William sits in this room once more where the whole story started. A beginning to the story, which we cannot remember and that would float away on a dream into the night... lost in the wind like so many puffs of smoke. There was a time when the electricity was there in every touch and every thought. Unspoken rules of love and devotion and yet filled with worlds of pain and torment which were there to stay, unlike all of the words which had been said and had no meaning, the words which the walls would keep for all eternity of the life in this room. We spoke in the nights and whispered the secrets which we no longer understood and which we will never whisper again.

'I first saw her when I walked into the night and to a café on the terrace of the building. She shimmered with light and her smile radiated the expanse of the roof like a sunrise and a full moon at the same time.'� He said finishing his drink.

The man's pale blue eyes had turned dim into the night sky and his face showed the signs of grief, which he would not or could not force himself to expel. He was sitting on a small stool in the middle of the room in a wrinkled black suit and a white rose crushed into the lapel of his jacket. Smoke swirled about his grim features and into the room only to be caught in the path of the vent above and to dissipate as if it was never there in the first place. The small apartment lacked a homely feel to it aside from a few small artifacts and pictures, which remained scattered and smashed on the floor. This now was the only remnant of the frightful fit of rage that placed them in the state of disarray and chaos. Signs of a tormented burning that shuffled the emotions and actions of one man into fighting invisible demons, which glared at him from the pieces of his life. Now only his anger and discourse that destroyed everything he loved and held close was left, instead of the beautiful illusion, which it replaced.

There was no more static in the air; only the pungent odor of unwashed sheets and cold that mingled with the scent of warm flesh, stale cigarettes, and a shattered bottle of champagne on the counter. His tears, coupled with the smoke in the room, gave it a feeling of loneliness that was held so far away, but close in every sigh and every shudder against the cold breeze.

'The brandy is almost gone William. What do you want to drink?'� Said another smaller man that draped himself in a black woven sweater and baggy jeans.

'Give me whatever is left Charles. I don't care anymore and I can't taste anything now anyways. The brandy and whiskey have done their work well and now the only thing I taste is my own bitter tears.'� Said William, taking off his jacket and laying it across the back of another chair.

'So tell me what you did and why you did it'� where is Charlotte and why did she leave? Was it another offense on your part? Di'�'� He began to say, but was quickly interrupted by the angry screaming of William.

'You know nothing about this Charles and you would do well not to shower any thoughts into my actions because we both know that it was nothing more than a kiss and that Charlotte would never have understood why I did it. She never did understand me and still now in this room I can feel her disapproval. I can feel her looking at me and showing me that she hates everything I do and everything that I would do and everything that I could have done. She never understood why I was no longer a man who could be with her and she never will have the chance to learn now.'�

'So are you saying that she never knew about the night with Jamie? That she only thought you cheated and she never asked you or trusted you.'�

'I know she loved me for the man I used to be and for the man I could still be, but she wasn't willing to let me do anything to hurt her or to dishonor her. That was always something I could count on and I neither blamed her nor resented her for it.'�

'So what happened with her and why is she gone?'�

'She left me because I started drinking again and because I went back to how I was. The old man in a shell of a young man that spent his midnight hours sipping down the devil's blood by moonlight on the terrace.'�

'Tell me why William. Tell me that you hit her or yelled at her or mistreated her. Tell me something besides her leaving you for sins of the past or a broken life that you could not seem to repair without the mortar of an alcoholic stupor.'�

'I never could have hit her or yelled at her. It was the one thing I never did wrong and I still think she respects me for it. I never could have laid a hand on her because I knew if I ever did then I would be the man I always hated. I knew that if I yelled at her'� then the man yelling would not be me'� It would be my father yelling at my mother. All the nights that he came home angry or happy or tired were irrelevant. He could have just won the world and he still would have hit her and screamed that she was nothing. Told her that his happiness was her fault or that his anger was only because of her.'�

Charles handed William the large glass of bourbon and sat across from him on the old crushed purple velvet couch with a half empty bottle of wine. William once again drank deeply and shuddered as the warmth started to return to his hands. Several cigarettes lay half smoked in the ashtray and another one slowly started to smolder out in the cold air. The moon caressed the old building in it's arms; gently rocking it in the night and cutting through the windows with shards of light through all of the stained and dirty windows. Songs began to emerge in the wind that jutted through the windows and the alley outside. The only sound that broke the silence was the sobbing of William as he finished the glass in one swift draught.

