Email Tragedy at keket1976@yahoo.com

Destiny was waiting on the shores of a sandy sea. I knew without hesitation she was meant for me. Okay, some hesitation. She was a stranger, after all.

Sunrise swept over the little coffeehouse, but neither of us left. It seemed best to sit, and stare and smile. Like it was all a dream.

I was afraid I'd wake up, hugging the pillow, feeling empty inside as always.

But I didn't wake up. One sunrise turned into two, then three and four. I'd found her. There was no way I'd ever let her go. Every time I touched her my skin would tingle with pleasure. If kissing her was heaven, I knew I could kiss her for eternity and never grow tired of her sweet, soft lips.

The nights we spent together weren't earth shattering, the world didn't stand still·but my heart skipped a beat the first night she said "I love you"' and nothing was ever the same. Her body fit into mine just right, like we were built for each other. I suddenly knew what soulmate meant.

In a fairy tale, happy ending kind of way we found an apartment and began to share our lives. Going to work, to the grocery store·. Simple things I'd done alone for so long now brought me happiness. Because all I had to do was see that beautiful smile.

It wasn't a fairy tale though. We had our ups and downs. Big fights, little fights, always making up.

Till the day her father walked back into her life. It was a subject we'd fought about, something I never brought up unless it needed bringing up. Like those nights I knew she lay awake. Or those mornings after spending the weekend at my family's house. That pain never went away for her, no matter how hard I tried.

All I could do was hold her, tell her how much I loved her and how I'd never go away.

One night I lay in her arms, held tight against my happily sweating body. She stroked my hair with one strong hand, murmuring how right we felt together and how she'd never been so happy.

I smiled up at her, under my lashes, just taking the time to memorize her beautiful and soulful eyes. Something was wrong. She was thinking about him again.

"Are you going to meet him? Like he asked?" I wondered aloud.

She flinched slightly, as if startled that I'd known what she was thinking about. "Hadn't really thought about it," she lied lightly.

I just nodded, waiting for her to continue talking, as I knew she would.

"How can I forgive him, my love?" she asked.

My arms wrapped tighter around her, trying to shelter her. I couldn't forgive what that monster had done to her, but I'd never tell her that. She needed to confront her past, and get through the pain. No, I'm not a therapist, but I'd been to enough of them.

"I...I want·." She stuttered to a halt, unusual for her.

"What is it you want, love?" I asked her gently. She just closed her eyes and leaned heavily back into the headboard. Her lips turned to a scowl, but underneath it all I could tell she was fighting tears.

"I want to kill him," she hissed softly. "I want to tie him to a tree and let him hang. I want·I want him to feel all the pain I felt."

Her revelation startled me. She'd never spoken so truthfully and honestly about him before. Tears rolled silently down her cheeks. Suddenly afraid, as if she'd fall apart, I straddled her hips and placed my palms on either side of her face. "Look at me, love."

As she tried to turn her face away, I held tighter. "Look at me. Please?" I whispered, her pain becoming mine.

Slowly her eyes opened, becoming wider as she saw my own tears. "Don't cry for me. It was a long time ago." Shaking fingers wiped the tears from my cheeks.

"I love you," I said.

"I love you, too," she replied. A smile quirked the edge of her lips. I knew she'd decided.

She didn't want me there when she confronted him. I knew her reasons, and I knew mine. I'd be too tempted to kill him myself. But it scared me, her going alone.

On Monday morning she packed a small bag for the plane, then held me in her arms as the taxi arrived. Leaning close she kissed me, then leaned her head on my shoulder and began to sing.

I never told you how beautiful her voice is, did I? I'll never forget the last day she sang to me.