He answered with a chuckle.

“You better believe it!” Jim said loudly while clapping his friend on the shoulder. “I have a gift for you.”

“You do, huh?”

“Yea it was more Liza’s idea than mine but you know married people have to stick together.”

They laugh.

“I see, well what is this present your wife made you put your name on?” He joked.

“Believe me buddy this isn’t the kind of present you can sign, and besides I don’t think we would be allowed to sign it anyway.”

“Well where is it?”

“It’s coming with Liza she had to go pick it up…there she is!” Jim exclaimed smiling as he pointed to the elevators.

Following Jim’s pointing finger, he turned around and his heart felt as if it would explode at any second.

“Merry Christmas pal, we’ve set you up on a date. I know it’s not your kinda thing but she’s new at Liza’s firm and she wanted to introduce her to someone and she thought of you so if you will, can you at least pretend to be happy about it.”

He was stunned speechless so he just nodded to his friend as the girls walked the short distance over to them. He saw recognition cross over the beautiful woman’s face as she reached him. What was he to do? It was her, the woman who had stolen his heart from the first day they had said hello. Instinct, he told himself, follow your instincts. And before he knew it, he was pulling her into his arms and kissing her like a long lost love before the introductions could even be made. It was slow coming but the stunned woman circled her arms around his neck and was kissing him with all the passion she could muster. All was lost, everyone disappeared. It was just him and her lost in a sea of emotions neither thought was possible. To him she seemed like the lost piece to the puzzle of his heart finally making it whole. To her he seemed like the missing link to her life finally coming home. Finally when her knees were too weak for her to stand without the support of this man’s arms wrapped around her and he could hardly breathe in the scent of her perfume he lifted his head from her and smiled.

“Hello.” He said.

“Hello.” She said.

And that was it. As it turns out they never needed to say the words unsaid, it seems as though fate thought "Hello" said just enough...