Wonderland

Velvet waxy stick draw a line on her lower lip shape, changing its direction to upper lip it draw two velvet arches to assemble the shape of upper lip. With care and love, her finger spread color, she squeezed her lip then took a tissue placed it between her lip and pressed against it, the tissue printed with the unwanted velvet color from her lip. She waved her chocolate hair and stared at the mirror. She left her chin and kept going deeper and deeper into her sliver left eye.

Amanda was not ordinary that for sure. Everything in hers was not ordinary starting from her left eye god gifted to her to her mind. Her mother never wanted to touch her when she first came to this world light. "Unwanted child" was the first name the cruel world gave it to her. Amanda was a mistake as her aunt told her. A mistake that should not happened.

Amanda reached to her blue sparkle handbag, took a note from inside then stared at it for while. It written " 7:00p.m Golden restaurant". The letters and numbers flew from their places on the note and wondered around her head. she touched the "R" letter and it made a shake and a blur screen showed in front of her. It was in black and white, fletching like old cinema movie. People were moving in and out, a woman and man drinking their wine; other couples eating their food, the waiter poured another glass for a customer, even it didn't have any sound Amanda could tell from the faces of the people that they were having a good time.

She reached to "7", poked it from the edge, it made it flip upside dawn so it seemed like letter "L" now then it shook giving a new show. This time the show was focused on a man sitting alone in a table near to the window. His elbows rested on the table, he was looking at the entrance of the restaurant. He Widen his eyes and looking up to who was entering, he smiled, stood up and lift his hand but froze. He fall down to his seat, it was not who he expected to be. Amanda sighted.

She was four years old when she discovered her gift. That was when she took her aunt grocery's list. "Nana, they don't have carot " she said this when she was home. Her Aunt took the list from her hand and gave her a look of "Stupid child, how do you know", then headed to the grocery store. When her aunt came back, she grip her and yelled, "How did you know there was not carrot? Did you went outside without my permission?"

"The letters told me. Please Nana don't hit me" Amanda cried.

"LAIR!" after that word, all Amanda could remember was pain.

From that moment, Amanda never told anyone about her gift. Well, people would not believe her anyway. She realized that would make everything worse for herself. She kept quit. Her ability was quite strange. It was like seeing the world through the letters and the numbers. She doesn't see the future, no this was not like that at all rather she see the present in another place. It works like this; if she had the menu of a restaurant, she could know how they made the food back in the kitchen. She will know if they use fresh or frozen, baked or microwaved, what they put in them, she sees all of that in front of her when just relax on her seat in the restaurant. If she reads a dairy of somebody, it would appears what had exactly happened. Like she was there watching all the happening.

For long time she was alone. Her mother left her, her father never showed up; her aunt always hit her for no reason. How about fiends? No friends either, they avoided her, "The freak" that was her second name. She tried to poke her left sliver eye once and she is glad she failed. It is true; this sliver eye was the problem of all what she is going through all day and years, despite of that the only comfort to her was this gift. God gave her mother a gift but she denied this gift and threw it away. That gift was Amanda. She didn't want to be ungrateful, this was not right. Therefore, at some point she accepted her gift without complaining until she met Max.

They met in the gym. Usual greetings turned to little conversations, not soon, they turned to dates and dinners. Describing Max is easy, prince charming and everyone would nod what is that exactly means. However, not prince charming that kind of slickly hair, fair skin, beautiful eye, nice body and bad attitude. He had the physical features as prince charming except for the hair and skin. This hair is black spaghetti, skin is more like bronze one, and his face is acceptable nit much to star at it, what made him attractive was his gentle attitude. The attitude is combination of treating a child and respect of adults. He is good at put out fire on every problem, always there when need help and push people up not down.

Amanda praised God for the gift; this time was gift fall from heaven. What made Amanda opened up to Max was his first word when they met. "What beautiful eye you got there" Max said like a child discovered something new for first time. Amanda glared at him; she thought he was hitting on her but that was her mind told her, her heart was bouncing and dancing.

"That is real right?" he winded his eyes, she didn't answer and kept doing her exercise. Max drew back and scratched his head.

"Sorry, I did not mean to make you uncomfortable." He did not add words after that and continued with his exercise. Amanda felt bad; sure, there were jerks who would hit on her not because they liked her for what she was but just because their sick thoughts of male has the right to hit on any women he wants.

"It is natural," Amanda, said when she met him again at the entrance. Max smiled and there it was the first sparkle.

