Mel

Mel

Chapter 1

Standing on the bus to the supermarket, looking for a seat, Melanie Halsey heard Jess’s voice. She followed it and found that Jess had taken a seat next to an old man. On the seat opposite them, sat a middle-aged woman and a boy in his early twenties. The boy caught Melly’s eye and emptying his seat, motioned her to sit down on it. Melly, thanking him, sat down on the proffered seat, took out a book and busied herself in reading. Jess noticed that Melly had taken out her book again. She shook her head pitifully. The boy standing beside Melly looked at her and she smiled at him.
“Why has she taken out that book again? I bet she can’t even notice that handsome standing beside her, why doesn’t she get herself a boy? Why not the one standing beside her? He’s sweet.” She shook her head again. “Stop it Jess! Melly and a guy? This guy? A dream that’s never gonna come true!”
Melanie Halsey, 20, was a beautiful, frail girl. Her appearance was not stunning but fairly attractive. She was five feet two inches tall, jet-black shoulder length hair, dark brown almond eyes, and full- lips with a fair complexion. She was a charming girl who didn’t won people’s hearts by flirting but by seeing rare attributes in them, which no-one else usually took notice of. Everybody liked Melly.
She had come to Toronto to study accountancy. Her family dwelled in England. Melly, being the elder of two sisters had been brought up very carefully by her mother and father. Chloe was the younger sister. Her father had died a year ago. Her mother was in business.
Chloe, being the younger, lived a care-free life, getting as much fun out of it as possible, often managing to attract trouble and then being aided by Melly. On the other hand, Melly was completely her sister’s opposite. She felt herself responsible for everything that happened around her, and tried to help everybody as much as possible.
Here, in Toronto, Melly lived in a girl’s hostel with her room-mate Jessica Philip, who liked to be called Jess. Jess had a long-term boyfriend Rodney Corwin and she usually spent her nights out with him, leaving Melly alone, a thing to which Melly never objected no-matter how much she disliked it. She did not have any friends except Jess. All the girls here wanted to talk about only one subject, boys, a subject which she had permanently abandoned.
Melly had had two relationships in the past. She had learned much from them and had decided that she did not need a boyfriend to complete herself. Boys, to her, were either phony, too sweet to be true, or whining creatures that were unhappy at anything their girls did. She required a man who would ask for her hand in matrimony and love her and only her, being demanding but understanding, being providing but compromising, being funny but not humiliating. So, she did not have any boy-friends and she divided her time between studies, her job at the library, and her only friend, her room-mate, Jess.
On the way, jess noticed that the handsome guy kept looking at Melly again and again. And the middle-aged woman, sitting beside Melly, probably the guy’s mother, also looked at Melly critically and then (finding nothing disagreeing) she smiled.
“I shouldn’t get my hopes up!” thought Jess.
The bus stopped at a station and the man beside Jess left. The handsome guy took his seat, opposite Melly, beside Jess.
“Drop that damned book, Melly!” Jess said, irritated.
Melly looked up from her book with raised eyebrows.
“Give that to me.” Jess snatched the book from Melly’s hand. “Can’t you think about anything else but books?”
The woman beside Melly laughed. “My sister and I used to do that. I’ve been watching both of you. Are you sisters?”
Melly smiled. “That’s my room-mate Jess. I’m Melanie. Melly.”
“I’m Ellen Milburn.” She pointed to the guy opposite Melly. “That’s my son Nicholas. Cole.”
As Melly looked at Cole she felt something collapsing in her stomach. Something churning. Sure, she never felt easy around guys but this? She took in Cole’s appearance. He was about six feet tall. He had black hair, brown eyes with a fair skin. She noticed that Cole was looking at her too. She took her eyes off him and turned to Ellen, who was watching Melly and Cole with an interested expression.
Ellen had always known what was going on in her children’s lives. She had two children, Cole and Hubert. Cole, 24, had not shown much interest in girls, although girls were throwing themselves at him all the time. Hubert, 9, showed much more interest in girls although he was only in 4th grade.
Ellen, grasping the fact that her son had something for Melly, decided to find out more about the girl.
When they had reached the supermarket, Ellen had found that Melly was an applicable candidate for her son. Jess had got her hopes was up than she had intended to. Cole had found that it was love at first sight. Melly had found herself another job. She was to tutor little Hubert everyday.

