Forgotten Years

"Oh this is the life." Lorraine exclaimed as she settled back into the padded swing chair out on the front porch. After squirming into a comfortable position she stretched over to pick up her glass of medium white wine from the cane table along with her romance novel. She had never read novels by Danielle Steel; the choice always seemed to drift towards spy/murder mysteries, so this was going to be an enjoyable change.

She gazed around the land, taking in the scenery before opening her book. It was a crisp morning, the sky was a mixture of pale blues devoid of clouds and a light breeze blew orange shriveled leaves across the lawn.

As Lorraine settled her glass down on the table, a shadow moving in the trees caught her eye. She looked over to see a tall dark figure sauntering out of the woodlands followed by a large German Shepherd. Lorraine could tell that the dog was loyal by the way it never ventured far away from its master’s side. Its stance reminded her of a bloodhound. Its head bent low to the ground moved busily from side to side allowing its nose to skim the surface and its tail furiously wagging in its excitement.

It has obviously come across a scent trail, intent to find the source. Just then the dog raised its head and bounded away from its owner. It took Lorraine a few moments to realize that it was headed towards her, but before she had time to react it leapt onto her lap. The sudden surge of weight snapped the chain suspending the chair throwing the occupants to the floor.

Lorraine wanted to scream but all she could muster was a squeal of laughter. She laughed so hard that her whole body became weak, leaving her helpless against the savage attack to her face and neck with slobbery kisses. Fending off the brute was becoming impossible and the weight on her chest seemed to get heavier making it harder to breathe.

The man ran towards the crumpled heap on the porch and shouted "Hey Hasard, off. Come hear boy." The dog heard his master call and quickly obeyed. "Sorry about that. Here let me help you up." He held out his hands and pulled her gently to her feet.

"Are you okay. He is usually quite shy around strangers but got a whiff of something and bolted. He seems to have taken quite a shine to you."

The man laughed. Lorraine froze; she looked up at the man before her. It couldn’t be who I think it is could it? she silently queried. It sure looked like him, a little older, taller and definitely more handsome than I remember.

The man was taken aback. ‘How do you know my name’, he questioned. His tone was defensive yet full of intrigue.

"You mean you don’t remember our little rendezvous in the spaceship. ‘Tisk, tisk. I’m disappointed, I thought I meant something to you, but obviously I was mistaken" she replied trying to fake a hurt look. Roy looked at her.

"No it can’t be. You’re my wee Scottish lass? he said trying to put on his best Scottish accent. ‘You’re the one who cornered and seduced me. Oh what a little hussy you were then." he playfully announced.

"That’s not how it happened and fine well you know it. The lassies were always falling at your feet except me and you couldn’t handle it could you. You got jealous of Gary because I kissed him and not you. Oh you came up with a brilliant plan. Send me a message supposedly to meet Gary but when I got there Gary was no where to be found. You surprised me and trapped me in the corner. Then what happened, ah yes its all coming back to me now, YOU seduced me. You weakened my defenses with that sexy smile of yours and we kissed. I can still remember the kiss to this day.

It seemed to last an eternity, it was so soft and gentle yet passionate. We became a hot item. All the girls envied me. But then it ended. You left for Canada with your parents and never said goodbye. I missed you so much. You broke my heart. I cried for a whole week after you left. How old were we then?"

"We were five years old, we just started school. I know we were only young but my feelings for you were genuine, I really liked you Lorraine. You were my first girlfriend and I was proud to walk beside you at break times and sleep under your blanket at nap times."

"Yeah, those were the days, but how long has it been? 20 no, 30 years, wow, that long. You’ve changed a lot Roy, I expect I have too. It’s really nice to see you again we have a lot to talk about. Would you like some coffee?"

With the mention of his name the dog jumped up and sauntered over to his master. Roy lifted his left arm, so that Hasard could lie on his lap then placed it gently on the content dogs’ belly while his other hand gently stroked his pooches nose.

"What a twist in fate eh boy. It’s almost as if you knew she would be here and brought us together again. You must have caught her scent?"

