The Poem (standard:romance, 3521 words)
Author: Annmarie	Added: Feb 17 2004	Views/Reads: 3137/2078	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Kaye Campbell's poem travels 1400 miles and over 15 years to bring back her lost love.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

watchful of the developing friendship between Stephen and the young 
mother.  A few suggestions by Marion to the management of Whitney Foods 
resulted in Stephen's transfer from Kaye's checkout to the frozen food 
department.  Reluctantly, Stephen discarded his white apron for a 
freezer suit and a pair of gloves. 

Kaye had also felt the developing friendship between Stephen and
herself, and although their friendship had begun in innocence, Kaye 
gradually succumbed to the normalcy and attention that Stephen offered. 
  So Kaye routinely requested register number ten or eleven when she 
reported to work so she could view Stephen working in the frozen food 
aisle.  Furtive glances were all they could afford each other now, but 
it was over those long white refrigerated cases that their friendship 
warmed into romance. 

While the friendship between Kaye and Stephen prospered, Kaye's home
life deteriorated.  And as Scott's control over his own actions 
slipped, he fretfully increased his control over Kaye.  They owned one 
car, a second hand Buick LeSabre with a noisy muffler and squeaking 
brakes.  Scott drove the car to work in the evenings and returned in 
the morning so Kaye could drive Laura to day care.  Kaye would return 
the car to Scott in the evening. 

One morning, as Kaye paced from the living room window to the kitchen
clock, Laura sat quietly on the couch as if she anticipated the drama 
to come.  Scott was late getting home and Kaye watched the minutes tick 
by on the plastic clock knowing that the possibility of arriving to 
work on time was slipping away.  Exasperated, she called Whitney Foods 
to let them know that she was going to be late, and then she made the 
same phone call to Laura's day care.  When Scott did arrive, he was 
disheveled and rancid with the smell of a night's drinking.  “Where 
were you?” Kaye questioned as Laura sank deeper into the cushions of 
the couch.  Unaware of the impending eruption, Kaye continued.  “I'm an 
hour late to...”  But as Kaye opened her mouth to continue, a hand 
grasped her throat and choked off the last of her words.  As Laura 
tried to sink deeper into the couch, Kaye found herself on the floor 
with Scott on top; her arms pinned to the floor by Scott's knees.  An 
undecipherable word followed by fetid air splattered from Scott's 
drunken mouth while he clasped her neck in his tight grip.  Gasping for 
air Kaye managed to whisper “I won't get paid for today if I miss 
work.” 

Reason penetrated Scott's hazy fog and he released Kaye's throat.  Scott
rose and he threw the car keys at her as she lay prostrate on the 
floor. “The car needs gas.”  Still shaking, Kaye rose, and as she 
grabbed the keys from the floor her tears spilled onto the carpet.      
  “I don't have any money.” she choked. Noticing the terror on his 
daughter's face, Scott withdrew two one dollar bills and handed them to 
Kaye.  “You owe me two dollars.” he spat as he rambled down the hallway 
to the bedroom. 

As Kaye tried to soothe her frightened daughter, she grabbed the child's
backpack and made her way to the car. 

Later as Kaye hung her coat and purse in her locker in the employee
kitchen, Stephen entered breathless with a furrowed brow.  “What 
happened to you this morning?  I was worried about you.” 

“Oh, the car ran out of gas.” she lied.  “Scott forgot to get gas last
night and I didn't notice the needle was on empty.”  Stephen seemed 
satisfied and he asked her to lunch. 

Eventually they planned all their lunches together and when Kaye walked
past the frozen juices to meet Stephen, Marion's lined face would pinch 
into a grimace of defeat.  Her efforts to keep the two young people 
separated had been foiled, and she worried about Stephen's relationship 
with a married woman. Kaye would muster the courage to look into 
Marion's eyes, and what she saw there left her feeling soiled and 
guilty. But, neither Stephen nor Marion were privy to the arid life 
that Kaye lived outside of Whitney Foods, and they couldn't know the 
sanity and hope this relationship provided to Kaye. 

When Kaye returned home that evening, Scott arrived just minutes later
saying that he went for a walk to clear his head.  But, Kaye wasn't 
fooled.  The scent of another woman wafted above the smell of beer when 
Scott came close, and Kaye knew that the owner of that scent had driven 
Scott to the corner of their street after their afternoon rendezvous.  
Kaye did not question Scott.  With no desire to endure another attack, 
Kaye just nodded and started dinner.  Laura, noting her mother's 
resignation, skipped to the living room to watch cartoons confidant 
that tonight would be peaceful.  Under Laura's watchful eye, Kaye was 
careful not to question Scott when he left for work at seven o'clock to 
start his eleven o'clock shift. 

Romance, companionship and even meaningful conversation were no longer
part of Kaye's home life.  So when Stephen would comment on Kaye's long 
brown hair or the way her pink uniform brought out the green in her 
hazel eyes, she drank the sweet water of attention as gratefully as a 
drying plant.  Her life became no more than spaces between the times 
she could spend with Stephen.  He became her hope and her fantasies 
kept her shame and fear covered in a white sheet of denial. 

