It started with a phone call for Wes White to call Ann Metoxen to open his heart after reading as many books about love that would help him work past his fears. The bus ride to Colorado Springs was quiet and he looked at his watch to see it read 8:30pm. Memories flashed back of Annie when they first met as teenagers. He was 15 and she just turned 16 at a barn dance in Wisconsin. He remembered just how they met and it was magic.

       Wes sat in the chair and was busy drawing a heart with a sword stabbed into it. It was really cool it had flames springing from it and wings sprouting from it with fire on the bottom. He was almost finished shading it when a friend of the family interrupted him. “Hey Wes there’s someone who’s interested in what your drawing.” Wes looked and saw it was Linda and was directed to the girl who was interested. She sat across the room and was looking at him. Wes took his illustration and slid it back into his drawing book. He could feel the attention directed to him. She had blue eyes, a little bit heavy, and her hair was partially dyed red and raven black. There was something peculiar about her that remained mysterious that was kind of like a rock in a stream that had been smoothed out by the river. With a smooth surface that was so soft you could lay your head upon it like a pillow and fall asleep. The edges were sharp as a knife that if they were turned the wrong way  they could cut you to pieces. Wes ignored his small intuition and gathered his courage to visit. He walked over to her at the table and watched her look up at him. “Hi my name is Wes White.” “My name is Ann Metoxen,” she replied smiling. They continued to talk about their nationalities and the area of Wisconsin as well as the barn dance. She didn’t know anybody in the area and was from Hawaii. Wes learned very quickly that she was quite a bit taller than him. He looked up to her 5’10 face and realized she was a giant. She wasn’t he was only 5’7” and still growing. They parted ways after the party giving each other an address to write to each other.

            It was such a beautiful beginning for friendship that it made Wes wonder where it would lead. The bus ride continued on course and Wes gave yet another smile to the romantic urge of Ann when they would plan to be reunited as friends in Dodgeville Wisconsin. It was the summer of 1997 and he took a grey hound bus to visit her. He could still remember sitting in the bus station and seeing Linda and Ann walk in as if it was yesterday.

     Wes sat in his chair and waited which seemed to be an eternity.  Finally after ten minutes he saw Linda and Ann. Ann looked completely different. She lost a lot of weight and her hair was grown out past her shoulders. She kind of reminded him of Snow White because her skin was white as snow and her hair was black as night. Her blue eyes captivated such heart and made him curious as to her purpose in life. They each said hello and took a ride back to Linda’s house. Ann was quiet in the car, but Linda kept talking about plans that she had for Wes and Ann. One of the plans was to go to House on the Rock.  Wes sat in the back seat of the car and was looking at Ann’s long black hair. She had her nose  pierced on the right side and was wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans. She looked gorgeous

            Everyday there was something new to do together as friends. They walked up and down State Street by the capital. One of the memorable moments Wes had was the movie,”Species”. Wes put his hand on hers and caressed it. It was warm and soft and there little resistance to dispute. He was scared that she would slide her hand away from him, but she kept it on the arm of the chair and said nothing. It seemed that she liked it and touched his hand back a little bit. It was a lot of fun and Wes didn’t want it to end, but as all good things come and go. Nothing lasts forever. He found himself back at the bus stop and faced Ann to give her a hug. Giving Ann a hug was nice and he could hear her heart beat as he touched her back.

            Wes smiled with that happy flash back, but that was ten years ago and much has happened to his fried from Colorado Springs. He did some exploring on his own on in his path to romance and learned things the hard way. Ann got ahead of him and was going through her 2nd divorce and had two kids. She was happier with the world she created and was looking forward to seeing him. Wes couldn’t understand why he waited for so long to get together with her and realized that when ever he was single she was seeing someone and when ever she was single he was seeing someone. Something told him that there was something special about the two of them together.  He read in a love book that the best romance and sex comes from two people who have been friends for a long period of time.  That was the whole reason for him coming down to visit was because of his episode in Borders. The realization that Ann was his soul mate was certain. Was she his soul mate in a romantic sense?

