Her heart pounded as Catherine reached that conclusion…not only with anticipation but also with horror. How many times had she and Tom been petting in the apartment and not known that Vincent might have been watching from the balcony? Embarrassed Catherine had to know, and she had to know that instant and ignoring the hour she slipped out of her gown and donned jeans, sweatshirt and denim jacket and sneakers and with a flashlight in hand she snatched up her door and car keys and headed out of the apartment. It had been a long time since she had visited the tunnels and now might not be the right time, but tomorrow she had work and all week, and next weekend seemed too far away. Thus heart in mouth Catherine made the uneasy journey to the parking lot beneath her apartment building and just as she was about to insert the key into the lock she screamed when a voice sounded behind her, “Catherine?” Turning ready to strike even at someone that knew her by name, Catherine did a double take at the hooded figure that stood there and just as her mouth opened to scream again, the figure dropped the hood revealing his person.

“Vincent!” The relief came away in a rush leaving Catherine feeling physically weak.

“Forgive me for startling you.” Vincent told her apologetically. “But when I saw who it was I just had to stop you before you drove away.”

“I was coming to see you.” Catherine told him as she re-locked her car and placed the keys into a jeans pocket.

“You were!” Vincent asked incredulous.

“Yes, thank you for the book Vincent.”

“You’re welcome, Catherine.” An awkward silence followed when neither could find anything to say until Catherine remembered with acute embarrassment what she had been intent on finding out had she managed to get to the tunnels.

“What is it,” Vincent asked surprising her with further words of, “Your heart is troubled.”

“How do you know that?” Brows drawn together Catherine challenged him to tell.

Sensing this was not the time to reveal the connection he had with her, Vincent shrugged, “It is a gift.”

“Its disconcerting!” Catherine flared causing Vincent to apologise, “Sorry.”

“No matter, Vincent just tell me, have you ever been to my apartment balcony before tonight?”

“No.”

“And how did you know where I lived?”

“Someone must have mentioned it.” Vincent didn’t like to lie but knew this wasn’t the time for telling the truth.

Again another pregnant pause had them looking at one another not knowing what to say next until finally Catherine moved toward the doors that would take her back to the elevator and ultimately her apartment. “As I say thank you for the book.” She told Vincent as she moved away from him, he didn’t appear to have anything else to say and neither was she interested to know anything. Her mind had been made up this evening before her date with Tom, and she wasn’t about to let anything prevent her from moving on with her life.

Knowing her heart Vincent let her go. What could he say to hinder her? He knew what he wanted to say, but she would never accept such a thing from him, and so the words ‘I love you’ were held very much deep within his heart, maybe he would never utter them, but Vincent knew that for the rest of his life he would love no other the way he loved Catherine.

As she reached the doors, Catherine hesitated, she could feel him watching her and she found it faintly amusing and a little disturbing he seemed to want to say something to her, and since he had climbed eighteen floors to see her it had to have been important. Catherine hesitated, turned round and walked back, “That was no mean feat you accomplished there Vincent climbing to my balcony. Was there something else you wanted other than to leave the book?”

Now was the time to tell her…not of his love…but anything else. Something that would suffice to hinder her, something he might find that would bring her back into his life…but on the spur of the moment and tongue tied as he was, Vincent could think of nothing, and so he shook his head and noticed that by so doing, Catherine seemed almost disappointed and he blurted the first thing that came to mind, “Are you well?” He chided himself on his stupidity, Catherine looked beautiful and it was obvious that she was healthy and well.

“Yes, I am, and you?” It was small talk but it was talk, and Vincent smiled, “I am well also.” Next Catherine assumed they would start talking about the weather, except…she suddenly remembered that Vincent would not know whether it had been a sunny day or not. Vincent detected the amusement in her heart and wondered if she might be laughing at him and flustered he sought for something else to say, something intellectual something with which she would have to stay and answer in detail.

“I have some news.” Catherine told him suddenly, “I realise that Tom is no one you know, but tonight he proposed to me.” Catherine told him excitedly.

“Tom?” Vincent could hardly speak the name and what he did manage came out flat and toneless.