Chapter 2

It was Monday; three days after Melly had met Ellen and Cole on the bus. Melly walked up to Ellen’s house and rang the bell.
“Hey!” It was Cole who answered. “Come in,” he said stepping aside to permit her inside.
“Hubert!” he called, “Melly’s here.”
Hubert was three feet tall. He did not resemble Cole. He had brown hair, brown eyes and a darker skin than Cole’s.
“Hi. I’m Melanie.” Melly held out her hand to Hubert.
“Hi. Hubert. You can call me Bert.”
Melly discovered that Bert did not get good grades because he did not concentrate enough. He was an average kid who could become a genius with some work. Bert had liked Melly immediately and had started calling her ‘Mel’ after their first meeting. He was a child anxious to talk about anything and everything. To Melly, he talked about school, girls, his father, mother and, most of all, Cole.
Bert’s father had died a few years ago and since then Cole had taken over the family problems. He became a successful businessman and started his own corporation. He became an idol in the eyes of his younger brother. Bert talked about Cole a lot. He wanted to be like him.
A little push; that was what Melly had given Bert. He became one of the best students in class. Ellen was overjoyed that her scheme had worked: Melly and Cole met everyday and Bert had become a good student too. Gradually, Melly became closer to Bert and he began to love her next to only his mother.
Once he called Melly on her cell when she was going home after work, in the evening.
“Mel?”
“Who’s this? Bert?”
“Yeah. I just woke up. Mother and Cole are not here. Their cells aren’t responding. I’m all alone.” He sounded scared.
“Okay. Don’t be scared. I’ll be there in five minutes. Alright?”
“Two minutes.”
“Okay, two.”
Fortunately, Bert’s house was only three blocks away. When Melly got there Bert was crying. She took him in her arms and soothed him to calm him down.
Half an hour later when Cole and Ellen came home they found Melly asleep on the sofa and Bert curled up on her knees watching television. Bert told Ellen what had happened while Cole covered Melly up in his own blanket and turned off the television and the lights.
Cole was quiet all through dinner. He was thinking about the beautiful girl wrapped up in the blanket on the sofa in the next room. Ellen watched his face the whole time and decided it was time she had a mother-to-son talk about Melly. Bert had the feeling that Cole was not behaving ordinary and that the change had occurred when he had found Melly on the sofa.
It was half an hour to midnight when Melly woke up. Ellen had cornered Cole after dinner and he had told Ellen that he did love Melly. On this Ellen had kissed him on his forehead and told him that she had appointed Melly as Bert’s teacher because of Cole.
Ellen heard a sharp intake of breath from Cole and she looked up. Melly had walked into the kitchen. Ellen greeted Melly and told her to sit while she prepared dinner for her.
As Melly sat down Cole noticed how beautiful she looked. Most of her dark hair was tangled and the light flashing on it gave her a dazzling effect. Her face was white and her eyes were puffy. Her beautiful full-lips were pink. She smiled at Cole.
Melly was finding it difficult that she was attracted to Cole. Most of the time, she wanted to be with him. When she was with him she wanted to flee. She wanted to be with him because she liked him. She wanted to flee because she was afraid he would not like her.
Ellen gave Melly dinner. When Melly had eaten Ellen insisted that she should spend the night but Melly had to study. Cole spent an hour or two with his friends every night. Ellen suggested that he should take Melly with him and drop her to the hostel on his way. Melly’s heart came to her throat at the idea of being alone with Cole. Cole was stunned too.
Cole drove her to the hostel in almost silence. When they had got into the car he looked at her, saw her looking at him and smiled. Melly smiled back. He asked for the address. Melly thanked God the hostel wasn’t too far away. When they arrived at the hostel Melly said good-bye and she was half-way out the door when his hand caught her’s.
“Wait.”
She lowered her head and looked into the car at him.
“You’re a good teacher. Bert talks a lot about you.”
Melly blushed. “Thank God it’s dark and he can’t see me.” She thought. “Thanks.” She said.
Cole shook his head. “G’night.”
He realized his hand was still on her’s. He let go.
As Melly watched him drive away she felt that same churning feeling inside her stomach which she had had when she had seen Cole the first time. When she went inside, jess was watching television. She saw the smile on Melly’s face.
“Watchoo smiling about?”
“Nothing,” Giggled Melly.
“Where were you?”
“At Bert’s”
“Oh…. Did Cole drive you back? “
“Yes.”
“Oh! I know what you’re smiling about!”
“Shut up!”
As jess laughed Melly went into the washroom, trying not to blush.

