THE COLOUR OF LOVE (Wattpadprize14)Completed

Chapter 14 - Hearts

Cherrie went back into the bathroom and stripped off her pyjamas. Dropping them to the floor, she turned round to look at herself in the mirror and traced her heart transplant scar with her fingers.  She shook her head, not believing that two years had already passed since that glorious day, when she lay in the hospital bed feeling more dead than alive, and the doctors had come in to give her parents the wonderful news, that a heart had unexpectedly become available and was on its way by urgent courier as they spoke.

Time had made her memory fuzzy as she tried to remember the hustle and bustle around her as the nurses prepared her for the operation.

She vaguely remembered someone in the operating theatre mentioning something about suicide and that the donor’s blood type was exactly the same as hers.  But even though she asked about it afterwards, no one seemed to be able to tell her where her new heart came from.

Cherrie was forever grateful to the family who had allowed their deceased loved one to give her the wonderful gift of life when she needed it most.  She often wished she could find out whose heart she had, but it was not allowed.  She so wished to be able to thank them personally.  But she would just have to accept the fact that she would never know who had died so that she might live.

After her shower, Cherrie went down to the kitchen. While sipping at her steaming cup of coffee, she reflected on the strange dreams she’d been having and it suddenly occurred to her that maybe, just maybe, her heart was somehow reliving past memories of the person who had died.  That would be weird, but possibly the only explanation for her strange dreams.  She later voiced this thought to her parents, who immediately shrugged it off as impossible, although her mother did look rather concerned.

That night Cherrie’s mother took her place in her daughter’s room, in the comfy armchair beside the bed and opened her favourite poetry book and read to Cherrie till she fell asleep.

Cherrie drifted peacefully off to sleep, remembering how her mother used to read to her when she was little, and how it helped her to relax and drift into dreamland.

***

Cole could smell flowers and thought that he was in his sister’s florist, the smell was so distinct. But when he turned around, he found himself in the field of purple flowers again.  Was this déjà vu? He had been here before, of that much he was sure.

“Hi.”

Cole spun round when he heard her voice.

“You’re here too?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said with a smile.

“So we meet again,” he said, his eyes twinkling.

“It’s like the clock has turned back for us,” Cherrie said laughing.

“Shall we find our way through to the waterfall again?” Cole asked.

 Grinning, she said, “You lead and I’ll follow you this time.”

“Don’t follow me,” he took her hand and pulled her to his side, “walk beside me.”

As Cherrie brushed against his side, her heart beat faster and she smiled at him as he squeezed her hand gently.

Cole’s heart thumped so forcefully in his chest when he held her hand, that he was convinced she could see it.

They soon found the waterfall and the same tree stump bench.  Cole let Cherrie sit first and then took his place next to her.  Cherrie’s eyes dropped to her hands folded on her lap, and she was surprised to see Cole’s hands slip onto her lap and take her hands in his.  She felt embarrassed, which was unusual for her.  She had always been a very outgoing and chatty person, but here in his presence she felt shy and unsure of herself.