“Yes, Tom. We’ve been seeing one another and Daddy approves of him, I think he sees him as someone to take over the reins of his company when he retires.” Catherine laughed and didn’t notice that Vincent didn’t laugh with her. “You’d like Tom, I think, he’s a decent man.”

“Do you love him?”

What a question! Catherine stared at Vincent, and the way he had asked, it was almost as if he already knew the answer. Catherine tried to laugh but it was off balance, “Of course I do!” Vincent knew that she lied and being the soul that he was told her truthfully, “One can only build a relationship from a firm foundation. Those that are built upon sand are soon washed away by the tide. Catherine if you do not love this man, your marriage will be heading for disaster.”

“I told you that I loved him!”

“I know what you told me.” Vincent’s eyes challenged her to tell him that she loved Tom again. She couldn’t. Catherine looked away mumbling as if she owed Vincent anything, “Well at least he is good to me.”

“Its not enough.”

“And you’d know what is, I suppose!” Catherine flared with tears pricking at the backs of her eyes. Why did Vincent always manage to make her face facts? How was it he could see to the heart of her?

“As it happens…” Vincent told her softly, “Yes I do.”

“But I have a feeling you aren’t going to enlighten me. Vincent think about this, I’m almost twenty, I’ve had my heart broken once already and Tom loves me…in time I will grow to love him too…and he is a good man…I would be silly not to accept his proposal.”

“And have you?”

“What?”

“Accepted his proposal.”

Catherine shook her head, “As it happens, no but only because Tom told me to think about it. He said I should go away and make sure it was what I wanted, and let him know a week from today, but Vincent I could have let him know tonight. I would be stupid not to accept.”

Vincent said nothing but Catherine could almost hear him saying that she would be stupid to accept.

“Then what am I to do?” Catherine wailed, “Come on ye who have all the answers.”

Catherine hadn’t expected to see Vincent smile, but he did, just then and strangely the sight of his smile lighting up the blue of his eyes had Catherine’s heart hammering ninety to the dozen. Surprised she looked away hoping that however he knew anything about her, he wouldn’t see it in her eyes.
“You’re young. Twenty is nothing. Some of the young women from our community have waited until their thirties for true love and have not forsaken finding it along the way with a lesser person. Those that have plunged headlong in passion or some other misguided notion have lived to regret their marriage vows, I wouldn’t want to see that happen to you Catherine.”

“I wouldn’t want it to happen to me either, but Vincent, you are forgetting something, not every girl wants to wait so long, and I for one want to be young enough to enjoy my children. My parents had me late in life and I was an only child. I have been lonely Vincent and then my mother died when I was only ten years old.”

Vincent knew this, and he also knew that he could not offer anything to Catherine. True he loved her, but with the person that he was could offer her nothing least of all children, even so he knew that this Tom fellow was not the man for her, and reluctantly he told her, “Someone will come, soon. I know it.” And strangely he did. He also knew that this person would no more appeal to him than Tom did, but he knew that with such a one Catherine would be happy.

“Who? Devin?” Catherine asked accusingly, “If you think I’ll ever trust him again, then you’re wrong.”

“No, not Devin. We have heard from him and he does not speak of returning anytime soon.”

“So much for a year then.” Catherine told him derisively.

Vincent said nothing he did not want to get into a debate about his brother right at that moment. “No, I don’t mean Devin, but believe me Catherine I know these things, as I say it’s a gift and there is someone for you, but its not Tom.”

“How can you say that, you don’t even know Tom?”

“I know that you don’t love him, what else is there to know?”

Catherine despaired of ever starting this conversation, and sighing deeply told Vincent, “Its late, I’ve work in the morning and I’m tired. Vincent if you wish to visit me again, do it here okay, you shouldn’t be climbing eighteen stories to my balcony, its dangerous.”

Vincent chuckled, “I ride the roof of the elevator did you seriously think I risked climbing eighteen floors?”

Smiling Catherine chuckled too, “Yes, I did, and I am relieved to know that you aren’t as stupid as…”

“I look?”

Catherine laughed out loud, “No, I was going to say as I thought. Now look what you’ve done, by butting in like that you’ll always be left to wonder now won’t you? Well serves you right.”

