Endurance (2 page)

Anna finished
work at 6:30 p.m.; Tom was waiting outside to meet her. She ran to
him, jumped into his arms, wrapped herself around him, and caused
him to stumble in her happiness to see him. She laughed happily as
he leaned down to kiss her deeply. ‘Hello Tommy, did you miss me?’
Anna laughed aloud as she waited for the answer.

‘
Of course I
did,’ Tom kissed her again, and set her down.

They reached
Anna’s flat, located in a green area. The building itself looked
grubby, but the street was clean with few neighbours. To the
building’s left was a small grassy area that was fenced off to
protect the flowers and trees.

They walked
to the front entrance and stood under the porch. They hugged each
other and Tom kissed her.

‘
What are you
up to tonight, then, missy?’

‘
Well, Mel
and Lucy are coming round to gossip and eat chocolate.’

‘
Cool, well
you better get inside and get ready. See you tomorrow.’ Tom smiled
and kissed Anna. ‘Bye, I love you.’

Anna smiled,
‘I love you, too.’

Tom watched
Anna walk inside and then watched her through the window as she
walked upstairs.

Anna walked
into her flat and threw her keys on the kitchen table. She dragged
her feet as she stumbled to her sofa, tired after a long day at
work.

Tom returned
home to see Stewart, who lay sprawled out on the sofa, asleep, with
the TV still on. Tom laughed as he walked upstairs to prepare for
his date with Anna.

Tom lay on
his bed and wondered what Anna’s answer would be.

4

The next day
was Tom and Anna’s five-year anniversary. Tom arrived for his date
with Anna early and was sent to wait for her in the sitting room.
He had dressed carefully for this night in a black blazer, white
shirt, black tie and shoes. He even took the time to gel his hair;
it was all spiked up unevenly.

Wandering
toward Anna’s window, Tom reached into his blazer pocket and pulled
out a small maroon box. He opened the box to look at the engagement
ring as it glinted from the street lamp outside. Tom moved the ring
from side to side, using his thumb and index finger. The diamond
shone brightly and changed colour. He imagined himself kneeling
down in front of Anna and placing it on her finger.

His thoughts
were interrupted when he heard a door creak. Tom quickly snapped
the box closed and slipped it back into his pocket; he turned to
see Anna emerging from her room. She sauntered across her living
room wearing a long purple silk dress with matching purple
high-heeled shoes. Her hair was in a sexy French twist with a
couple of strands left artfully dangling in front. Tom’s chest
constricted painfully at her beauty.

‘
What do you
think?’

Tom stared at
Anna, smiling. For a moment, he was completely unable to speak. At
last, when he’d gathered his wits about him again, he uttered, ‘You
look fantastic.’

Anna smiled;
her cheeks turning slightly red. She picked up her bag to leave.
Tom charged to the front door and opened it for her.

They arrived
at Leicester Square and Anna asked ‘So where are we going tonight?
What’s the plan?’

‘
Well, I
booked us a table at The Savoy,
and after,
we’ll go to the cinema to watch that film you wanted to
see.’

‘
Wow. You
know how to make a lady feel special on her anniversary, don’t you?
And I plan to show my appreciation by eating what’s on my plate,
for once, because I’m starving.’

As they
walked side by side, Tom placed his hands in his trouser pockets;
Anna put her left arm through the gap created between Tom’s rib
cage and his arm. She snuggled next to him as they walked along the
sidewalk toward the restaurant.

They arrived
at the Savoy; Tom held the door for Anna. She walked into the
restaurant, followed by Tom. People’s heads turned to stare at her;
the men eyed her up and down, as did the women.

They were
escorted to their table, romantically set with crystal and roses in
a side vase. There were candles surrounding it and a note to Anna
that read:

“To Anna. I
love you so much and the last five years have been amazing. I would
love to be with you for the rest of my life. Hope you enjoy
tonight. Love Tom

Anna smiled
while reading the note and blushed slightly. ‘I can’t believe this
Tom. It’s amazing, thank you so much.’

‘
You are so
very welcome, darling. Hopefully, it’ll be a great night for the
both of us.’

‘
I’m sure it
will.’ She leaned across the small table and kissed him on the
cheek.

They ordered
their meal and drank champagne while they waited.

‘
So, how’s
this for you, Princess?’

‘
Oh, Tom,
It’s amazing, thank you so much. I really love you.’

‘
I love you
too.’ Tom took a sip of his champagne, holding the taste in his
mouth, the bubbles began to swell; he swallowed. He felt the
slightly acidic taste slide languidly down his throat.

Tom thought
of the ring and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. ‘It’s quite
hot in here, isn’t it, darling?’ Tom said.

‘
Oh, is it? I
haven’t really noticed. Get that drink down you, you might feel
better then.’ Anna giggled as she took another sip from her glass.
Tom picked up his champagne glass and finished it in one big gulp.
As he swallowed, his throat felt fully stretched as the liquid
travelled down. Reaching across the table and gripping the bottle
of champagne, he began pouring another glass for himself. He looked
to Anna, ‘Want a top up?’

Anna shyly
looked at him, then the bottle, ‘No, thank you.’

They finished
their appetizers, and were served their main courses. Tom quickly
gulped it down. He felt clammy; his palms were soaked, and he began
to fidget in his chair. As Anna struggled to finish her main
course, Tom decided that he needed to go to the
restroom.

‘
Darling,
I’ll be back in a second.’

Anna looked
up at Tom with her mouth filled with lamb and potato and nodded.
Tom turned and walked towards the restrooms.

He stumbled
into a cubicle, pulled the toilet lid down and sat down. He pulled
out the box and began to question his decision.

