Rendezvous

It was a quarter past eight on a cool, fall evening and Del had still not shown up. Rita knew Del better than she knew herself, and if Del said he was going to meet her in the barn at 8:00pm, then Del would show up because he was a man of his word. Still, Rita was worried that Del had not yet snuck in quietly through the heavy barn door as he had done so often in the past. Rita looked forward to her weekly saucy trysts with Del, although they were starting to become daily rather than weekly.

From the first time Rita locked eyes with Del at the diner months ago, she knew this was no ordinary school girl crush. Del’s dark green eyes never left Rita’s gaze as he walked to the jukebox, put on All Shook Up, and asked for Rita’s hand for a dance. It only took days after their initial encounter before they kissed, and only a week afterwards before their passion for one another was so intense, there was nothing they could do to stop themselves from making love in the hayloft of Rita’s parents’ barn.

Rita also knew that their relationship was not just physical, but emotional as well. Rita never had to try with Del; their conversation flowed as naturally as a water flowing down a stream. Their connection was deep and limitless. Rita often thought that Del must be her soulmate, but she never uttered those words out loud.

She knew that their relationship was wrong, but she couldn’t stop herself from seeing Del. He was the missing piece to her soul that she could never fill, no matter what she had tired in the past. All of the countless activities she’d thrown herself into over the years didn’t do the trick. All those youth church meetings were dull as all get out. And all those other boys she’s courted in the past never made her feel whole like Del does. Rita knew that if her parents found out about their relationship, they’d move her to a different city to keep them apart.

Just thinking about Del, even for a second, made Rita’s heart flutter. She looked at her watch again and it read twenty-five past eight. Rita lightly paced around the barn while she tugged at the waistband of her poodle skirt which was starting to ride up. Rita grazed her fingertips softly along the railing of the loft, fondly remembering how often she grips it tightly while she and Del fool around. Tired of standing, Rita decided to sit down in they hay and relax. She knew in her gut that Del would be walk through those doors any minute now.

Just then, Rita heard a low creak of the door opening and her chest started to pound. From the cover of darkness, she peered over the edge of the loft with a plan to whisper, “Hey, stranger,” to alert him that she was beyond ready for him to scoop her up in his arms, but her heart stopped. Standing on the lower level of the barn was not Del, but an unknown man – a true stranger. He was as old as her father wearing a dark outfit and a baseball cap. Rita attempted to keep quiet as he crept deeper and deeper into the barn, closely inspecting his surroundings like he was looking for something.

Maybe he’s a drifter looking to take something. If I keep quiet, he’ll be gone soon, I’m sure. Rita thought.

“Rita?” the man whispered softly.

Rita clasped her own hand over her mouth to keep from audibly gasping. How does he know my name? Why is he here?

“Rita, it’s me, Danny. I know you’re in here,” the man continued as he began to look towards the loft. He moseyed towards the stairs with an air of comfortability and stopped just before the first step. He let out a big sigh, “I know you came here yesterday too. And almost every day for the past week. We don’t have to make this more difficult than it has to be, Rita, please.”

Rita used every ounce of her being to keep still and absolutely silent. She felt her hand sharply quiver against her mouth. This stranger means to kill me. Del, where are you? Save me, please! God, help me!

The man signed again, “Alright. I’m coming up.” He proceeded up the stairs and Rita scurried on her hands and knees to the furthest corner of the loft behind a bail of hay. She looked around for a weapon in her vicinity but there was nothing of the sort. The man immediately turned towards the corner where Rita was hiding and waited, again, with his arms crossed under his chest.

“Get out! Leave me be, you monster!” Rita screamed, “My boyfriend will be here any minute. LEAVE!” The intensity of her voice echoed in the barn.

The man knelt down and held out his hand. “Mom, it’s me, Danny. It’s late and you shouldn’t be out.”

“I’m not your mother, you sicko. Get out!” Tears began to roll down Rita’s cheeks.

“Yes, mom, I am your son. You haven’t been well lately and you’re having another episode. Your nurse called me and said you’d snuck out to the barn again,” Danny replied calmly.

“I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but Del will be here any minute. You’ll be sorry you even spoke to me.”

For the first time, Rita looked at the face of this stranger now that her eyes had adjusted to the darkness. He too had dark green eyes and a familiarity about him that she could not understand. Danny reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small photo.

“See?” Danny asked as he held out the photo in Rita’s view, “There’s us. You, dad, Jimmy and me. All together at Christmas a few years back.”

Rita didn’t want to take the picture, but there was something in her heart telling her she must. She looked at the picture and saw herself as an old woman. She had many wrinkles and a short grey coif. Next to her was an older version of Del, as handsome as ever but also showing signs of great age. Old Rita and Old Del posed with two other men in front of her parents’ barn. Rita’s breathing began to slow, and flashes of her life danced in her mind.

“I… That’s not me. It can’t be. I’m only 17 and that woman… It can’t be.” She handed the photo back to Danny and caught a glimpse of her hand. It wasn’t a hand of a young lady, but a hand with sagging skin and age spots. A wedding ring was perched on her ring finger. Rita looked downwards at her body and saw a blue pajama dress, not her beautiful yellow poodle skirt. Her memories came a bit stronger now, but not quite at her beck and call. The tears came faster as Rita closed her eyes tightly trying to figure out what nightmare she was experiencing.

When Rita lifted her eyelids, her mind hit a wall. It was as if she woke up from a dream that completely escaped her. Where am I? She looked around and saw Danny standing directly in front of her. “Danny? Where am I? What’s going on?”

Danny outstretched his hand once more. “You’re in the old barn, Mom. It’s not safe to be in here so late. Can I take you back to your room?”

Still trying to grasp at a stolen memory, Rita took Danny’s hand. She tried to recall how she got to the barn, but couldn’t quite manage it. Danny pulled her up carefully and wrapped his arm around her, guiding Rita down the steps and towards the house. As she looked back at those heavy barn doors, her heart began to flutter at the thought of the love of her life, and how their sweet journey began. It was as salient in her mind as if it happened only yesterday.