Chapter 3

It had been three months since Melly had started teaching Bert. Bert’s birthday came. Ellen invited Melly to have dinner with the family at a restaurant. It was the restaurant Cole went to every night. It was his best friend Patrick Dunham’s pizza restaurant. Cole told Melly that he and Daniel Truman, Dan, had been best friends since childhood. Then in sixth grade Patrick, Pat, had joined them and the three of them had become the best of friends. Now, Cole owned a business corporation, Dan owned a superstore and Pat owned a restaurant. The three of them met every night at Pat’s restaurant.
When they were seated Pat came to meet them.
“Hallo Mrs. Milburn.” Pat shook Ellen’s hand. “Hey, birthday boy!” Pat hugged Bert.
“Pat, that’s Melly. Melanie. She’s Bert’s tutor.” Ellen introduced Melly.
“Hey.” Melly smiled.
“Hi.” Pat gave her a brotherly smile. “Charming”
Pat was engaged to a girl named Sarah Dixon. Melly liked Pat. They had a good time. When Melly was leaving Pat put a hand on her shoulder.
“Hope to see you around, sis.”
“I’d be glad to.”

Bert’s exams were coming up and both, he and Melly, were working harder than ever. Melly previously had stayed an hour and a half long to teach him. Now, she had doubled her time. She stayed late sometimes if Bert had a test the next day. Now the exams were only three weeks away.
Melly had been working hard with Bert and she needed some relaxation. When she reached home Jess decided to take her along to watch a movie with Rodney.
Melly bumped into Cole when buying popcorn.
“Hey!”
“Oh! Hi!”
“Watchoo doin’ here?”
Melly raised her eyebrows. “I came to watch a movie.”
“Yeah,” Cole bushed, “ofcourse.”
Now that they had been talking for three months, their conversation consisted of a bit more than just a “hi”. Melly found that she had, to some extent, got over her crush on him, and it was easier now to talk to him. Cole, however, did not just have a crush on her. He was madly in love with her.
“Melly! The movie’s about to start!” Jess called, irritated.
“I gotta go.”
Cole ran after her. “Wait! Where’re you sitting?”
“Middle seats”
“Me too!”
As it turned out, they were sitting together. Pat and Sarah were also there. Cole introduced Melly to them and Melly introduced Jess and Rodney. The movie was an emotional romantic. Somewhere in between Melly felt tears coming to her eyes. She fought hard to keep them from falling.
“Did God have to make Cole sit right beside me?”
But towards the end of the movie Melly couldn’t control them any longer. And when she raised her hand to wipe them off, Cole noticed. He did not laugh aloud.
Cole laughed softly so that only she could hear him. He took a handkerchief out of his pocked and put it in her hand.
“No, no. I’m fine.”
“Don’t be silly. Take it.”
She wiped her tears on his handkerchief and looked up at him. He laughed again. This time she laughed too, shaking her head.
When they were coming out of the cinema hall he whispered in her ear.
“You alright?”
“Yeah. Thanks.” She smiled.