Should I
propose now or later? Should I have proposed earlier? Should I
propose at all?
After all, she might say
no.

Beginning to
panic, Tom worked himself into even more of a sweat. His chest
tightened and he struggled to breathe. He unbuttoned another button
on his shirt, trying to get some air. He put the ring box back into
his blazer pocket.

Tom flushed
the toilet and tried to escape the cubicle with his shaking hands.
He tried to steady himself and open the door.

Walking
toward the sink, he buttoned his shirt. As he breathed slowly,
trying to catch his breath, he splashed water on his face and
watched the water trickle down his reflection in the mirror. He
continued to watch the water moving down his face in uneven lines.
His thoughts were interrupted as someone burst into the bathroom.
The door smashed against the wall; Tom snapped violently out of his
reverie. He walked to the hand drier, dabbed his face with a
tissue, and left the bathroom to return to the table.

He decided to
wait for a better moment to propose. They left the restaurant at 10
p.m. and made their way to the cinema. They got their tickets and
went in to watch the film. Anna rested her head on Tom’s shoulder
while they watched the film and they held hands
throughout.

Two hours
later, the film ended and they began walking home. The streets were
surprisingly empty.

Is this time
to propose?
Tom wondered.

Tom started
shaking and felt butterflies in his stomach. A bead of sweat
trickled down his back as he reached into his left pocket. He held
the box within his pocket for a moment; then released it. He
breathed easily until the next corner, another corner closer to
Anna’s flat.

I can’t wait
too long to do this. Otherwise, I won’t be able to do it tonight
and I may not get another perfect time.

He reached
into his pocket again and grabbed the finely crafted maroon box.
Stroking the box with his thumb and index finger, he brought it out
of his pocket and introduced it into the night. He stepped in front
of Anna.

‘
Anna, He
knelt as he said her name in the middle of the quiet
road.

Her eyes
began to fill with tears, they glistened in the darkness; the
street lamp’s light outlined her fine physique and purple
dress.

‘
Will you,
Miss Anna…’ Tom was interrupted when suddenly, the street lamps
flickered. He reached out and gripped Anna’s hand while still on
his knees. The street lamps continued to flicker until they all
went dark. The sound of tyres gripped firmly to the road approached
their position. By each second, the sound became clearer and
louder. An enormous “THUMP” broke the air around Tom and wind
washed brutally across his face as Anna’s hand was snatched away
from him. A padded sound followed, as if a sack of potatoes was
dropped from a great height.

A car passed,
so a brief light was generated. Tom stood in dread, calling for
Anna. He lifted his hands and felt around in the darkness until
there was enough light from the passing car to find Anna.
Squinting, he focused on a purple blur lying on the
ground.

Tom rushed
over and, to his terror, discovered it was Anna. She was facing the
ground but her body looked strange, her beauty seemed somehow
twisted, deformed. Her hips were facing to her left, while her head
faced the ground and her arms and legs seem were completely
shattered, with fragments of bone peeking through her once lovely
skin.

He clutched
her to his chest. As he lifted her head to his face, he saw that
her eyes were open.

‘
Oh my god
Anna, talk to me.’

As her mouth
opened, blood poured down her chin. Tom searched for a pulse but
couldn’t find one. He stared at her lifeless body in disbelief as
he held her in his arms, crying.

He looked
into her dead eyes, noticing they were now devoid of their usually
vibrant colour. He stroked her soft cheeks and her dry lips with
his finger tips. Some of the street lamps flickered back on, but
the buildings remained dark as Tom sobbed and clutched Anna tightly
in his arms. Residents came out of their homes to bear witness to
the dramatic events outside.

A middle-aged
man walked quietly towards Tom; he began to drag him away from
Anna’s body. There was a struggle as Tom tried to outmuscle the man
and return to Anna’s body. Screaming, Tom collapsed on the pavement
and slumped onto his stomach.

Disoriented
and bewildered, he stared at Anna and flashbacked over their five
years together. The trauma painfully sunk in as he remembered her
smile, her laugh, her physique, her walk, and her beautiful
eyes.

Tom tried his
best to come to his senses when he heard a loud explosion; it was
so severe it shook the very ground he was lying upon. Tom sat up
and stared ahead trying to figure out what was happening. Something
hit his back and pummeled his head, hard, and he lost
consciousness.

5

Tom awoke to
silence, staring at the concrete. The smell of smoke lingered and a
cooling breeze stroked his skin.

Momentarily,
he forgot about all that had happened; then his memory began to
return in small increments.

First, he
felt panic about the proposal, he remembered going to the
restaurant, then to the cinema, and finally, he remembered his
proposal... He remembered holding Anna’s miss-constructed body in
his arms and looking into her sightless eyes. As he attempted to
stand, he couldn’t, something was holding him down. He raised his
head to dislodge the rubble that had fallen upon him. He got to his
knees but was completely disoriented; Anna’s body had disappeared
and there was no one in sight. Bricks, concrete and rubble covered
the street around him.

Frightened,
he ran, but tripped. As he landed, he felt a sharp, piercing pain
in his leg. He looked down and saw a metal rod poking through his
lower thigh. The rod was covered in blood and parts of his skin
clung to the metal. Tom screamed in pain. Shaking with adrenalin,
he reached slowly toward the rod with his left hand; he gripped it,
trembling, he began to tug. The pain was too severe. He tried to
snap the rod to make it shorter in his leg, but it was too thick.
He gave up, and left the metal sticking in his leg, yet another
disaster in a day filled with disasters.

Buildings
that once stood proud have been obliterated. Most were family homes
- young couples with small children. Some buildings were missing
the roofs or half the house was now simply nonexistent.