            A song emerged in his mind from Amy Grant that best described his ordeal. It was a song called “I Will Remember You”. It made his heart beat faster as the line she sang our love is frozen in time entered such mind and made him wonder if the relationship and the thoughts he was having was one sided or was Ann thinking the same. Wes closed his eyes and began day dreaming his fantasy evening with Ann.

            Wes sat at the bus station and waited. Ann pull up in her Kia and smiled. Wes shot up as he grabbed his book bag and walked outside to meet her. She was wearing a plain shirt with jean jacket and blue jeans. Her black hair was shoulder length and she looked almost the same as she was ten years ago. Wes gave her a hug and after a few seconds they were both in the Kia. Ann turned on the radio as Wes turned around to see the baby chair in the back seat. “Where’s Seilah?” asked Wes. “Seilah at her aunts house for a couple days and Haden is being baby sat by my cousin Angie. “It’s been a long time,” replied Wes. Ann began smiling, “Yes it has,” she replied.

            They continued the drive past the Seven Eleven, McDonalds and Wal-Mart. They pulled into a frontage road to a group of apartments. She pulled into her parking spot, put it in park and turned the car off. “We’re here,” she replied as she turned to Wes. Wes looked around to see the lay out of the grass and trees as well as the bushes that held their place. “I like it. It’s a nice place,” he replied. “Except for the loud lady upstairs who likes to play her rap really loud so that my kids can’t get any sleep.” Wes didn’t say anything and they both got out of the car and walked inside her apartment. It was plain and lived in and Wes walked into the living room after taking off his shoes and sat on the couch. Ann sat on the chair and they looked at each other for a very long time and smiled.

            The days went on uneventful as each night Wes slept on the couch and Ann slept in her bed. Wes got to meet Haden before he left to be with his dad and Seilah played board games with Wes after school. While Ann went to work Wes walked around town exploring and walked into Borders to read. He enjoyed it, but he kept thinking about Ann and wondered what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. The very next day Wes and Ann spent the whole day together going on nature hikes, watching a movie and making stir fry at her apartment. Seilah was being watched by Angie.  Finally he couldn’t resist and when the food was near finished he touched her waist and touched the back of her neck with his lips. He could see a tattoo of a broken heart being stitched together and felt she needed healing from prior relationships with men. It didn’t stop there she turned around after putting the vegetables and rice in bowls. She looked into his eyes with hers and began kissing him. First on the lips, then on the neck and then she put her hands on his arms. Wes slowly and gently French kissed her and picked her up with his hands and set her on the counter near the cupboards. He then stopped and watched her smile at him. He smiled back as he touched her face with his hands. “I waited ten years for that.” “You could have kissed me when I was at Linda’s house.” “You were together with Caleb and I was scared that it wouldn’t be a good thing.” Ann took a deep breath and looked into his eyes and Wes could see she was thinking. “Aren’t you hungry? We got all this food you like to eat?” Wes began to smile and felt her hands on his back as he helped lowered her feet to the floor.  

            Each bite of the Stir Fry was delicious and well cooked. They sat across from each other at the table lit with a candle in the middle  and accidentally touched each others leg with their foot, while they were sitting. Wes looked into Ann’s eyes and could feel the weight of it dip into his chest. Wes pulled out a bottle of Brandy and two glasses. “I would like to propose a toast. To old friends that may never be forgotten.” Ann sipped her glass of brandy as Wes did the same. “I thought you said you don’t drink?” she asked. “I don’t unless it’s a special occasion.” After they were finished they both looked at each other and what would become of them. Ann couldn’t help, but smile for she had never experienced such a wonderful evening. Wes touched her ankle with his foot and she began to laugh. “Would you like to dance?” he asked. She nodded as he watched her get up to turn on her stereo. There was a couple songs playing that were too fast to slow dance too, but they didn’t care. They drew close to each other and destiny seemed to surface as Amy Grant’s song “I Will Remember You” surfaced on the radio and Wes’ eyes opened up surprised.

            Wes opened his eyes and realized he had been dreaming and the radio was on playing the same song in his dream by Amy Grant.  He looked out the window and saw that it was morning. He looked at his cell phone for the time and saw that it said 8:00 in about an hour the bus would be at the bus station.