Marko & Maria (PART 1)

As Marko was walking up the aged wood stairs to press the doorbell of his friends' house, he was thinking. What am I doing here? I should not be here. However, those thoughts left his head as fast as they enter it. He raised his tired arm, extended his finger, and pressed the old white doorbell.

"Come in," said a gentle voice from behind the door.

Marko opened the rusty screen door and positioned his hand on the doorknob. At that exact moment, he thought again. What am I doing here? I should not be here. However, other feelings got the best of him as he opened the pale green door. As he entered, Marko raised his head and saw the reason why he was there.

Sitting behind the computer screen, there she was, Maria. As Maria looked from behind her computer screen, with her piecing green eyes, she gazed at Marko with a look of pure animal lust. Maria was hoping that Marko did not see this passionate gaze, but what Maria did not realize was that Marko was giving the same look back. Marko and Maria's eyes meat for a second, the feeling, and passion has radiating through. Both had to turn their eyes away from each other very quickly since both of them started to blush.

"Hello," said Maria in a soft passionate tone, but her eyes where saying something completely different, they were telling the story of how the night would play out. First Marko would give her a sensual massage, second she would looking longingly into the equally passionate blue eyes and slowly go in for a very passionate kiss, third would evolve less clothing that either of them had on.

"Hello Maria. What have you been doing for the past three hours?" Marko asked while we were squatted down untying his shoes, not aware of the look that Maria was giving him.

Maria started to stand up and stroll from behind her computer desk while moving her hand to her face to do away with her glasses, since she knew that she would not need them on for long, and said, "Not much. I have been editing and re-editing a paper I have to write for school"

"Sounds like fun. What is the paper about?" Marko asked while standing back up and thinking. What am I doing here? I should not be here. Marko started to stroll towards Maria to give her a long overdue hug.

As Maria and Marko embraced, neither of them wanted to release each other. Marias' head has pressed up against Marko's chest; she was getting lost in the rhythm of Marko's heartbeat, while Marko placed his cheek on top of Maria's head. The embrace felt like it lasted for hours, but thirty seconds into the embraced that both wanted more than anything in the world, Maria's cell phone started ringing.

"You should answer that," Marko quietly said.

"I don't want to. I don't want to move yet." Maria said while squeezing Marko and burying her face into Marko's chest.

Marko lowered his lips to Maria's ear a whispered, "I know."

Maria withdrew her head form Marko's chest and turned to look directly into Marko's stunning blue eyes. As their eyes meet, Maria felt the blood rush to her face. She could not keep herself from looking at Marko's soft, kissable lips. Her heart started to pound faster and faster.

"You should answer your phone. It could be work calling you." Marko softly said to Maria.

"I don't care who is calling me. I am here with you. I don't want us to be interrupted. I know what you had to do to come over here." Maria said while release her grip in Marko.

(TO BE CONTINUED…………….)

The Tomb

The Tomb

The Maine Mall is dying. This once grand monument of commerce is starting to show cracks and voids in the once solid concrete foundation that it is standing on. The once lighthearted gazes on the consumers and mall employee faces have now turned into somber, mournful, blank stares. This once social runway of spending is now a quiet, tight-wallet tomb; even the upbeat music playing over the public announcement system cannot help the mood within the mall.

Employees that work within the tomb have turned from upbeat, lively, and productive workers into unproductive, money smelling vultures that stand guard in the entranceway like the statuesque guards at Buckingham Palace. When a customer passes through the threshold of the store, the statuesque employees swoop in from multiple angles like a bird of prey finding the best moment of weakness, so that they can dive in for the kill. By using many, conventional methods of attack, "Do you need any help?", "What can I help you find today?", and the coup de gras of all attack methods, "Have you checked out our clearance section?" This exposes the consumer with a brief moment of weakness. However, these methods are effortlessly deflected with the legendary, "Thank you, but I am only looking."

Amongst the statuesque employees, are vibrant, almost blinding clearance signs, "50% off," "75% off," and "Everything must go!" These signs are a relentless attack on the senses, with the neon yellow, radiant red, and dazzling orange colors that make you frantically hunt for your sunglasses or shelter your eyes with a free hand until you stagger away. Even though these signs are used to generate sales, the sheer fact that these signs are in the store's display widows act as an endless reminder that this place is as quiet as a tomb.

Once you have unveiled your eyes, you have to, cautiously be on guard from the next barrage. This onslaught comes from the fraternity that works within every one of the cell phone kiosks. These alpha-males with the suaveness of Casanova, or so they think, dress like the male fashion models that grace the pages of GQ while using influential, ear-candy words like "Honey," "Baby," and "Sugar" to draw in unsuspecting females. After the frat boys use every weapon within their arsenal: the boyish grin, the head tilt, the wink, and the rarely used, but highly affective, batting of the eyelashes. They attempt to move in for the effortless sale. The frat boy starts discussing roughly about what the phone is able to do for them while casually pointing out that the phone comes in pink, this last bit of knowledge is all that the unsuspecting female needs to know. She signs a new contract and passes her shiny pink credit card to the frat boy so that he can conclude the sale. As he hands the bag with her new pink phone, the frat boy continues to flirt with the woman that he just swindled out of her hard-earned money. She flirts for a minute, then goes on her way.

Overlooked, within the dark, assaulting confines of the tomb are two young, lively mothers pushing strollers talking like old friends that have not seen each other in decades. Their beaming bright smiles cut through the dreariness of the tomb like a lighthouse cutting through the thick, dense fog. The two young mothers are a small beacon of light, giving the tomb a small ray of hope.

(This was a English Comp II paper from 2009)