Bert’s exams were over. He had exclaimed happily that these were the best exams he had ever attempted. On his last day with Melly he had kissed her hands.
“I love you, Mel!”
Melly would not have to teach Bert until three months later, when he came in 5th grade. But soon after her last day with Bert, Melly received a call from Ellen.
Ellen had to be admitted in hospital. She was to have an operation for her abdomen. Ellen wanted Melly to take over the household until she returned. Melly’s exams were just two months away but she decided she could study at Ellen’s house. So, she packed some clothes and all her books and went to Ellen’s
Bert was very happy to see her again and Cole would have been exceptionally happy too if he wouldn’t have been worried over his mother. Just before leaving with Cole for the hospital, Ellen kissing Bert and Melly good-bye.
Now, living twenty-four hours with him, Melly discovered that Bert was naughty too. He stashed his room. He wouldn’t have dinner if a favorite cartoon was on television at dinner-time. Cole spent the first day at the hospital. He did not even come home at night. Melly gave Bert lunch and then shut herself in the dining room to study, while he played outside with his friends. She had spread all her books on the dinning table to study there. She had also found some charts on it, which she did not touch.
When the next day Ellen sent Cole home after her operation, Cole decided to complete a project he had been working on. He loosened his tie, and opened the first button of his shirt. He liked to work comfortably. When he entered the dinning room he first noticed the books and notes spread on every inch of the dinning table. Then he noticed Melly sitting on the carpet beside the table, a book in one hand, eyes-closed, reciting something.
“…and thou shall—and thou…. What the heck was it?”
“I dunno.”
Melly opened her eyes. “Shit!” she got up hastily. Cole was laughing hysterically.
She smiled. “How long have you been standing here?”
“I just came. What did you turn this place into?” still laughing, he pointed at the table.
“I find it hard to study if everything’s not messed up.”
“I bet!” he walked over to the table. “Did you happen to see my charts?”
“Yes.” She fished out the charts from under her papers.
As he looked at the charts Melly got a good look at him. His hair was untidy. His tie was loose and off-centre, the first button of his shirt was open. She smiled.
Cole caught her smile. “What? “
“You.”
“Huh? Oh! Yeah. I find it hard to concentrate if I’m not messed up.” Both of them laughed.
“How’s your mother?”
“She’s just had her operation. The doctors say it’ll take two days before she can leave.”

Chapter 4

The next day Cole took Melly to the supermarket. Ellen had left Melly a list of goods. Cole would drop Bert to the hospital and be back for Melly.
Melly’s shopping was almost complete. She reached to pick up a shampoo bottle when a hand from behind picked it up first. Melly turned. It was a guy about six feet tall, with black hair and brown eyes. Melly noticed that he had a sudden resemblance to Cole, but when given a second look he did not resemble Cole in any way.
“Please.” Smiling, he handed out the bottle to her.
Melly knew he was just trying to gain her attention. Without a word she turned back, picked another bottle of shampoo, put it in her trolley and walked away.
“Hey! That was cold!” she heard the guy calling after her.
The same thing happened in the food area. When she was about to pick a packet of spaghettis for Bert, he picked it up first.
“What do you want?” Melly whirred around, angry now.
“What’s your name, gorgeous?”
She made a disgusted face at him and started to walk away.
“Hey! Come on!” he exclaimed. He started after her.
She could take it no longer. She slapped him hard. “Try not to bother me by asking my name again, will you?”
He stood there with his hand on the cheek she had slapped. “No girl has ever slapped me.” His smile was broader than before.
Melly gave a frustrated sigh. She picked up the spaghetti packet and walked away. He did not follow her again.
On the way back home, Melly told Cole about it. Cole was fascinated.
That night when they had had dinner and Bert had been put to sleep, Cole called Pat and Dan and told them to come over at his house. He did not want to leave Melly alone in the house at night again. Besides, Dan had to meet Melly too.

Melly had been hunting for something to eat in the kitchen. She was behind the kitchen counter when someone walked in and opened the fridge. He had not noticed Melly but she had noticed him. It was the guy from the supermarket; the one she had slapped. Melly was right behind him.
“You!”
“Wha’?” he turner around. “What the hell are you doin’ here?”
Cole heard the noises and entered the kitchen. “I see you two met.”
“Cole! He’s the one I told you about today! The guy I slapped!”
“Hey!! Did you have to tell him about the slapping part?”
Cole looked shocked. Then he started laughing. “Hey! Hey, Pat!” he called, “Come in here!” Pat entered the kitchen. “Check this out! Melly slapped Dan. At his own store!”
“You’re Dan?!” Melly put a hand on her mouth, then lowered it. “Your superstore?” she began laughing too.
Dan was smiling. “Yeah. Go on. Laugh!” he was blushing.
The three of them were laughing hysterically, and Dan looked everywhere but at Melly. Finally he looked at her and said, “Sorry.”
Melly controlled herself put a hand on her mouth to keep her from laughing in his face again. She managed to say “I’m sorry too.”
Dan liked Melly and respected her more than all the women he had been messing around with. He avoided her eyes. Dan felt embarrassed at what he had done that morning. He did not talk to her much. Melly tried to bring up conversation so that he would not feel bad, but failed. Pat, always the wise guy, knew that Dan would come back on his track before long. It was Dan’s hobby and specialty to tease girls.
Pat liked Melly and decided to take their friendship a bit further.
“Why don’t you join us every night in my restaurant? It’ll be fun. And you’ve got no friends but that Jess and Rodney anyway.”
Melly stared at him. “I don’t know what to say!” she looked at Cole. He smiled at her and nodded. They all looked at Dan.
“Well, it’ll be nice to have a sensible girl around.” He said, smiling.

