It was a beautiful and radiant evening, with rays of the sun sneaking in through the cracks of the old window, which seems to retain its bright red colour even after having daily staring contests with the glory of the sun.
The strolling of the gentle wind across the plains and the rainbow like glitters of the butterflies as they flap their tender wings which reflects the sun amidst every flight, made the atmosphere feel more like a heaven on earth. An experience that Derek rather relishes every time he finds himself back there.
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“This is my haven” Derek thought aloud as he stared into the beautiful field from the little red window of the third floor within the abandoned building which is just a couple of miles shy of his residence.
Derek enjoys coming to the old building once every week. Away from ‘civilization’, in order to escape the noise in the city into the warmth and quietness of his little paradise. The vehicles, trains and planes, and chatter along the streets,… he just couldn’t stand it.
As a sales representative who loved writing and sketching in his little diary which has taken permanent ownership of his breast bucket, he naturally acclimatised himself with his new found paradise.
His spirit is well acquainted with the atmosphere within ‘his’ paradise. Having fed his eyes and soul an enormous quantity of the undeniable beauty that the plains have to offer, he goes home always rejuvenated and with enough energy to push through the coming days without feeling the least bit dejected.
On one such evening, during the usual adventure into his ‘safe haven’, he encountered a young woman in her mid thirties lying face up with her eyes glued to the sky. And with such awe, like a Deer frozen in sight of a vehicle’s headlight.
Roselyn’s family were the previous owners of this once attractive building that is now old and falling apart. The red window overlooking the fields used to be her room. She remembers playing around the field as a kid, basking in its beauty that seems to be sustained through the test of time.
Wondering how anyone else could have found his paradise. Derek resolved to break the ice and moved to speak with the woman who seemed totally unaware of his presence.
“Umm, hi there” Derek mutters.
Upon noticing for the first time the tall figure standing before her, she jumps to her feet hurriedly and staggers to keep herself from falling.
“Who are you and what do you want with me?”
“Oh you’ve got the wrong idea miss” Derek retorted to the already bewildered Roselyn as he attempts to explain his presence to the young lady who seemed to be even more frightened by the minute.
“My name is Derek, I live a couple of miles on the other side of the road. It’s just a stone throw from the factory opposite the city. This is the place I come to relax, clear my head and escape the rowdiness of the city”.
“Oh thank goodness, I thought you were stalking me” Roselyn replied as she extended her hand to Derek with a smile on her face.
“My name is Roselyn. I lived in this house as a kid before my parents moved out of here about ten years ago. I just got back to town and I thought it necessary to come visit this place. I’ve always hated that house but the plains are just a wondrous and beautiful sight to behold”.
For the first time in a long time, Derek felt a connection that is far beyond his love for his little paradise. He felt something that seemed to open up a possibility to a new paradise within his heart.
As he continued to stare longingly at the beautiful lady in front of him, he felt grateful to his little paradise.
They talked and laughed for a while, completely lost in a new paradise that far supersedes the one that brought them together.
A couple of days later, Derek and Roselyn made plans to meet up at the local coffee shop downtown in order to get to know each other better, and give a leeway to forget their unusual meet cute.
It’s quarter past 5pm and Roselyn who had arrived 15 minutes earlier, sat next to the door which allowed her to have a clear sight of people coming in and out of the shop.
Some moments later, Derek walked in with an apologetic countenance which reflected the sincerity of his heart.
He was held back at work to attend to a customer who wasn’t too convinced about which couch would better suit his needs.
After much deliberation and barrage of question targeted only at the already worn out Derek, he decided to go with the light brown recliner couch.
“It’s no worries at all” Rose assured him.
“Thank you” Said Derek as they continue to chat about the events of the day and their mutual haven where they both derive an unexplainable feeling of warmth that seems to give their spirit and soul, the peace and joy that they both long for deep down in their hearts.
The End.