Soulmates

Kim had met her soulmate, Karl through her husband. It was long before their marriage issues had surfaced. He had been an acquaintance, someone her husband had known from high school. But when she had met him, and every time their paths would happen to cross after that, instinctively she would get the feeling that he was one of the good guys. Looking back now, she knew she had taken notice because he had exemplified, so effortlessly, many of the traits she had longed for in her husband at the time. He was laid back, easy to talk to and always shared good advice. She had always been struck by the fact that even though they may not have seen each other for months after casually meeting, he would always remember what they had discussed and would ask about it. She had been lucky if her husband had asked her how her day had been. His kindness had also been very evident, he would hold doors open supermarket. Such a change from toting groceries into the house while her husband would watch her and then happily train his focus back to whatever football game would happen to be on the television.

The evening she had seen him at the coffee shop a few months after her divorce, had been such a pleasant surprise. She hadn't thought of him in such a long time, as he had taken a job in Australia for a year and had now returned home for the first time since leaving. But as they had sat together having lattés and cake pops, it had been like he had never left. They had easily caught up on each other's lives. He had expressed sadness at the end of her marriage. She had told him that it had been for the best. He had spoken about the new venture that he would be starting now that he had returned and she couldn't help but share his excitement as he had described all the possibilities in detail. They had such a natural, easy rapport that she had felt comfortable with him. When he had hugged her goodbye, it was the first time she had felt the tingle of her skin followed by the intense rush as they had held each other. It had caught her off guard and she could barely say goodbye as she drove out of the parking lot. She had brushed it off as a reaction to not having been touched in such a long time. Since her divorce, her focus had been on finding herself and ensuring that she invested her time doing the things she loved.

But Karl had felt it too and he had ensured that would not be their last encounter. They had kept in touch and had slowly gotten to know each other. Long conversations on the phone sometimes about serious issues but most of the time filled with laughter, turned into dates – to the movies, to dinner, to football matches, hikes and picnics – all the activities they both loved. The more time they had spent together, the closer they had become. They had so much in common and understood each other's values and beliefs. It had been such a long time that Kim had been with someone who "got" her – someone who knew when she was jokingly sarcastic and didn't take it personally, someone who instinctively knew her mood from her facial expression and body language and someone who she could tell anything to - her deepest fears and darkest secrets. She had easily reciprocated whole-heartedly, embracing everything that made Karl so unique. One of the things she loved the most about their relationship was that they supported each other's goals and interests, and gave each other space to explore them. They could sit in the same room in silence, each doing their own thing but still enjoying the comfort of the other's presence.

It was at times like these she would casually stare at him, studying every feature on his face even though she already had each one memorized. His caramel-colored skin, flawlessly arched eyebrows that were never touched by wax, tweezers or a blade, complemented by his long eyelashes, deep brown eyes that looked at her in a way that mirrored her feelings toward him and that seemed to read her deepest thoughts every time she looked into them, an imperfect nose that was perfect on him and the softest lips she had ever kissed.

She often reminisced about their first kiss. It had occurred on their trip to England. Karl had planned a special evening – The Phantom of the Opera followed by a quiet dinner at a quaint Italian restaurant on the outskirts of London. She had always wanted to see The Phantom of the Opera and it hadn't disappointed. The feeling of contentment she had felt after leaving the theatre had lasted throughout dinner and had only intensified when Karl had held her hands outside of the restaurant as he had looked into her eyes.

"For a long time, I wondered if I would ever meet someone I could truly call my soulmate. And then I met you. I know with such certainty we were meant to be together." She had smiled because she had truly believed that as well.

"More than ever now, since meeting you, I know that everything happens for a reason and our paths intersected just at the right time. We were meant to be together." Even saying the words hadn't given her feelings about their relationship and connection the justice it had deserved. But if the intensity in his eyes had been reflected in hers, she knew he had understood exactly how she felt. He had placed a palm on each of her cheeks.

"You are so amazing and I'm so thankful that you're in my life." They had leaned toward each other until their lips met. The kiss had been slow and gentle but then quickly intensified as they had explored each other's mouths. Each movement had translated the emotions their words could not aptly express. When their lips had finally parted Kim had slowly opened her eyes to look into his again and had smiled, like a kid at Christmas. Karl had smiled, as he continued to caress her cheek.

"I love you, Kim."

"I love you too, Karl." She couldn't control the tears of happiness that had welled up as she had heard those words and said them too. She had thought then that there had never been a time she had said them before when she had truly meant and felt them as much as she did then. It turned out that every time she said them after that, she still felt the same way and their wedding day was no exception.

The minute he had pulled her close and they looked into each other's eyes, the clatter of cutlery against plates, the constant hum of conversation with the occasional laugh that rose above it all, immediately ended. Despite all eyes being focused on the happy couple, they were in their world. Eyes locked with his hand on the small of her back, hers around his broad shoulders, slowly swaying from side to side both with wide grins on their faces, as the melody of a song that perfectly reflected their feelings for each other played.

"You're just too good to be true

I can't take my eyes off you

You'd be like heaven to touch

I wanna hold you so much

At long last love has arrived

And I thank God I'm alive

You're just too good to be true

Can't take my eyes off you

Pardon the way that I stare

There's nothing else to compare

The sight of you leaves me weak

There are no words left to speak…"

Kim smiled to herself as she replayed every detail of their wedding night yet again. She reminisced about their honeymoon in Bora Bora, a place that was on their bucket list that they were finally able to experience together. It had been wonderful. She didn't think she could ever forget it and all the other beautiful memories they had made, but often feared that over time she would. Ironically, the one memory that she wanted to forget continued to haunt her, maybe because it stood in stark contrast to all the others and in vivid detail.

She had been washing one of their Corel plates with the dotted blue pattern on the edges at the kitchen sink. It was one of the sets they had chosen for their wedding gift registry. Karl had loved blue, just as she did, so the choice had been easy. The hum of her cellphone vibrating on the counter had startled her, just as she turned the tap off. It had been an unknown number, she usually didn't answer, but that day she did. She still couldn't remember the conversation or the name the caller had given her to identify himself, but she recalled the words – ‘missing'. Her phone hit the floor just about the same time as the meaning of the words registered and the realization that the caller had said Karl's name before them, had hit her.

It had been about a month after their return from the French Polynesian Island, as they still basked in the glow of being in the honeymoon phase, Karl had left for work and never came home. His car had been found along with his cell and wallet, abandoned on a dirt road ten miles away from his usual route. Two years later he still hadn’t been found.