From Sunrise To Sunset

Sunrise 2

Margaret

I run toward the fence and grab onto it like my life depends on it. I close my eyes tightly and silently beg the sun to show its face quickly.

I stay up every night counting down the hours till sunrise refusing to let myself fall asleep out of fear that my dreams may be nightmares. I know it would probably be better if she stops holding on but I don't know how to let her go and part of me thinks that the only reason she's still holding on is because of me. I keep praying for a miracle, some sort of magic, anything that will keep her here with me. I wouldn't know how to keep on living without her. Maybe I am selfish for wanting her to keep living knowing that death will end all her suffering. I know children are supposed to bury their parents, not the other way around but the truth is I wish she was the one who had to bury me.

I loosen my grasp around the fence and take a deep breath as the sun begins to show its face, knowing that I have at least one more day left with her. Here, has always been my place of hope ever since the day she gave me her final promise. The sun is a symbol of that promise to me. I stare at the sun until it shows its face entirely and then I release the fence.

"G'day, Miss," I hear a masculine voice say behind me.

I turn around slowly knowing exactly who's standing behind me. For almost two weeks now I have felt his presence here with me. I've come here many times before, more times than I can count and it's always been just me in the quiet of the morning with my thoughts so I can tell when another being is here with me no matter how discrete they think they are. The first day he was here I heard his feet against the concrete and the swooshing sound of his brush against his canvas. I pretended not to notice him as a favor to him, knowing that artists don't like to be disturbed while they are working. He's been here so many times now I'm beginning to wonder if he simply came to paint the sunrise and found another reason to keep coming and I wonder if that reason is me.

His eyes gaze into mine. They are a brown-caramel color. It's good to finally get a closer look at the stranger who has kept me company for several days now. His eyes are beautiful and kind, and he's very handsome. He's wearing a white button-up shirt and black long pants. The first three top buttons of his shirt are undone at the top showing off his brown chest hairs. I let my eyes fall on them for a second then look back up at his face.

"I see you got tired of staring," I say, folding my arms against my chest. "You've finally decided to make an introduction."

The expression on his face changes from confidence to complete shock at my candid response. He's surprised to know that I knew he was here all this time.

"I didn't realize that you knew I had been here the entire time," he says.

"I come here every morning and usually there is no other soul present so when one is, I think I can tell the difference. Besides, you were not exactly discreet with your steps."

"What do you mean, my steps?" he asks.

"Well, as you know it's really quiet here in the morning so when you wear noisy shoes such as these," I say looking down at his shoes which are a pair of oxfords. "It's not very hard to not hear them moving against the concrete, no matter how slowly you try to move."

He chuckles and I smile happy to get this reaction from him.

"All that is no matter now," he says, extending his hand towards me. "I'm Jonathan Newton but you can call me John...and you are?"

"I'm Margaret Capland," I say, taking his hand.

I hold onto his hands and he looks down at my hand in his and caresses the back of my hand with his thumb. I smile to myself as I try to think of what could be going through his mind.