Her

The theatre was more crowded than expected. I spotted an empty space along the far wall and moved in that direction. I turned and leaned my back against the wall. My eyes surveyed the crowd while stealing glances at the women's bathroom.

Shock waves jolted my body as the familiar figure appeared in the entrance to my left. At first I thought the mind was deceiving me - yet again, as I had mistaken so many others for her over the past year, but there was no mistake this time. I turned away and rushed to a corner - slid behind a marble statue of a once-famous person.

The memory and the reality were a match - she was radiant from head to toe. I watched as the familiar hair danced across her shoulders as she exchanged pleasantries with those around her. The tall, dark figure holding her hand was a mystery that I didn't try to solve as I stared at her figure. I wondered if she had lost weight, the large coat and scarf made it impossible to figure out, although she never needed to diet.

The meeting of our eyes was another jolt to my system, as though I was under a spell. At that moment, I would have done anything she ordered, but her eyes released me as soon as I had surrendered. I placed my hands over my face, trying to regain my composure. I was lost in thought as the wife tapped me on shoulder.

"Are you okay?" She leaned forward and closely examined my face - awaiting a reply.
"Yeah, just a bit dizzy for some reason, I think I'll go to the restroom." I patted her hand while darting across the room to the familiar men's room sign. Just before entering, I turned to see the wife checking the time on her watch while examining the statue. I stood by the sink and rinsed my face with water.
"Hey, are you okay?" The familiar face greeted my as I exited.
"Oh, yeah, sure, what?" I was suddenly speechless as I tried to track down the wife while answering the question.
"Don't worry; she's waiting in line at the bar. She didn't see me." She patted my shoulder while trying to calm my fears.
"Oh, okay, well, I should get back. Funny running into you. How are you?" I wanted to reach out and grab her, pull her to the nearby coat check room and, well, you know the rest.
"I'm good, were you hiding over there in the corner? I felt your eyes upon me; your stares always did make me feel good." She flipped her hair while her eyes locked on mine.
"Hiding? Me? Why would I do that? Who do you think I am?" The nervous laugh was less than reassuring for either of us.
"I know who you are, and I know why you would do that, so quick being silly." Her confident demeanor was overwhelming. I wanted to run.
"Yeah, that's true, well anyway, you look great." My eyes scanned the familiar body once again - the memory filling in the details that I ached for at the moment.
"Yeah, so you always said. You are looking good too. You clean up nice, is that a new jacket?"
"Really? Thanks, oh this, yes, a Christmas present from, well, you know." I stumbled over the wife's name.
"Yes, I know, well, she has good taste." She reached out and straightened my collar. Instinctively, my arm moved to her, but I stopped it halfway and she smiled.
"Thanks, I guess." My lungs filled with the familiar scent she always wore. I remembered the many late nights driving home in the middle of winter with the windows down, trying to evict the scent from my car. My feet were suddenly set in stone; I did not know what to do.
"Oh, there's John, I better go, you should give me a ring, maybe Monday night, okay?" She tapped my hand while stepping away to meet the tall figure as he strolled from the same men's room.
"You feel better?"
"Uhm, yeah, I think so." I smiled as the wife handed me a ginger ale. She grasped my hand as we discussed the upcoming performance.