A Spark & A Code

Two carry-on sized suitcases jostle in the back every now and then as the shiny sports wagon makes its way further from the city of Edinburg to the Inverness Airport. 

Despite it being mid-summer, the weather is more reflective of Seattle than anything remotely close to the typical trimmings associated with this time of year. There is no apparent indication that one would absorb any notable amount of vitamin D in this green and lush terrain. The irony.

From the passenger seat, Lucia’s manicured hand reaches up to open the sunroof roller blind, leaving the glass closed. She’s always loved the rain and felt an unexplainable innate inclination for it—like another lover she will never get tired of, a secret delight, an always welcome visit. Lucia feels otherworldly when she looks up as dots speckle and trickle down the glass making their mark independently, then merging together in a fashion not dissimilar to the way branches express themselves. 

            Leo glances at her then returns his focus toward the road ahead. No matter what or where he goes, Leo assumes the role of being a man of the people, a man with a code, a man of commitment, and most of all, a man whom no one will really ever know. Loaded with diplomatic responses and foresight, he plays chess while everyone plays checkers. He’s even-keel and always knows how to turn every decision into the right one. 

Today, like most every day, he presents himself as impeccable, iron-strong, a modern warrior. He won’t let his guard down, he won’t let up, but she sees the real him and he knows it.

            “We’ll arrive in about an hour. Good thing we stopped at that little town to grab coffee. If they hadn’t mentioned this backroad, we’d be two hours out,” he says as he takes a sip. “Put on some of those blu…”

            Before he even finishes his sentence, Lucia’s hand is on the dial. No luck, so she plugs in her iPhone and plays the blues. That’s what a 7-year relationship will do. Yet, she’s unsure if the life they live together is fabricated to further establish his character to the world, or if there’s any truthful love supporting their partnership. At this point, she just considers herself lucky and does not give it another thought. Eric Clapton plays in the background, “The thrill is gone. It’s gone away from me. The thrill is gone baby. The thrill is gone away from me…”

            His phone pings. A text message. He knows it isn’t her. It’s been almost a year now since she’s reached out to him. And there is no reason for him to call, so he won’t. They barely ever spoke to begin with, but he has no idea why, to this day, he feels his heart accelerate in anticipation that it just might be her. Their time together was always brief, and they were merely acquaintances. In all honesty, he didn’t know why he felt like they knew each other—understood each other from the first glance. But he would do nothing about it because, after all, he is a man with a code. 

            And so was she.

            He allowed his mind to drift for a few seconds, bringing one hand to his chin as he began to think…then, Lucia asked, “What was your favorite part about the trip?”

            “Can you check my phone please?”

            “Can you be here now?”

            Silence. 

            Lucia grabs his phone. 

She can feel sweat starting to form around her chest and slowly drip between her breasts. It’s another typical day in south Texas. 

“We better head to the shade before we both melt,” she looks both ways, clicks her tongue twice to signal to her furry companion, and they cross the street. 

“What the hell is going on?” Clara mumbles to herself. A fire alarm has forced them to leave the little serene island that is her studio—just as she was about to relax from a long week at work. She’s still wearing her black trousers and silky cream-colored button-down that she’s had on since 6am. As the fabric lays on her, it compliments her every curve, even more so now with each second that passes as the sweat brings it closer to her body.

            Clara is a woman who moves to her own resolve. He sensed this from the start. 

That’s just the kind of woman she has grown into, and she likes it that way. Stubborn. Determined. Each breath full of power. Self-motivated and self-assured. She left home a few years ago and settled into a new city to make her own way, carrying with her a mountain of faith. Faith in what? Faith only in her simple dreams and the universe. 

            She prides herself on living with intention. On taking leaps of faith into the unknown and, unironically, trusts in the divine plan more than anything or anyone. If she works hard, if she chooses to be good, it will all work out how it’s supposed to.

She’s determined to be good. To give. But above all, to remain loyal to herself—to self-determine, self-define who she is. To live her truth. Anything less would be the true tragedy. This is her code—and her compass.

            As she makes her way around the apartment complex, she comes across a young couple.

“Have you heard anything regarding the fire alarm? I’m hoping it’s just a pipe that burst like last time,” she asks them.

            The couple smile, look down at her puppy and pet it as they reply, “We have no idea, but the firemen arrived out front and are asking people to evacuate.”

            “Oh, ok. Thank you so much!”

            She makes her way to the front of the building in search of the firetruck. If there’s one thing she’s learned, it’s to be relentless—not to be confused with aggressive or disrespectful—when seeking answers to any life situation. 

            At this point, she can feel sweat gathering beneath her bum, she needs to find shade asap. She spots the firetruck as a group of three young college students pass her. 

“Hi, sorry to bother you, but have you heard anything?”

“We heard someone’s sprinklers went off in their apartment and set off the alarm.”

“Ohhh, ok. Thank you.”

They smile and she awkwardly walks away with her pup. 

