ROMANCE STORY WITH A TWIST

‘I just don’t get it. What is going on? Why can’t I get this right?’ Gisele grumbled as she tore off another rough sheet from her writing pad, squeezing it hard. Aiming for the almost filled paper trash can standing awkwardly at the corner of the room, Gisele failed to make the basket.

‘Urgh, dang it! I wish I could just get this right. Something is missing somewhere. I can’t fail at this. Moving here was the break I needed to draw closer to my dream of becoming a renowned author. I can’t go back home like this. What am I now, a failure? Mum was right after all. And that bastard, Roxine!’

Lost in her thoughts Gisele, forcefully pushed back her chair from her desk. It was a swivel chair that she had gotten from a yard sale the same week she had moved into her apartment.

She shut down her laptop and stood up from her chair. ‘I may likely just go for a walk. Get to see the next street or probably just take a stroll in the park. Maybe I will get to clear my head and probably get inspired.’

Taking three quick strides, Gisele crossed over to her wardrobe-an ancient made from an oak tree. It was the best she could get at the most affordable price. Standing in front of the wardrobe mirror, Gisele shivered from the cold draught that was drifting in through the open window.

‘Uhhh. It’s going to be cold out there, I might need to get a coat.’ She thought to herself. Gisele opened the wardrobe took out her worn-out yellow coat and put it on. It had been a gift from her ex-Roxine.

Tarrying a while in front of the wardrobe mirror, Gisele pulled out her brunette hair from underneath the coat. It had been long since she visited the salon. All her time had been poured into her new book.

‘Gosh, this book. I can’t wait to wrap it up so I can get my life back on track.’

She grabbed her keys from the top of the desk. Gave one last glance at her closed laptop and stepped out of her room.

Adjacent to her room, the door opened.

‘Oh, hi.’ Gisele said. You live here?

‘Hello dear. Yes, I live here.’ He responded

‘When did you move in?’

‘It’s been a while. I just moved from the neighboring town. I am a writer. I am having a writer’s block and I thought to take a walk in the park.’

‘Oh dear, that’s good to hear, I…’

Gisele was quite engrossed in her activity of locking the door and adjusting her coat while exchanging pleasantries with her neighbor when she heard a loud thud.

Turning swiftly, Gisele saw the man lying beside his briefcase, his face pale. He was gasping for breath.

‘Hello?’ Gisele rushed to the man’s side

‘Hello sir, can you hear me?’

While Gisele spoke, the man continued to wheeze. He was clutching his heart.

‘Oh dear, Gisele thought, what is going on?!’

Laying the man properly on the floor, Gisele rushed to the end of the corridor and knocked on the door. It had Room 3C written boldly on it.

‘Hello! Anybody home?’

Sensing no movement from the room, Gisele knocked on rooms 3D and 3E and got no response.

‘Oh God don’t let this man die on me. I just wanted to go for a walk. Gosh, what is this?’

Lying beside the man once more, she tried to perform CPR on him.

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‘Shit! 911! Where is my phone?’

Crawling towards her bag, Gisele rummaged through it in search of her phone.

‘Hello…’

Gisele reeled out the information to the dispatcher and urged them to hurry up.

‘Thank you so much, Ms…’

‘Gisele’

‘Thank you, Ms Gisele, for saving his life. He should be fine soon. It seems he has some health issues that got triggered. Does he have anyone he stays with?’

‘Uhm I am not certain about that. This is the first time I have met him. But if there is anything I can do to help, I live in room 3A and 3B is his.’

‘Great’ the dispatcher said, extending his hand for a handshake.’

‘That would be all for now, ma’am.’

Gisele waited for a few minutes watching as they wheeled the old man out into the van before pulling her hood over her head. She tightened her coat and walked out onto the pavement, disappearing immediately amid other strollers.

It was 4:35 PM, and Gisele had just turned her laptop on. It had been a rainy day and she was in the mood to pen some words down. She had spent the entire day sketching some ideas into words when she decided it was time to put those words into the story.

‘Knock, knock…’

‘who’s there?’ inquired Gisele lifting her head and glancing towards her door. ‘Be right there, hold on.’

Pushing back her swivel chair, Gisele got up. She did her hair up in a ponytail and stopped briefly to look at the mirror before walking briskly to the door.

‘Hello there, neighbor.’

‘Hi, Gisele smiled back at the gorgeous gentleman standing at her door.’ He was holding a bunch of flowers.

Frederick, her neighbor. He occupied Room 3D.’ I heard our neighbor collapse the other day. I also heard that you were around to help out. Rodrick, the doorman, narrated the event to me this morning. You were really brave. And here, I got this for you. he said, offering her the flowers. It’s been days now though. I was wondering if you heard anything new.’

‘Oh, yes! He is back. He came by once to say thank you to me. I was just glad I was around to help him out.’

Genuinely happy to receive the flowers from him, she thanked him profusely. ‘Thank you for the flowers, you need not have bothered.’

‘Nah, it was nothing.’ I am glad you like it.

Fredrick turned to leave then as if on a second thought, he stopped on his track.

‘Say, my dear, what are your plans for Friday evening? I’m thinking of throwing a yard party. I would like to invite everyone in the whole block and that means you are not exempted’

‘Uhm, I’m not quite sure about that, I have this book I have to finish before Tuesday so I need all the time I can get.’

‘Oh dear, an hour won’t kill you, you know right? And I promise to bring you right back.’ He smiled sweetly at her.

‘Ok then, you win. I will attend the party, but only if you promise to bring me home safely. Gisele laughed heartily as she shut the door.

Gosh, she felt like a teenager. Smiling sweetly at her like a teenager. She knew he was into her but she had to finish this work if she was going to attend that event.