'When I last saw her, she had on a blue dress that she never had worn before and I had never seen. I barely recognized her, but she was beautiful and perfect in every way as I remember. The sun held her close to itself mimicking a perfect foundation of love and hope as it had always been. She looked happy again. God I don't remember the last time I saw her and she was happy. This sparkle of electricity in her eyes and the way she moved.'�

'William'� What are you going to do now that's she's gone?'�

'I supposed that I'll return to work on Monday and pretend that we made the choice together. I can't miss another week of work or the firm will surely fire me for absenteeism. I think it's been over a month since I've been in and I get calls everyday asking about my condition. They actually think I'm sick with some dreaded disease and that when I return they can all have hugs and handshakes and everything will go back to how it was; back to the beginning that we have so modestly forgotten. Can you believe that they think a few weeks time is going to cure me of this Charles?'�

'Tell me the tale. Tell me everything about her and what your life was like for the last 5 years. I want to know William.'�

A smooth breeze crumbled across the terrace and swept away all of the dust and leaves that settled on the building. Sparkling sunlight echoed off the wine glasses set so perfectly on the white linen tablecloths. A small escape of nirvana and bliss on the top of an old apartment settled in the middle of the city. The rows of houses showed signs of wearing thin and the bustle of the city below provided a perfect sound of harmony with the wind and the buzz of conversation in the café. Though not many knew of it, the café had a lot of business due to its small size and style. Serving everything from a morning cup of tea and a full English breakfast to a buttered croissant and coffee or cheesecake and a glass of champagne.

Charlotte was rushing around on the rooftop and even though she moved with speed and precision, there was a grace and balance to her casually fast walk. William had found this place by accident when he came to the roof to drink a bottle of wine alone and saw Charlotte cleaning off some tables for the night. He stumbled for words at first when she had told him the café was closed, but knew he loved her from the moment he saw her eyes. They remained small galaxies of purity and emotion which reflected her mood with casual disregard for everything around and showed the least bit of sadness or hurt.

William opened the bottle of wine and sat at one of the unclean tables since he wasn't actually dining here and Charlotte took no notice of him at all. He opened the bottle and threw the cork over the roof. A resounding yell from a pedestrian below told him that he had made his mark and made it well. The yell had also attracted the attention of Charlotte who came out to see what was going on. She saw William at the far table and walked to tell him the café was closed, but realized he was drinking a bottle of wine that was not from their selection.

'Hello there. Can I help you with something?'�

William looked up with empty eyes and took another swig of his wine before replying with 'No miss. I'm just up here for the scenery and to be alone.'�

'Funny thing that. Usually people go to bars to get drunk and forget themselves and their thoughts. The café is closed, but can I offer you a glass for your wine?'�

'No thank you'� he said taking another giant swig. 'I came to be alone, but I would like if you joined me.'�

'I'm afraid I don't consort with men who casually stroll onto rooftops to drink alone. Besides I have to finish cleaning up and you just happen to be in the way.'�

'Well if you feel like joining me then I'll be on the other side of the roof by the water tanks.'� He mumbled as he walked off into the distance.

What beauty and elegance she had even in the uniform of a white blouse and jeans. The faerie of the night that spent her evenings cleaning up on the rooftop that nearly no one knew about. How many people passed this building and didn't know her or what was here? He broke the trance of thought by draining the bottle to nearly half full and setting it on the ledge beneath the water container which seemed to hover above him. The night sky was solid black with no moon and no stars were shining on the velvet curtain above him.

'Is that drink still being offered?'� Said Charlotte as she slowly crept up on William from behind.

William, shocked and almost losing his footing on the roof said quickly, 'You know it really is bad manners to sneak up behind someone when they are on a rooftop. They might fall and break their bloody necks, but I'm sure it would be a good death if they saw you before they died. Yes, I suppose the drink offer is still on the table, but I didn't bring any glasses, so if you don't mind drinking out of the bottle... I guess'�um. I'm sorry but I'm not very good with people which is probably why I'm drinking alone.'�

'I don't mind drinking out of the bottle,'� she said taking a small swig to test the flavors, 'but then again I usually don't use a glass either. What's your name or should I just make one up for you?'�

'I'm William. I live on the 2nd floor and move in about a week ago. It's just sort of lonely here I guess so I thought I would spend the evening looking at the stars. What's your name?'� he casually replied, taking back the bottle of wine and drinking deeply.

'I'm Charlotte and I work for the café here, but I figure you would have guessed that by now. So why so lonely William from the 2nd floor?'�

'Well Charlotte from the café. I thought you didn't consort with strange men on rooftops?'�

'I'm breaking the rules. Sometimes it's good to break rules and see what happens. You didn't answer my question by the way. Why are you so lonely?'� She grabbed the bottle back and took a long swirl of it in her mouth.


TBC ...

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