Not many people can detect it, but he did. She knew that he knew somehow. Shyness was her greatest weakness. You would never know it took a decade for her to champion it. Simple reason and the calming realization that she is, in fact, merely ordinary, served as the ingredients for her growing confidence and peace of mind. They imbue her every step. “I am perfectly normal,” she whispers to herself as she approaches the firemen, “we are all human.” And just like that, her batteries are recharged, and a blanket of ease comes over her. 

“Excuse me, I was wondering if there was any information you can share?”

All the firemen turn and look at her with that well-known look she’s used to. She knows exactly what’s on their minds because they are the very thoughts she tried to evade whenever she saw him. The thought of him brings a mixed bag of emotions. She shoves them away for the time being. 

“It was simply a glitch, and we are trying to contact the manager to get this resolved. Nothing happened,” replied one of the firemen.

“Thank you for the update. I appreciate it.”

In front of the complex sits a perfectly manicured courtyard, she scans it to find an empty bench under a tree. There are groups and couples huddled together. She sits under the tree with relief. 

“What are we going to do next?” she asks her pup. 

Her phone pings. A text message from the apartment manager: Hello Residents, We have been able to locate a technician to perform the needed repairs on the fire control panel. They will be arriving shortly and there will be troubleshooting steps performed. Please note, we are expecting these to be completed within a few hours. 

“Well, isn’t that lovely,” she says to her pup. 

Then she looks up toward the hotel next door and gets an idea. 

She walks into the cool hotel lobby, heads straight toward the dimly lit bar, and spots a familiar silhouette. Her steps become more conscious (or confident?), and the repressed emotions suddenly make themselves present throughout her body, taking her mind to the time she first saw Leo. Or rather, the first time he saw her. She could feel his eyes on her before he appeared to introduce himself.

            Two years ago, mid-November. The weather felt crisp and Clara chose to wear her favorite yellow satin pumps, a red wrap midi skirt, and a silky long sleeve pale pink off-the-shoulder top tucked in. Her almost-jet black hair cascaded over her left shoulder, intentionally placed there, just in case her tattoo was to peak out.

            As she walked up to the host, she could sense his presence. A presence he wasn’t planning on making known. After all, he had to remain in character, but something came over him and as she turned to make her way to her table, he was already a few steps away from her. Tan with knowing dark brown eyes, his button-down the color of a trusting blue. Both his collar and first button were undone. He seemed...suave? secure? 

            What am I doing? He thought to himself—he had to think of something logical to come up with, and quick. But nothing came to mind. 

            A chill ran down her spine when she saw him, and they locked eyes for a split second too long. Something electric. They both repressed smiles. And unbeknownst to the other, they both held, for a brief moment, a vision in their minds eye of what their future together would look like.      

            “Hi, how are ya? I’m Leo and I’m here on behalf of Marigold Investment Group.”

            “Hi, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Clara, here on behalf of Selenite Collective. It looks like a beautiful luncheon. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone.”

            His smile was way too big at this point, almost as if he was repressing laughter. He was so nervous. 

            “I can show you around, walk you to your table?”

            What is he doing? She thought. 

            “Sure.”

They were at a fundraising luncheon—an obligation neither one of them were too keen on attending but knew showing face at these types of events was necessary for reasons that need not be explained. 

            He introduced her to a few colleagues then led her to her table. As he made his way back to his, he consciously composed himself before sitting down with his group. 

            As the luncheon went on, he slyly peaked in her direction. She pretended not to notice. At one point, she intentionally got up to walk past his direction to the ladies' room. Their eyes locked once more and she smiled. He kept his composure and turned back toward the table’s conversation. After rounds of small delicate plates and elegant drinks, she said her goodbyes to her group and made her way back to her car, taking with her a new-found sense of longing and curiosity.

            He caught up to her, his nerves surfacing again. 

            “Clara, it was a pleasure meeting you. Have a wonderful rest of your night.” 

He didn’t want her to leave, but there was no logical reason for them to stay. 

            She heard his voice before she saw him. And before she turned around, she told herself, this is not happening, let it go. But the exchange from their eyes whispered, I wish I could be there for you.

            “Likewise, Leo.”

            They both consciously walked away from each other, every step feeling like a mistake. There was a kind of tension present, not unlike when you pull two magnets away from each other. 

            Lucia turned down the volume to read Leo’s text message aloud, “It’s from Pablo. He wants to know if you sent over the data from the Aldridge Project?”

Her eyes flashed before his before he responded, “Tell him I sent it to Victor this morning for approval and it should be on its way to him shortly.”

            “Ok,” replied Lucia, sensing a bit of unease, but she let it go and didn’t bother to turn the volume back up. They were exiting for the airport. 

            Back at the hotel, Clara caught a glimpse of herself in the window. She looked good, she thought, for being subjected to 104-degree heat the past 30 minutes. The sweat may have added a bit of a glow. 

            She approached the bar and pretended not to notice the stranger standing a few feet away from her. She ordered her beer and snuck a glimpse as she fixed her wallet back in her purse. A set of radiant hazel eyes glimpsed back.

            Have faith and trust in the divine plan, she thought to herself.