“I’ve missed you Catherine.” The words spoken simply and honestly almost brought tears to Catherine’s eyes. In that moment she too remembered the talks they had had, the carefree banter between good friends, and she told him sincerely, though only just realising the truth of it, “I’ve missed you too, Vincent.”

Then there was nothing more to say, they hesitated and gazed at one another and Catherine turned to walk back to the doors that lead to the elevator, when Vincent caught her arm, “So if I visit I can use the elevator?”

Catherine smiled a few moments ago that idea would have been totally out of the question, but suddenly Catherine made a snap decision, “Yes. Be Well Vincent.”

“Be Well, Catherine.”

Strangely Catherine made her way back to her apartment lighter of spirit than she had felt in a long time. Talking to Vincent had always left her so invigorated and she couldn’t believe how much she had missed it. She had even decided in a split second that Tom definitely wasn’t the man for her, and the reason Vincent could visit her balcony was because she intended never to be intimate with Tom ever again so Vincent would have nothing to disturb. And if Vincent believed that there was someone else out there for her, someone she would love, then he was probably right, for she had never known Vincent to be wrong before.

Reaching her apartment, Catherine slipped the key in the lock, walked in kicked off her shoes and without further ado went to the telephone and dialling Tom’s number told him as he picked it up, “Hello, Tom? It’s me Catherine. Sorry I can’t marry you, and I think its best if we don’t see one another anymore.” Then before a taken aback Tom could reply, Catherine replaced the receiver and leaning against the telephone table she released the biggest sigh she had never known she’d been holding as she realised that she felt the best she had felt in a long time. And downstairs in the parking lot standing where she had left him and knowing exactly how she felt, Vincent smiled with satisfaction before turning and heading back to his world beneath the city streets.

Walking through the tunnels leading to his home Vincent encountered no one as it was late, but he was surprised when passing his father’s chamber a flickering light signalled that his father was moving about the chamber and Vincent went to investigate.

“Father?” Vincent enquired seeing his parent wearing his long night robe with a woollen dressing gown over the top and belted at the waist. Thick woollen socks complimented the picture and Vincent smiled to himself imagining had his father worn a nightcap with a bobble on the end he would have stepped right out of a nursery rhyme.

“Oh hello Vincent.” Holding out the candle sitting on its holder Father peered more closely, “Are you wearing your cloak? I thought you were in bed.”

“No Father, I’ve been above.”

“Above? Walking the streets at this hour?”

“Not exactly, I went to visit Sam, and then as I was near by I went to see how Catherine was getting along.”

“Catherine? Catherine who?” Father tried to remember where he had heard the name before but Vincent reminded him before he remembered. “Catherine Chandler, you can’t have forgotten. The young girl that stayed here two years ago.”

“Oh the one that turned Devin’s world upside down, and yours too as I remember.” Father chuckled, “So is she well?”

“Yes Father.”

“Good.” Again Father started shuffling round his chamber as if looking for something he had lost.

“Is something the matter Father?”

“I lay a book down earlier today.” Vincent smiled the whole chamber was a library, “Which book?” He asked.

“It was about the Cahokia Indians.” Alarm bells sounded in Vincent’s head.

“Oh dear. I do believe that was the book I took to Catherine’s tonight.”

“You left it there?”

“Yes, I’m sorry I didn’t know you were reading it. Catherine was going through it the last time she was here and I found her book mark only yesterday and decided to take it to her to finish.”

“Oh that’s alright then. I have read it. I was just wondering what I had done with it. I was beginning to think that the book had disappeared just like the tribe. Had me going for a moment I can tell you.” Father peered spectacularly at his son over the rim of his glasses. “Are you certain that Catherine wanted to finish it?”

“Not exactly, but while she was here she couldn’t seem to put it down. I think she like us found it fascinating reading material. To imagine that once the Cahokia civilisation was once ranked the largest Indian nation in the history of its time and that all other tribes can trace their origin from the Cahokia.”

“Well I can understand her interest. Would you ask her to return the book as soon as she is done with it, Vincent? I know its been here a long time, but it only crossed my mind earlier that it would make a good study aid for the children that are learning about Mesoamerica.”

