Marcus drew up a chair and sat across from her, drawing in her beauty and her smell, he slowly reach across the table and gently took her hand in his. They sat like this for a few moments, unaware of the world passing them by, relieving in each other’s eyes, the night that they had spent together, nothing else matter in that moment.

As the day wore on, they decided to stay and have a lovely dinner together. Their love of fine food, fine wine could only be surpassed by breakfast in bed and what they ate, that is best left unsaid as demonstrated from this morning when they awoke from their night of passion. As a matter of fact, they didn’t eat again until dinner.

All this time Kathleen was having a struggle with her mind and her body. She had just read the newspaper, she knew that Marcus had responsibilities and commitments, that he had not made a clean break from these relationships, and therefore was not a free man to make a lifelong commitment to her. Her slate was clean, she was free as a bird, but her body was internally writhing in anticipation of another night of lovemaking.

It was at this time that Marcus stood up to get the attention of the waiter, as he did so, he knocked his coffee into her lap., burning her thigh, she stood up and ripped off her skirt, only to reveal his worst nightmare Kathleen had hidden the newspaper in her skirt, the newspaper spilt to the floor, laying open at the very page that revealed Marcus and his past.

Kathleen in her embarrassment immediately fled from the café and hailed down the nearest taxi. Marcus stood rock still for a fleeting second, all his past relationships came flooding back to him, he was overcome with emotion, he berated himself for not being open, not only had he lost the love and respect of the people in his past, but his two children would read this paper and believe all that was being said.

He was not a bad person, he was a man that had difficulty in owning up to responsibility, he honestly believed that his good looks and charm would get him through the tough times. He had no money, he could hardly support himself, let alone his two children, but he was too proud to let anyone know, hence they all thought that he was a cad.

Yes he had an insatiable appetite for sex, but in his own mind, he never made anyone do anything that they never wanted to do. They came along for the ride with him, no questions asked, no promises given, now he was being hounded like a criminal.

He immediately snapped out of his quandary and realized that Kathleen had fled the café, he raced out the door after her, throwing some money on the counter as he flew out the front door, he spotted her getting into a taxi cab, he reached the cab just as it was leaving the curbside, wrenched open the door and leapt inside.

Kathleen immediately recoiled to the other side of the cab, her eyes were overly bright and wide open, she was trembling her thoughts were racing. Marcus reached out for her, and enveloped her in his arms, stroking her hair, he apologized that she had to find out about him this way.

She immediately melted into his arms, her heart was full of forgiveness, they would work it out she would make him realize that he had a responsibility to his children and the children’s mothers.

She already lost her husband, friends though they will always be until death snuffs out their candles. Marcus was her lover, her soul mate a man worth fighting for.

At that moment, the taxi rounded the corner and had to immediately brake to avoid a cyclist, as the car swerved off the road, the two lovers held onto each other with all their strength Marcus thinking that their life would end there and then, whispered in her ear, I love you, you are the pinnacle in my life, I have obtained all that I thought was pure and true with you. Kathleen was seeing her life pass before her eyes, she had been in a sexless marriage for 5 years, she yearned and wanted more, she deserved more up until she realized she could save herself by tossing him out the door that flew open that thought stayed in head for just a split second.

God was testing her resolve, had been her devils advocate, she knew that something was growing in her womb, even after just one nights of wild abandonment, she had opened up every inch of her pore to Marcus, every inch of her being, this man was the father of her unborn child.

They held each other tightly, their hearts beating as one, if they died as one, great, if they survived this they would be as one in the living world.

The taxi slid slowly, a tree appeared out of nowhere, the taxi came to a boneshaking halt, they were safe, everyone was fine, the engine sputtered, the radiator burst into a steam of hissing, as it had been penetrated by the limb of the tree. The taxicab was stationery they were alive.

The three of us, Marcus and I, along with the taxi driver, sat in silence, all three of us were reliving the experience, approaching voices disturbed us we all looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief, we were alive and well.