Stephen also found the attraction for the young mother complete, and to
quell his curiosity he asked Kaye to bring her daughter to the store so 
he could meet Laura.  But, Kaye was careful not to discuss her home 
life with Stephen, and he never suspected the violence that was part of 
Kaye's life.  Nestled in the serene country home life of Oldham County, 
and protected by two loving parents, Stephen could never fathom that 
the object of his desire lived in constant fear of her spouse. 

Though no words were spoken, Marion knew.  She knew the haunted look in
Kaye's eyes, she could read the silences, and she noticed the 
occasional bruises.  Marion knew.  She knew as one who had lived the 
same life over many years.  Kaye carried the same fearful expression 
that had stared back at Marion from the mirror when she was only a 
little older than Kaye, and the knowing was the root of her concern for 
Stephen.  An abusive husband is as unpredictable and dangerous as a 
wounded animal.  So Marion watched and waited. 

Although Kaye could feel Marion's distaste for the situation, she would
not allow the feeling to intrude on her newfound hope.  The warm look 
in Stephen's eyes melted the cold harsh reality of her life, and Kaye 
felt special again, loved again and more importantly, she was in love 
again.  But reality tried hard to push itself back into Kaye's life. 

Stephen and Kaye would meet at the restaurant in the shopping plaza for
their lunches to avoid the probing eyes in the employee kitchen.  One 
day Kaye passed Stephen in the frozen food aisle to ask him to lunch.  
Overhearing their plan, Marion quickly stepped into the conversation to 
let Stephen know that she had errands to do, and she needed to go to 
lunch first.  Stephen would have to wait until she returned.  
Disappointed, Kaye went to lunch alone but still hoped that Stephen 
would be able to join her later. 

At the restaurant, Kaye scanned the menu while keeping sight of the
front door hopeful for Stephen's entry.  Suddenly, her husband arrived 
followed by his mother.  Shaken Kaye asked, “Why are you here?” 

Her mother-in-law spoke as Scott eyed Kaye suspiciously.  “I picked up
Scott to take him to lunch and thought we would drop by the store to 
see if you could join us.  Someone at the store said you were probably 
here.”  Kaye slipped her shaking hands into her lap hoping they would 
not notice her agitation.  Kaye kept a close watch on the entrance to 
the restaurant fearing that Stephen could enter at any time.  When Kaye 
returned to work, she learned it had been Stephen who had directed 
Scott to the restaurant. 

Some days later as Kaye walked through the swinging doors of the
employee's kitchen, the waiting arms of Stephen grabbed her around the 
waist and pulled her into the room.  The fateful appearance of Scott at 
Whitney Foods had preyed on Stephen's emotions, and the clandestine 
meetings and sidelong glances were no longer enough to satisfy his 
longing for Kaye.  Looking deeply into her eyes, he kissed her, lightly 
at first, then more passionately.  But the kiss had a counter effect on 
Kaye.  Rather than igniting her passion, the kiss gave substance to the 
word adultery, and Kaye's guilt grew stronger than her control.  Kaye 
knew that this kiss was the turning point in her relationship with 
Stephen.  The fantasy had become reality and Kaye now needed to face 
decisions that she had successfully avoided before. 

The kiss was the turning point for Stephen too, and as his passions
increased, Kaye's fears were heightened. He started to pressure Kaye to 
meet him outside of the store.  He planned for Kaye to call work with a 
feigned illness allowing them to spend a day together.  But Kaye's fear 
of Scott made her reticent.  She would placate Stephen by promising 
time together in the future, but   Stephen would not be put off so 
easily.  He set a date for their rendezvous allowing her two weeks to 
contrive a plan. 

Meanwhile at home, Scott sensed that something was amiss.  He commented
on her attention to her dress and make-up, and he clocked her comings 
and goings with more tenacity.  Kaye felt herself in a stranglehold 
between the different passions of two men, and she could not reach any 
suitable solution.  She wanted to leave Scott, but instinctively she 
knew that Scott was capable of untold violence to her and to Stephen. 

Kaye sat on her front porch sobbing long after Scott had gone to work
and her daughter had drifted asleep.  She wrapped her arms around 
herself and rocked back and forth on the porch step while her streaming 
tears distorted the starlight.  She already knew her decision.  Her 
mother had always told her when your emotions and your duty are in 
conflict, always chose duty.  So through the tears, Kaye chose. 

The next day, Kaye scoured the classified ads for job opportunities.  A
few days later, she had a new job in a small office.  Before she gave 
her notice at Whitney Foods, she relayed the news of her new job to 
Stephen at lunch.  She would never forget the expression of hurt and 
betrayal on his face, and the last days at the grocery, Stephen's 
silence flailed her.  Still, she could not speak about the horrors of 
her marriage nor the reasons for her decision.  On her last day, she 
left the grocery store quietly and mourned that she would never see 
Stephen again. 