But where would you have known the smell from, he wondered. Could it have been the handkerchief? He remembered the day that Lorraine had given it to him. It was just before his parents took him away from his home and from his love. He momentarily withdrew from his thoughts to pull the handkerchief out of his pocket. He hadn’t realized it before but this little piece of material hardly left his sight. Her smell still lingered on it. He gently brushed his fingers over the thistle embroidered into the bottom right hand corner.

Although it was very small, about the size of a one-penny piece the detail was impressive. Even at 5 years old, Roy could hardly contain his excitement when he received the gift. It symbolized their friendship and no matter where in the world they were she would always be close to his heart.

Lorraine stood in the doorway. She was holding onto the steaming cups of coffee while leaning against the doorframe. He hadn’t heard her approaching which gave her time to observe the handsome man before her. His hair was auburn in color simple in style but extremely sexy. He kept it tidy by tucking it behind his ears. A gesture although innocent enough sent a heat wave through Lorraine's' body. He seemed to be deep in thought.

"Here’s your coffee Roy." She announced as she handed the mug down to him. Her voice startled him; he jumped but didn’t notice the handkerchief fall from his grasp. He took the mug and looked at it for a moment before smiling.

She blushed turning a slight crimson color making her face light up and her eyes deepened in color. He found himself mesmerized, she was so stunning. Her hair was darker than he remembered. The golden color glistened in the evening sun enhancing her fair complexion. Her eyes were really pretty, an unusual color that he couldn’t quite place. They were unlike his own but were not blue either, a mixture of both perhaps. Very intriguing he thought.

He shifted slightly so she could sit down beside him. She could feel the warmth emanating from his body mix with his heavenly scent. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Nice manly smells always made her light headed and week at the knees. She was unaware of her head turning in Roy direction. She slowly opened her eyes to find his locked onto her own. She couldn’t seem to break the gaze, finding herself drowning in a sea of green.

There was no denying they still harbored feelings for one another. They may not have seen each other for a long time but their love never died. Lorraine was the first one to look away, glancing at the floor she saw a little piece of material dangling from one of the rose bushes. She stretched down to pick it up when a hand clasped her own. His other hand unwrapped itself from the sleeping dog and picked up the handkerchief and laid it on Lorraine's’ lap.

Lorraine gingerly fingered the object; she had recognized it instantly but was wondering why he kept it all those years. She felt hot tears building up in her eyes. All these emotions she thought were dead or buried came rushing to the surface. She couldn’t handle them then so how was she suppose to handle them now and all at once. It definitely wasn’t going to be a relaxing holiday after all.

Roy was watching her the whole time, waiting for some kind of reaction from her. When none appeared his heart sank. Obviously she didn’t care for him anymore. He lifted his hand and tenderly forced her to look at him. What he saw in her eyes made him reach out and hold her. He could feel her body shake within his hold. His heart was beating loudly in his ear drowning out her little sobs. Tears trickled down her cheeks uncontrollably falling to form a wet patch on his sweater. He tightened his grip until the shaking stopped then pulled away slightly so he could face her.

The remaining tears were kissed away with his sensual lips. Lorraine looked into his eyes and found the answer to her question. He kept the handkerchief out of love, a reminder of their time together.

"Why didn’t you contact me’ she asked. ‘I rung you every night but your mother told me you didn’t want to speak to me. I thought you were mad because I hadn’t said goodbye and after two weeks I finally convinced myself that you wanted to forget about me.’ ‘I never forgot you Roy, I loved you, I still love you. That’s why I never married. I was waiting for you. No one ever compared to you Roy and they never will."

"I never married either. I gave you my heart 30 years ago and there it remained. I love you Lorraine and I want us to be together. For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health,…."