It was past seven before Gisele decided she was ready to attend the party. It was being hosted in her neighbor’s apartment.

Reluctantly, she knocked on 3D’s door. After three more attempts, the door was thrown open, and serene music filtered out into the corridor.

‘Hello, Frederick.’

‘Hi, Gisele. Glad you could make it.’

‘Thank you, Fredrick. Feeling uneasy as she scanned the room without recognizing anyone, Gisele drew Fredrick’s attention to it. ‘I see everyone isn’t here,’ She pointed out.

‘Oh no, everyone is here.’

‘You forgot to invite the neighbors on this floor, it would seem.’ She continued.

‘Why would you think that? He smiled wryly moving closer to her.

‘Uhm, okay, it seems I would like to take my leave right now.?

‘Why honey? The party just started. Not like you have anything to go back to right now, do you?’ Fredrick said looking around as his friends laughed loudly and started to get up from their seats.

Frantic now, Gisele turned towards the door, not wanting a repeat of what had transpired between her and Roxine. Unable to hide her apprehension anymore, she darted towards the door just before Fredrick could catch up with her. She flung the door open and nearly tumbled over her neighbor in 3B.

‘Hello dear, what or who is chasing you?’ He inquired of her

‘Hello, old man,’ Fredrick interrupted. Stay out of this else you would get yourself wheeled to the hospital yet again. His friends who had come out of the room laughed and jeered some more.

‘What did you just call me? Her neighbor asked Fredrick

‘You heard me.’

‘Get up and go inside, my dear.’ He ushered Gisele into his room.

‘Hey, what do you think you are doing, inquired Fredrick trying to bypass him to get to Gisele. Within seconds Fredrick found himself on the floor writhing in pain. His arm hurt from having been lifted off the ground and pummeled onto the thick rug that ran wall to wall till the end of the corridor.

‘I was on my way to your room to caution you on noise pollution. I’m glad I was here to catch her. If I see you anywhere near her again, you’d rot in jail.’ Pa Audrey warned Fredrick. Then turning quietly, he matched into his room.

Gisele stared at her neighbor with her mouth agape.

‘Who are you?’

‘Hello, my dear, I am Lieutenant Audrey, Rt. Thank you yet again for saving my life the other day. I was not sure you were home and I wasn’t sure you accepted visitors. I hate imposing myself. I left some flowers at your door the other day and rang the doorbell. But then you took too long to get to the door and so I left the flowers at the doorstep and went back to my room. I’m not allowed to stand for long.’

‘Wait, you are a retired lieutenant? And you said you left those flowers outside my door? Gisele recalled actually that she had tallied at the mirror checking herself before going to the door. ‘No way! That bastard offered those flowers to me as soon as I opened my door. He must have hidden the note. I am so sorry.’ Anyways, you are my hero. If I hadn’t run into you, I’m not sure what would have become of me. That young man said he was having a nice evening get-together. I… I… I dunno what to say. I thought he was a nice person. He deceived me.’

‘I have been looking for ways to repay you that was why I came knocking on your door the other day.’ If you don’t mind, I would love to take you out to dinner later tomorrow.’

‘Uhm I am not so sure of that’

‘I understand you have your reservations about me but then if you wish to know anything about me, you can always ask.’

‘Yeah, sure,’ Gisele said, getting up shakily.

‘I would love to return to my room. It’s been a night.’

On her way out, Gisele observed his library. It was stacked full from top to bottom with books she had always wanted to read.

‘May I? she asked him gesturing towards the book aisle with her head.’

‘Yes, sure. My late wife used to collect them before she died. She was 60 years old. Cancer. She made me fall in love with books. I left them there as a reminder of her. It’s been six years now.’ Coming closer, he reached the top of the aisle, Gisele could smell his cologne. ‘Here, he reached out with a purple book. This was her favorite. It is mine too. You might find it intriguing.’

‘Oh, I am so sorry about your wife. I wouldn’t have asked if I knew it belonged to her. Thank you anyways, I truly appreciate’ Gisele said and hobbled out to the front door. she was beginning to feel uncomfortable, seeing how he kept staring at her.

Instead of festering over her book, Gisele spent the rest of that week exchanging after-books with Audrey every morning. She couldn’t wait to share her inspiration from it with him.

Before 8:00 AM, Gisele would rush to the bathroom to have a quick shower. Adorning a jugger and a sweatshirt, Gisele would arrive at his front door.

He would usually go for walks by 6 AM and return at 7:45 AM.

As soon as Gisele heard his keys jiggling in his doorknobs, she would rush out to him. She spent more days in his room than hers. She discovered also that her book was coming up quite well too as Audrey threw in few a ideas from his experiences.

After exchanging books for a while, Audrey began to warm up towards Gisele. He found her fascinating and enjoyed her company so much that he asked her if she wanted to move in with him.

Gisele was hesitant about this. She didn’t want a repetition of her past with her ex-Roxine. Audrey sensed this hesitation and begged her to open up to him. After narrating her morbid near-death experience at the hands of Roxine. She broke down in tears. She had never told this story to anyone else, not even her mum.

By the time she was done, he had her in a warm embrace.

‘I could never hurt you intentionally Gisele. I think you’ve shown me the true essence of love. I loved my wife, Essy, but as it stands, I believe it’s time to move on.’ I want you Gisele and I promise never to hurt you.’

With a sad smile on her face, Gisele hugged Audrey back and he reached out and planted a warm kiss on her lips. A small moan escaped her lips and slowly, he lay her back on the sofa…

……………. THE PERFECT RING – A ROMANCE STORY WITH A TWIST