It was the day when Ellen was to return from the hospital. She called Melly to say that she wouldn’t be back until tomorrow. Melly and Cole went unto Bert’s room to tell him. Melly opened the door and stepped inside.
Water splashed down on her. It had happened so quickly: one second she was inside the door, the other she was drenched and dripping in water from head to toe. Bert had fixed a water bucket on top of the door such that water in it would fall when the door opened. He sat on his bed with his hands on his mouth. He stood up and walked over to Melly, careful to keep Melly between him and Cole and to stay out of Cole’s reach.
“I’m sorry! It wasn’t meant for you Mel! It was for Cole!”
Melly laughed. “It’s okay. It’s alright.”
“Bert-“ started Cole.
“No really Cole. It’s okay!” She put her hand on Bert’s head. She was still laughing. “I haven’t any clothes! I’ve used all I brought!” she looked at Cole.
Cole was admiring her ability to handle any situation so calmly. He smiled. “You can wear mother’s clothes.”
“Mother’s too short and skinny. They’ll be too tight,” said Bert.
Cole turned red. “Uh… can you wear mine?”
It was hard for Melly not to smile. She shrugged. That was when little Bert realized what he had been missing. His ideal brother and the lady second-best to him were in love. He stared at them curiously watching their every action.
“Alright then,” Cole was also trying hard not to smile, “this way.”
When Cole opened his wardrobe, Melly couldn’t believe her eyes.
“Don’t you ever wear anything but dress-pants, collar shirts and ties?” she laughed.
He laughed too. “I’m a businessman.” He opened a drawer. “But I do have some old clothes here.” He lifted up Bermudas and sweatshirts.
Fifteen minutes later Melly walked into the kitchen where Cole and Bert were seated. Cole got up, faced her and gave a silent laugh.
“Don’t laugh!”
“No, no! I was just… admiring.” He had looked into her eyed and had whispered the last word. Melly felt a shiver run through her. She lowered her gaze.
Bert was watching both of them excitedly. He was old enough now to understand what was going on. Melly was dressed in Cole’s old Bermudas and a collar shirt of his. Both were big for her but she looked rather attractive. To Cole, the sight of her was breath-taking. He was having a hard time digesting what he was seeing. The woman he loved was standing two steps away, dressed in his clothes! It seemed impossible to take his eyes off her! Melly also noticed his stare and blushed.
“Even my Bermudas don’t fit you!”
“Yeah.” Bert agreed. “They look like her pants but longer. The shirt looks hot!”
Melly turned red.
Throughout lunch and dinner Cole kept his eyes off Melly. He knew he wouldn’t be able to take them off once he looked at her. He spent that night with Ellen at the hospital. She could sense that something was wrong with her child; he seemed to be distant, in a faraway land. Cole couldn’t sleep. Melly’s image haunted him. He kept thinking about her, in his house, in his clothes.

