Night By Night

Jennifer sat there staring at Adrian after he had ended the story. “That is so sad,” she said. “Have you seen it before?” she asked him.

“No, but I got the translation from a friend before I came. They will be performing the opera in French, so at least now you know, or have an idea at least, of what they will be saying.”

Just then the stage got dark and the curtains were pulled apart and a young woman, dressed in a sky blue dress with a veil drawn about her face took to the centre of the stage while the spotlight shone on her and the music began. Jennifer watched the unravelling of the story with such intensity tears began to stream from her face as she sat there. She gripped Adrian’s hand for support and he sat there unmoved as well. She did need to use her binoculars after all, and the up close viewing of the individual performers only increased the intensity. Finally the show was over and as the curtains closed, Jennifer dried the remaining tears from her eyes.

“Don’t you ever do that to me again,” she said as she slapped Adrian on the arm with her handkerchief. “I can’t remember the last time I was so emotional.”

Adrian laughed at her. “But it was good though wasn’t it?” he asked.

“It was, but I am never coming back to the opera unless I know it has a happy ending.”

The pair got up then and filed out of the theatre. When they were outside, Adrian asked if she would like to take a stroll in the park. They held hands and walked around the nearby park, enjoying the serenity of the place and the company of each other. They found a bench and when he sat, he held out his hand for her and she sat on his lap. He held his head by her bosom for a very long time until she began to grow concerned.

“Would you like for us to return home? It has been a very long night. Look, it is almost midnight,” she said to him, coaxing him to get up.

He did, but he was very quiet for the entire ride home. Jennifer looked over at him but he seemed in a world by himself. Maybe the opera had gotten to him more than she had realised because his mood change was so sudden. When they got home, he walked her to her door, gave her a kiss, and as she went inside and closed the door, she was sure she saw a look of gloom marring his jovial features. She didn’t think much of it, so she went inside and changed her clothes and got ready for bed.

The following morning she didn’t awaken to a fresh pot of coffee and she wished Adrian had stayed over. It was a Sunday morning and she felt as lazy as the day itself. She made a light breakfast and then went to do some laundry. She called Adrian in the afternoon, but he had some work to finish up and could not come over. She didn’t see him until late in the evening and even then, he didn’t stay for very long. It was officially the first day she had gone without being wrapped up in him; he was always doing something or taking her somewhere, but today when he came, there was just him and fifteen minutes of spare time.

The next day, he was just as distant and Jennifer began to worry that something was wrong with him. When she asked he said it was nothing and he was fine but she didn’t believe him. She decided to call in reinforcements; maybe Sara would know more than she did.

“Men can be weird Jen,” Sara said when she got a chance to call her. “Just give him some time and don’t crowd him. He will come around.”

“Okay,” Jennifer agreed.

One week passed and all she saw from Adrian were two roses and one dinner. Compare that to every day for the last month and it was hard not to notice. One evening he stopped by after work and she confronted him about it.

“Hey, what is the matter? I have seen you every day since we started this whole thing and ever since that night at the opera, you have been very distant. Is everything alright?”

He ruffled his hair with his hands and sighed. “Yeah, everything is alright. I just…”

“You just what?” she asked, getting more frightened of what he might say.

“I just think we have been moving too fast,” he said quietly.

“What do you mean?” she asked. “We can and have been going at the pace that you started and maintained.”

“I know that, but maybe that wasn’t the right thing to do. Listen Jen, I have been through a lot and I am coming out of a marriage that has left me broken.”

“I didn’t even know about that,” she said softly. “But that doesn’t matter, because we can find a way to make this work.”

“Can we?” he asked.

“I am willing to try,” she said, now reaching out to caress his face.

“I just don’t want to experience what I am only now trying to deal with. Because that didn’t work I now have a son I hardly see.”

She leaned over and hugged him. “Everything will be alright Adrian. I am going nowhere,” she said as she tried to console him.

He left that night and she could see the pain etched in his face. Something different had happened because she had already met him after the divorce. She could only hope that when the sun rose the following day, Adrian would turn up with rose in hand again.