	FORGOTTEN YEARS By: Ange Copyright November 13, 1995 **All Rights Reserved. Story cannot be reprinted/reproduced without Ange's permission. "Oh this is the life." Lorraine exclaimed as she settled back into the padded swing chair out on the front porch. After squirming into a comfortable position she stretched over to pick up her glass of medium white wine from the cane table along with her romance novel. She had never read novels by Danielle Steel; the choice always seemed to drift towards spy/murder mysteries, so this was going to be an enjoyable change. She gazed around the land, taking in the scenery before opening her book. It was a crisp morning, the sky was a mixture of pale blues devoid of clouds and a light breeze blew orange shriveled leaves across the lawn. As Lorraine settled her glass down on the table, a shadow moving in the trees caught her eye. She looked over to see a tall dark figure sauntering out of the woodlands followed by a large German Shepherd. Lorraine could tell that the dog was loyal by the way it never ventured far away from its master’s side. Its stance reminded her of a bloodhound. Its head bent low to the ground moved busily from side to side allowing its nose to skim the surface and its tail furiously wagging in its excitement. It has obviously come across a scent trail, intent to find the source. Just then the dog raised its head and bounded away from its owner. It took Lorraine a few moments to realize that it was headed towards her, but before she had time to react it leapt onto her lap. The sudden surge of weight snapped the chain suspending the chair throwing the occupants to the floor. Lorraine wanted to scream but all she could muster was a squeal of laughter. She laughed so hard that her whole body became weak, leaving her helpless against the savage attack to her face and neck with slobbery kisses. Fending off the brute was becoming impossible and the weight on her chest seemed to get heavier making it harder to breathe. The man ran towards the crumpled heap on the porch and shouted "Hey Hasard, off. Come hear boy." The dog heard his master call and quickly obeyed. "Sorry about that. Here let me help you up." He held out his hands and pulled her gently to her feet. "Are you okay. He is usually quite shy around strangers but got a whiff of something and bolted. He seems to have taken quite a shine to you." "Yeah, I guess he thought I looked too clean. From that distance I probably looked like a homing beacon." The man laughed. Lorraine froze; she looked up at the man before her. It couldn’t be who I think it is could it? she silently queried. It sure looked like him, a little older, taller and definitely more handsome than I remember. "I’m glad you weren’t hurt, I’m……" but before he could finish Lorraine butted in. "Roy, Roy Dupuis." The man was taken aback. ‘How do you know my name’, he questioned. His tone was defensive yet full of intrigue. "You mean you don’t remember our little rendezvous in the spaceship. ‘Tisk, tisk. I’m disappointed, I thought I meant something to you, but obviously I was mistaken" she replied trying to fake a hurt look. Roy looked at her. "No it can’t be. You’re my wee Scottish lass? he said trying to put on his best Scottish accent. ‘You’re the one who cornered and seduced me. Oh what a little hussy you were then." he playfully announced. "That’s not how it happened and fine well you know it. The lassies were always falling at your feet except me and you couldn’t handle it could you. You got jealous of Gary because I kissed him and not you. Oh you came up with a brilliant plan. Send me a message supposedly to meet Gary but when I got there Gary was no where to be found. You surprised me and trapped me in the corner. Then what happened, ah yes its all coming back to me now, YOU seduced me. You weakened my defenses with that sexy smile of yours and we kissed. I can still remember the kiss to this day. It seemed to last an eternity, it was so soft and gentle yet passionate. We became a hot item. All the girls envied me. But then it ended. You left for Canada with your parents and never said goodbye. I missed you so much. You broke my heart. I cried for a whole week after you left. How old were we then?" "We were five years old, we just started school. I know we were only young but my feelings for you were genuine, I really liked you Lorraine. You were my first girlfriend and I was proud to walk beside you at break times and sleep under your blanket at nap times." "Yeah, those were the days, but how long has it been? 20 no, 30 years, wow, that long. You’ve changed a lot Roy, I expect I have too. It’s really nice to see you again we have a lot to talk about. Would you like some coffee?" "That would be nice." he smiled. Roy settled down on the porch stairs. "This place is really beautiful, isn’t it Hasard." With the mention of his name the dog jumped up and sauntered over to his master. Roy lifted his left arm, so that Hasard could lie on his lap then placed it gently on the content dogs’ belly while his other hand gently stroked his pooches nose. "What a twist in fate eh boy. It’s