“I will. I wish I had known that you required it, forgive me I should have asked.”

Father’s eyes twinkled, “And pray what would you have taken her instead? A box of chocolates perhaps?”

“Am I so transparent?” Sighing Vincent made his way to the overlarge chair that he favoured on visits to Father’s chamber. He fitted it snugly and Father reaching for his cane walked across to the chair he called his own and sat down opposite his son. “I worry about you, Vincent. I had hoped that you were successfully putting your feelings for Catherine behind you.”

“Maybe I could but for this connection that we share. Father it never subsides, I know what she is feeling I know when she is happy, sad, or anxious. I can’t understand why I should be connected to someone that I hardly know, and certainly not to someone so beautiful that would never look twice at someone like me, especially knowing as I do that she will one day meet someone that she will fall in love with.” Vincent sighed, “Why should I be so tormented with something that can never be, Father and still know that even with the slightest of hope she is destined to meet the man of her dreams.”

“And could that man not be you?”

Sadly Vincent shook his head. “I have dreams. Whomsoever he is, is good looking and wealthy and Catherine will fall head over heels in love with him and he will love her forever. What am I to Catherine, Father some sort of guardian angel? I love her yet I can never tell her so for what good would it do?” Father’s heart ached. It had been bad enough with Lisa, but Vincent had moved on, grown up, he now knew the difference between infatuation and true love, and he had loved Catherine a long time already. Obviously absence had made the heart grow fonder.

“I don’t know what to say except…”

“Don’t tell me not to see her, Father!”

“I wasn’t going to do. As if you would listen to me if I did. Every book we have read down here fact fiction fantasy they all have a certain relative ending, and life is much the same, Vincent. We can only move through the chapters of life closing them behind us as we reach forward toward new ideals and the next stage of our lives and until we have moved through those certain stages we cannot remain stagnant like a half finished book, for we are always on the move through the stream of time. Therefore what I am trying to say in my clumsy way is that perhaps you should get to know Catherine better, invite her to stay with us, allow her to understand the person that you are. The best of friends form the best foundations for a long and lasting relationship Vincent, even ones that do not move toward intimacy. Perhaps you are connected to Catherine because you are to guide her throughout her life. Perhaps her mother works through you have you ever thought of that? You are such a spiritual person Vincent, that could be a possibility, and the love that you feel for her is that of a mother’s love passing through.”

Had Father’s words had intended to make Vincent feel better the last few had made him feel terrible. He didn’t want to be a vessel through which a spirit could communicate with a loved one. The love that he felt inside for Catherine was his, he was certain of it. It was his love for Catherine, his dreams hopes and ambitions for a life with her despite how impossible that seemed and Vincent held on to that belief for all he was worth.

By his silence Father watched his son over the rim of his glasses wondering what he was thinking. Vincent was always deep, deeper than the three rivers near where the Cahokia lived. The Mississippi, the Missouri and the Illinois, the area that geologists referred to as the American Bottom. Well right at that moment Father could not see to the bottom of his son’s emotions but he knew that they run deep if that sombre pondering expression was anything to go by and a well timed yawn smothered by a hand was all father could think of to signal to his son that it was long past time that the two of them got some sleep.

“I’m sorry Father, I’m keeping you up.”

“Not at all.” Father protested, feeling guilty and especially as since he had feigned a yawn they were now coming thick and fast of their own accord. Of all the things in the world one could catch a yawn was definitely the easiest and Vincent succumbed. A hand to his mouth Vincent revealed large fangs and shiny white teeth reminiscent to that of a lion as he tried to hide a yawn and with a grin admitted defeat. “Well I need to sleep even if you do not.” Vincent told his father, and standing he went round to where his parent was sitting and kissed his brow. “Goodnight Father.”

“Goodnight Vincent, pleasant dreams.” Both of them knew that with Catherine in mind Vincent dreams would be pleasant, but Father wondered how his son might cope with them. He hoped for Vincent’s sake that something might come of the friendship, his son deserved to be happy, but then remembering how beautiful the young woman was… Father sighed, if wishes made dreams come true…well he wouldn’t know where to start first.

To be continued in Chapter Two.