The romance story begun between the two lovebirds, Amanda almost forgot how she was lonely and abandoned. Her world begun to bloom and smells flowers, roses every day, it is wonderful to love and to be loved. Days passed and Amanda still in her wonder land. Then in their third year, summer wonderland showed its ugly part.

Amanda took the note Max left on her front car. "4 at Public Park", she held the note tight and draw a giant smile. Max never forgets anything about her, and last week she got promotion on her job, he promised her a party and he is keeping it. He didn't show up in the gym this day, it was odd. After seeing that note, her heart was dancing disco inside her rib cage. She drove to the main destination.

Her car stopped near to the park on the parking area. She picked her friend, her velvet lipstick and made her lip bloom. She picked up the note, and thought of using her gift. She closed her eyes and let the magic do its work. The green spread on the ground, people were sitting and chatting, children played with each other, dog ran to catch Frisbee and there was Max. He was wearing a shirt that seemed to be white and black jeans, she giggled when she saw him but instantly felt a sting in her heart. A woman …woman was standing with Max. Amanda blinked; the image faded leaving a smoke of confusion in her heart. She got off from her car, strolled like an animal towards the park then she froze.

Her wonderland fell apart, the sound of shattered glass, it was her heart broken to pieces. Her wonderland showed the ugly side. A blonde woman was kissing Max that was the last memory of faded wonderland. Amanda took her coat and left her apartment. She never spoke to Max again.

She sent a simple text message "Break up" and that was the end of her wonderland. Max broke his bones to get her back for the entire two years. Never stopped apologized, never stopped calling, never stopped leaving notes but Amanda never responded. The last note she found on her front car took her attention, "Amanda I want to be released. Please last meeting and we forget each other". She accepted this invitation for one reason; she wanted him out of her life. Although she blocked him, the entire two years but the notes were still her addiction. She still have that disco dance when she received those notes, missing the meetings, the hugs and "I love you". She was still dreaming of wonderland. She wanted to terminate the wonderland and go back to underworld.

Amanda strolled to the restaurant; "Welcome Madam" the waiter in the reception put a light smile. "You have a book tonight madam?" he asked. "I'm meeting a friend" she said and made her way to where she saw Max sitting.

Max stood up and he almost made his chair knocked down. "Amanda, it has been long time" he smiled and rushed to push her seat from behind as used to do. Amanda sat still and didn't say a word not even hi. Max retuned to his seat and picked the menu" you must be hungry, right?" he looked at the menu.

"Let's down with his Max" she blow the words. Max put the menu down and stared at her. "OK…" he sighted, loosen his tie and lean forward.

"I'm sorry that I cause you pain." His voice came trembling, Amanda saw how his hands were shaking, she straightened up "You doing well with her?" she asked.

Max sighted " I told you Amanda. She was my ex girlfriend and she wanted me back but I said no. then she pulled my arm and …"

"I heard that story." Amanda throw sharp eye look to Max.

"I'm not with her. Not then and not in future" he glared, "all I want is you Amanda. Only you" he reached to his pocket and pulled a black small box. He slid it in front of her.

"If you are not going to be with me, I don't need that. I was going to give it to you that day." He shrugged," take it. It keep me up all days. It is heavy fro me to keep it." Amada looked at the box she reached for it, and uncovered the heavy weight that Max could not take it anymore. Amanda gasped, a very special memory, a symbol of oath, shape of half-heart ring. Amanda remembered this ring, she saw it in the internet. Two rings half-heart shape, if combined together it came full heart shape. She showed this to Max, and talked about it a lot. She remembered herself saying," Two souls and one heart. it is exactly what its represent" Amanda looked at his right hand with the blurred and wet vision. The other half of the soul lay there in his finger.

"It always kept me awake. Not to have the other soul wearing that ring. And the only soul who fit that ring I you, only you" he reached his hand to her. "Amanda, I won't say forgive me. Take the ring. It should be in its place. Where he belongs" he turned his head, bit his lip and tried to hold on the glasses from following in his heart. "Good bye Amanda" he kissed her hand and left his seat.

Amanda saw something in her screen gift. Something it never showed before that made a hot tear rolled down on her blushed cheek. She smiled, "My wonderland" Max was waiting to pick up a taxi in front of the restaurant when he heard "I love you". He turned to see Amanda wearing the ring. "I love you, too" with that the wonderland retuned to its shape once again.