On a snowy night that December, Scott chatted happily with his parents
while Kaye set plates of food on the table.  The phone rang and Kaye 
answered the phone while continuing to set the food before her guests.  
Kaye stopped when she heard Stephen's voice ask, “How have you been?”  
She said nothing while staring at the family gathered around the table. 
Unaware of Kaye's predicament, Stephen continued. “I miss you.” 

Sensing a problem, Scott rose from the table demanding to know who was
on the phone.  “I'm sorry; you must have the wrong number.” Kaye said 
hurriedly.  Then she hung up the phone.  That final click was the end. 

That night after her dinner guests had left and Scott and Laura had gone
to bed, Kaye rose quietly.  Taking a sheet of paper from the desk, she 
composed a poem to Stephen.  Anguished that she had hurt him, she felt 
the need to express her feelings.  Intending to mail the poem the next 
day, Kaye hid the piece of paper in the pages of a book. 

Five years passed and her marriage to Scott deteriorated.  The abuse
became more pronounced as his drinking increased. Heavily in debt and 
losing job after job, Scott planned a trip to Florida to search for a 
new position.  He said he needed a fresh start. 

Scott left early on a November morning promising to call Kaye in a few
days.  However, the ensuing five years had given Kaye the courage to do 
what she could not do at twenty-two.  The day after Scott left, Kaye 
put her eight-year-old daughter on a plane to Connecticut.  Her parents 
would meet the plane at Bradley Airport.  Assured that Laura was safe, 
Kaye went to a lawyer's office and filed for divorce.  She then gave 
the lawyer power of attorney so she would not have to return to 
Kentucky when the house was sold.  Kaye spent the next two days packing 
essentials in the trunk and back seat of her car.  She wanted to get as 
many miles between her and Kentucky before Scott realized they were 
gone. 

The day arrived for her flight from fear.  She would drive the fourteen
hundred miles to Connecticut in two days, staying overnight in 
Youngstown, Ohio.  As Kaye drove north on I-71 she passed the exit that 
lead to Stephen's house.  During the past five years she had thought of 
Stephen often and wondered what her life would have been if she had 
left Scott five years ago.  As she passed the exit she said a silent 
good-bye to Stephen and continued north towards her new life in 
Connecticut. 

Now, fifteen year's later, Stephen stood before her.  He moved slowly up
the driveway, and they stared at each other for a moment before she 
spoke.  “How did you find me?” 

Stephen did not answer; instead he handed her a large sheet of
newspaper.  Kaye looked at the paper.  It was a full-page 
advertisement, and she started to read with a mixture of confusion and 
poignant remembrance. 

I want you to know the warmth you gave me over the frozen vegetables,
the sweetness that lay along the rows of juices and the unspoken words 
that hung heavy on the cold breath of the freezer. 

I can still remember the heat of your frigid hands, the innocence of
your hope, the optimism of your youth and your unbending faith. 

My fears kept me frozen unable to move against the anger of my home, and
in my cowardice I could not see the light that shined on the other side 
of the fists. 

So, I traded your hope for my safety, your optimism for my obscurity and
your faith for a final click of the telephone. 

Written by Kaye Campbell Kaye lives with her daughter in Middlefield,
Connecticut 

When Kaye's eyes returned to Stephen's, they were filled with amassing
tears.  Stephen chuckled with slight nervousness and looking down at 
the spilled contents of the plastic grocery bag remarked, “It seems we 
are standing over the frozen vegetables again.”  Kaye laughed as she 
observed through her tears the broken bags of frozen corn and peas 
strewn over the garage floor. 

Across the street in a black pickup truck, Scott Campbell smiled as he
watched his ex-wife and Stephen Brentwood work together to sweep up the 
spilled groceries.  Through thirteen drunken years, Scott had carried 
the poem he found among Kaye's books.  At first the poem angered Scott 
knowing that his wife had loved someone other than himself.  But after 
time and many readings, Scott was saddened by the poem, and he realized 
that at one time Kaye did love him with that intensity.  He had 
destroyed that love with drink, other women and violence.  So he kept 
the poem in his wallet and felt that as long as he carried the poem he 
carried Kaye's love. 

Years later, Scott finally downed his last bottle of beer.  But it was
too late.  He was diagnosed with cancer of the liver.  Traditional 
treatments had done little to stop the cancer's spread, and he was now 
on his way to Canada for a new form of treatment that was not yet 
approved in the United States.  Before he left, he wanted to set things 
right with Kaye.  Although he has stayed away from both Kaye and his 
daughter, he knew where they were by the annual Christmas cards she 
sent to his sister.  He never knew who occupied her heart during that 
time at Whitney Foods, but he reasoned that if he published the poem as 
a full-page advertisement in the Louisville paper, perhaps the guy 
would know why she never pursued their relationship. 

Scott started his pickup truck as he watched Kaye and Stephen walk into
the house.  As Scott pulled away from the curb a smile crossed his 
face, and he headed north to Canada. 


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