almost as if you knew she would be here and brought us together again. You must have caught her scent?" But where would you have known the smell from, he wondered. Could it have been the handkerchief? He remembered the day that Lorraine had given it to him. It was just before his parents took him away from his home and from his love. He momentarily withdrew from his thoughts to pull the handkerchief out of his pocket. He hadn’t realized it before but this little piece of material hardly left his sight. Her smell still lingered on it. He gently brushed his fingers over the thistle embroidered into the bottom right hand corner. Although it was very small, about the size of a one-penny piece the detail was impressive. Even at 5 years old, Roy could hardly contain his excitement when he received the gift. It symbolized their friendship and no matter where in the world they were she would always be close to his heart. Lorraine stood in the doorway. She was holding onto the steaming cups of coffee while leaning against the doorframe. He hadn’t heard her approaching which gave her time to observe the handsome man before her. His hair was auburn in color simple in style but extremely sexy. He kept it tidy by tucking it behind his ears. A gesture although innocent enough sent a heat wave through Lorraine's' body. He seemed to be deep in thought. "Here’s your coffee Roy." She announced as she handed the mug down to him. Her voice startled him; he jumped but didn’t notice the handkerchief fall from his grasp. He took the mug and looked at it for a moment before smiling. "What’s so funny," she inquired. "Oh nothing, it’s just that you never asked me what I took in my coffee." he replied. "Oh I’m sorry would you like some cream or sugar. You can tell I don’t get many visitors." "No, it’s perfect. Just the way I like it. You’ve always been able to guess what I want." She blushed turning a slight crimson color making her face light up and her eyes deepened in color. He found himself mesmerized, she was so stunning. Her hair was darker than he remembered. The golden color glistened in the evening sun enhancing her fair complexion. Her eyes were really pretty, an unusual color that he couldn’t quite place. They were unlike his own but were not blue either, a mixture of both perhaps. Very intriguing he thought. He shifted slightly so she could sit down beside him. She could feel the warmth emanating from his body mix with his heavenly scent. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Nice manly smells always made her light headed and week at the knees. She was unaware of her head turning in Roy direction. She slowly opened her eyes to find his locked onto her own. She couldn’t seem to break the gaze, finding herself drowning in a sea of green. There was no denying they still harbored feelings for one another. They may not have seen each other for a long time but their love never died. Lorraine was the first one to look away, glancing at the floor she saw a little piece of material dangling from one of the rose bushes. She stretched down to pick it up when a hand clasped her own. His other hand unwrapped itself from the sleeping dog and picked up the handkerchief and laid it on Lorraine's’ lap. Lorraine gingerly fingered the object; she had recognized it instantly but was wondering why he kept it all those years. She felt hot tears building up in her eyes. All these emotions she thought were dead or buried came rushing to the surface. She couldn’t handle them then so how was she suppose to handle them now and all at once. It definitely wasn’t going to be a relaxing holiday after all. Roy was watching her the whole time, waiting for some kind of reaction from her. When none appeared his heart sank. Obviously she didn’t care for him anymore. He lifted his hand and tenderly forced her to look at him. What he saw in her eyes made him reach out and hold her. He could feel her body shake within his hold. His heart was beating loudly in his ear drowning out her little sobs. Tears trickled down her cheeks uncontrollably falling to form a wet patch on his sweater. He tightened his grip until the shaking stopped then pulled away slightly so he could face her. The remaining tears were kissed away with his sensual lips. Lorraine looked into his eyes and found the answer to her question. He kept the handkerchief out of love, a reminder of their time together. "Why didn’t you contact me’ she asked. ‘I rung you every night but your mother told me you didn’t want to speak to me. I thought you were mad because I hadn’t said goodbye and after two weeks I finally convinced myself that you wanted to forget about me.’ ‘I never forgot you Roy, I loved you, I still love you. That’s why I never married. I was waiting for you. No one ever compared to you Roy and they never will." "I never married either. I gave you my heart 30 years ago and there it remained. I love you Lorraine and I want us to be together. For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health,…." "Till death do us part'," they repeated together before sinking into a passionate, lingering kiss. The End**