Tempest(uous) Love

/ roughwighting

storm, San Francisco Bay, romance,Maureen looked out the window again.  She had lived for 37 years in four different states and never seen rain like this.  The tall pine and eucalyptus trees danced to rumba music turned crazy.  Below them, the Bay waters were rocking and rolling to a different beat, crashing against the beach two streets below her apartment built on a hill.  The wind screeched as if blown out of the mouth of an angry giant.

Maureen shivered. Why had she ever moved to this bohemian state, thousands of miles away from her home base on the East Coast?  California, her friends had warned her, was uncontrollable and wild and bizarre.  The weather was proving them right.mohamed_hassan, Pixabay, mirror

She looked at her watch and walked to the mirror in the hallway, perusing her face anxiously.  Six months earlier, unsatisfied with her job and bored with her social life, she joined a chat group on the web.  Within a month she had three job offers and two marriage proposals. 

One of the jobs was perfect for her: an assistant to the editor of a major “city living” type of magazine.  Neither of the marriage proposals was taken seriously, but one of the chatters sounded familiar when discussing his childhood, his education, and his college experiences.  On a whim, Maureen typed a message to him one late evening: Green Grocer – are you by any chance R. H.?  R. H. responded immediately: Multi-MediaM – e-mail me at rhanson@gmail.com.

Maureen and Robert, college sweethearts from their sophomore to senior years, had rediscovered each other.  He lived in Santa Cruz, California and was a Marketing VP for a successful small chain of grocery stores.  Her new job placed her near San Francisco.

The doorbell rang, and with the rain raging outside, the bell sounded as if it was 40 leagues under the sea.  Maureen checked herself in the mirror once more – short, curly hair still mousy brown, now with a few added highlights, yellow-brown eyes still lively with some added crow’s feet to add interest, chin still too pointy and cheeks too round, but overall, she looked like the 20-year-old she had once been.  She opened the door.Golden Gate Bridge, SF, city of love

There was Rob, 16 years older, looking at her sheepishly.  She wouldn’t have recognized him on a city street: he seemed taller, but stouter; his blue eyes were less troubled than the boy she had known; and he wore nicely pressed clothes.  He had obviously parked his car on the street below and walked up the stairs to her front door, because his thinning sandy-brown hair was plastered on his head like wet cement.

 “I look a fool,” were his first words.  “Can you believe I’m this nervous about seeing an old girlfriend?”

 “Watch the term “old,” fella,” Maureen replied, laughing.

 “Well, are you going to invite me in?”  Maureen noticed that Rob had that same wicked grin.  She looked at him thoughtfully, then slowly took her shoes off, inhaled, and ran out the front door.

sourabhkrishna806 , https://pixabay.com/photos/drops-rain-rain-drops-water-liquid-2404441/ “What are you doing?”  Rob shouted above the wind, howling in its own appreciation of her craziness.

 “It’s only fair that we start off equally,” she responded, as the rain ran rivulets down her head onto her face.  She was soaked in a matter of seconds.

Rob walked over to her. “Maureen?”

 “Wild and crazy California, here I am!”  Maureen laughed.

Rob placed his arm around her.  “I think I like the California Maureen,” he said softly into her wet ear.  She noticed a neighbor lift a curtain and then let it drop.

“So do I!” she said, allowing the wind to push her further into Rob.  “So do I.”

San Francisco, San Francisco bay, I left my heart in San Francisco

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

122 thoughts on “Tempest(uous) Love”

  7. Romance in life makes all the difference. I enjoyed this one a lot!!! Celebrating “Galentines day” with my new friends on the street today. Miss you!!!

    Liked by 2 people

  20. I like how you transport yourself from the snowy Northeast to rainy California. Writers can to that . . . escape to “wherever” land.

    Sweet Valentine’s Day story, always with detail that draws me in. Huge Hugs! ((( )))

    Liked by 1 person

    • Being able to close my eyes and time travel or in this case location travel, is quite helpful on a winter’s day! Maureen’s story helped me remember those very rainy days when I lived in the San Francisco Bay area. But the sun always came out a day or two later. Enjoy your sunny Florida weather for Valentine’s Day! ❤️

      Liked by 1 person

  22. How perfect for Valentine’s Day Pam. As always your writing has me feeling as though I am perched beside the characters.
    Now off to stick my head out for that rain. Oh wait. Here it would be frostbite.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Thank you so much, Balroop. Almost all the pictures here I took when walking along the San Francisco Bay. That last one of the heart was a piece of artwork in the city. Isn’t it cool? Xo

      Like

  26. It looks like romance is in the air. Nicely done, Pam! Running into an old flame is one of those weird life experiences. I remember opening up the paper one day and seeing the obituary of a long-time girlfriend. We left on good terms, but I hadn’t talked to her in a decade. That was a strange feeling to learn of her passing.

    We live five hours north of San Francisco, but those bay scenes look quite familiar, and we enjoy visiting Santa Cruz.

    Liked by 1 person

    • We lived in the bay area for 20 years and until the pandemic, returned to visit often. Our son still lives there. So I took all of these pictures during my long walks. Can’t wait to return and take more photos of this glorious area.
      Yes I have a few old loves in my past and sometimes I think it would be nice to connect and just say howdy before it’s too late.

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  35. Oooh, so sweet and lovely. Happy Valentine’s Day to you and your man, Pam! By the way, when I first scrolled over your last photo… well, I thought the heart represented something else. I guess your story has my head go crazy as well. I think it belongs in California. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • I took the photo of that heart artwork where it was being displayed in San Francisco. Although we don’t live there anymore we visit often. Except this year of course. 😞 but part of my heart is still there waiting for my return. 💔

      Liked by 1 person

  40. A great love story for Valentine’s Day, Pam. Sounded like love at first sight all over again and happily ever after. I like how the beginning of the narrative seemed rather down and uncertain but towards the end it’s like a turnaround for the better. Brilliant writing 🙂

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  41. Pingback: The week gone by — Feb. 14 – A Silly Place

  42. An interesting observation, Pam, how the trees on land may sway to a different beat than the waters. It is fascinating to see people we have not seen in many years. A fresh, contemporary love story. You again bring me right there, more than a witness. I experience what Rob and Maureen are seeing and feeling. I love a happy ending. Thank you for being part of what I love in this community, Pam. Happy Valentine’s Day.❤️

    Liked by 2 people

    • Your words sent me on a high – of gratitude and delight. YES, reading each other’s stories – fiction and non-fiction – brings us all together in marvelous and amazing ways. We are a STRONG community of strong thinkers, doers, and believers in romance and reality, intertwined. xo

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  51. Pam, a perfect story for Valentine’s Day! At first I was worried Maureen would be a bit boorish but love the twist at the end when her wild and reckless nature is unleashed! With finesse , and in such brief time, you create two characters for whom we care and want the best … but thinking this will never work out! As she joined Robert out in the rain I was cheering for them both! Well done and I love the music and beautiful photos to accompany the post. The heart statue with reflection at the end is amazing! Wishing you a good rest of the week, my friend! xx ❤️

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