She walked right into his life and he knew right away he would give in to her. One look at her, four words spoken in her raspy voice and her hand lightly cascading down his left arm…

David was walking along Broadway in New York City one Spring Day when he decided to walk up to Bryant Park. He was in a rut at work, his wife seemed to have forgotten they were married and his kids were all busy being kids. He was in one of his mild depression stages and was feeling overwhelmed with money issues, self-worth and felt as if he had become invisible to the world.

As he crossed 41st Street he saw the park to the right of him, walked to the corner of 42nd street and bought a cup of coffee.

“Pass the milk, please?” When he heard her voice he looked up at her. She was wearing a baseball cap, long hair flowing on her shoulders, dark sunglasses on and a faded short jean jacket over a cropped knit shirt.
“Do you want soy milk, whole milk, 1%, 2%, organic, lactose free-”
“You are funny. I’ll take the 2%.”
“Good choice!”
“I am glad you approve.” She said with a smile. His stomach was feeling the excitement of a new event, a major happening…something had moved and the world was now out of whack somehow. She had a slight British accent and a soft rasp.
“Hey why don’t you sit and join me by the fountain?” The words came out of his mouth by some divine intervention.
“I am meeting someone, she should be here any minute.” He felt embarrassed.
“OK no problem, nice to meet you.” David walked away but was called back.
“Hey, why don’t you sit with me here by the tree, there are no seats but, ya know you can keep me company whilst we wait.”
“OK that sounds good to me. As long as you keep on speaking – i love your ‘Brooklyn’ accent.” He said with a smile.
“Very funny, you are a regular comedian you should be on the tele.” They laughed.
As they spoke the clouds began to form above them but they did not take notice. All he could concentrate on and he took it in as if he were tasting a million dollar bottle of wine, was her voice. Her voice the way her eyes would come alive when she laughed.

Her name was, fantastically, Sabrina. She was a 28 year old native of London but most recently was living in Croydon, South of London. She grew up in Hampstead into a very wealthy family. Her father was a cardiovascular surgeon and her mother a Child Psychologist. Sabrina had moved to Croydon upon her graduation from university and had been teaching in the Croydon College for three years when the opportunity to work in New York City was brought to her. Although Sabrina was close to her 3 sisters and her 2 brothers. She jumped at the opportunity. She was teaching advanced English at the British International School of New York and was living in a studio apartment on First Avenue walking distance to the school. This was her first year in New York and she had fallen in love with the city’s 24 hour madness. New York felt like London to her, without the doom and gloom attitude of the Motherland. No stiff upper lips or nasty looks here, instead there was the honest “Fuck you lady” when she would be confronted with someone who wasn’t thrilled with her. 

David was entranced by her to say the least. She was curious about David and began to ask questions.

“Are you married?”
“Yes I am and I have 3 kids. You?”
“No,” She let out a soft laugh. “I am only 28 years old I have some time to go before I turn into an old mum and such.”
“I understand what you mean.”
“So what are you doing flirting with me? Is it my undeniable beauty?”
“Yes and that voice…Sorry. Ha, yeah well, I am not flirting, am I?”
“You like my accent? How about if I speak like this,” She continued in a poor but adorable New York accent, “How you doing? You are married and your checking out this younger chick?”
I laughed and she smiled as she watched me and then said, “You are a sad man, have you found your life bergied?”
“I am a sad man? I was laughing.”
“Yes but in your laugh I can sense a twinge of sadness. I am able to read people and despite your broad shoulders and your messy hair – you seem kind of weakened, clobbered?”
“Just a little but I am still…messy hair?”
“Curly as if you keeping it messy to avoid the eventual receding. The infamous Madame M, or W, depends on how you look at it. Don’t you think?”
“The infamous Madame – what does that mean?” He said playfully upset.

“The ‘M’ at the top of your forehead.” She ran her finger right by the border where the hair met his forehead. “You see, ‘M.'”

It was obvious after another 20 minutes of back and forth that they were comfortable with each other. Dangerously comfortable because when there is a married man and a single woman, a friendship can never be a simple scenario for either of them.

They exchanged cell phone numbers and then unexpectantly she went to give him a hug goodbye. Their lips met and they both froze for several seconds, lip on lip, until they both gave way.
“I am sorry, I didn’t-” He said, but she cut him off.
“Don’t be, I did.” She smiled.

He got the nerve to text her later that night.

David: “Hey, this is David from Bryant Park?”
Sabrina: “Hi!”
David: “Is it too late?”
Sabrina: “For what? Lol.”
David: “I really was very happy to meet u 2day.”
Sabrina: “I hope you still are. :)”
David: “I am, I would love to see u again.”
Sabrina: “R u sure that is smart?”
David: “No but I am tired of being smart.”
She didn’t respond for what seemed like hours – in actual time it was only around 10 minutes.
Sabrina: “Hey, sorry, I am back.”
David: “I thought I scared u off.”
Sabrina: “I don’t scare that easily, old man.”
David: “Ok, young lady – you better hold on tight then.”
Sabrina: “Tomorrow at 4 O’clock same place”
David: “OK I will text u when I get there.”

 

They met the next day, they had several drinks at the Bryant Park bar and then found their way back to her apartment. This went on for several weeks until he realized that all he was doing was setting up his life for a major crash.

“Sabrina, I am incredibly attracted to you…you have woke up parts of me that I thought were lost.”
“David…”
“Yes?”
“Don’t do this.”
“It’s because I do care about you that I am doing this. I have the home, the wife and the kids. You have yet to even begin to live. I do not want more children…”
“David.”
“Yes?”
“I agree with you. How stupid we are…” A tear fell from her left eye and his arms rushed around her and he felt a sense of displacement or the way I lost child must feel…
“OK, please take care of yourself, stay away from people like me.”
“Of course no more married balding men for me.” They laughed.
“No more sexy voiced beautiful women for me…” Silence.
“I decided that I am leaving New York.  and I am moving back home. I need my family…”
“When did you decide this?”
“Last week…”
And just like that that chapter in his life had ended. It was a month later that he called his brother to come home because their father was dying.