Ellen came back. She was very happy with Melly. Bert’s result had come. He had stood first in his class.
“I owe you so much, my child!”
“I’d be happy to live longer, you know. You’re not well enough to work on your own, yet.”
“Oh no. you’ve done enough sweetheart. I’ll manage.”
From then onwards Melly was picked up from the hostel every night by Cole. They would go to Pat’s restaurant.
Pat had declared openly that Melly was like a sister to him and that he had always wanted a sister. Pat was a single child. He was very much in love with Sarah.
Dan had indeed come back on his track. He had greeted Melly on her first day with “Are you free Saturday night?” he kept asking her to go out with him. Melly sternly and gracefully rejected him again and again. Dan had a brother 2 years younger than him named Peter. Peter lived in Australia. Dan’s mother and father were divorced. His mother had married another man and now lived in the U.S. In Toronto, Dan lived with his father, who was too old to work.
Dan was sweet but provoking. He provoked Melly into fighting him all the time. Melly knew she stood no chance against him, but she fought him all the same and lost the argument every single time.
“Will you go out with me Saturday night?”
“Dan, I’ve told you before. I won’t! Ever! So stop asking that question.”
“Are you free Saturday night?”
“Dan!”
“Come on! Okay tell me why not.”
And there he left her speechless. Melly knew deep inside he was a good guy and all this messing around with girls meant nothing. He had not done anything to Melly to make her hate him with the exception of the incident which had taken place in the supermarket.
“But he’s apologized for that.” She thought. “But I can’t get involved with him. Besides he’s not anything more than a friend!”
“I have my rules” she said to Dan.
“Break them.”
“Dan!”
He always won the argument and had a way of ending it that left Melly speechless and laughing.
As for Cole, he was cool with Dan asking Melly out again and again. He knew that Dan knew he was in love with Melly and was just goofing around. He also knew that Melly loved him. It could be seen in her eyes when she looked at him.
Pat, who knew both his friends best next to only their mothers (or father in Dan’s case), could tell that Melly’s simple charm had affected Dan as well as Cole.
“No need of getting worried over a quarrel,” he told himself, “that won’t be happening. They’ve been friends too long to break up now. Time will tell who is Melly’s beau.”

Chapter 5

Melly Halsey had stopped visiting her best friends because of her exams. But after her exams they gave her a party which Dan called a ‘welcome-back-to-life’ party. Dan, obviously, had not set much store in tests and exams.
One afternoon Dan called Melly.
“Mel?”
“Yeah. Who’s this?”
“Dan. Get ready in five minutes. Cole’s on his way to pick you up.”
“Where are we going?”
“Uh…. I’ll tell you when I’ll meet you. Get ready, bye.”
Cole and Pat came to pick her up. She got into the backseat of Cole’s car.
“What’s all this about?”
“Didn’t Dan tell you?”
“Nope.”
“Then it’s best that we don’t either.”
Cole drove to Dan’s apartment. Dan had been waiting for him. He got in beside Melly.
“Hey.”
“Hello.”
“Uh,” he made a screwed-up face at Melly, “this is about a girl Dad wants me to see.”
Melly burst out laughing. “You’ve been messing around with girls all your life. Now you want an arranged marriage?”
He waved his head and hands frantically as if she had made the thing final by saying it out loud, “I don’t! It’s my dad!” his face was red.
“Come on, Melly, don’t laugh. Give the poor guy a break.” Apparently, Cole was also trying had not to laugh too.
“Whatever! Listen, her name is Miriam and she’s a medical student. I want you all to check her out.”
“Us? Why? Don’t you trust your own choice?”
“I haven’t had a girlfriend for more than 3 days! I know how to make girlfriends but I don’t know what a marrying girl is supposed to be like. What if she’s a flirt and I don’t recognize it. I don’t want a flirt for my wife!”

Miriam was a spoilt girl. She was a single child who had always got what she had wanted. When she had met them she had eyed Melly constantly. Melly wondered what it was that she saw in Miriam’s eyes when she was looking at Melly. When Dan proposed to walk with her, she said she was okay with the group of them. At this Cole whispered in Melly’s ear.
“She’s looking at you more than she’s looking at Dan!”
At the end Dan and Miriam had exchanged friendly greetings. Dan’s dad decided to have them engaged the next week, on Dan’s birthday.
“We don’t have to wait for anyone, do we? Miriam’s family’s here and I have no family except my two sons.”
But Peter, his other son who lived in Australia, was too busy to come and called Dan to congratulate him and reassured him that he’ll surely be there at his wedding. So, Dan’s engagement took place on his own birthday, without his brother and mother. Dan did not miss his mother, but he wished that his brother was there.
Cole’s birthday approached. By now, Melly thought that she had completely got over her crush on Cole. Dan and Cole were just friends to her. Pat was like a brother. Dan thought of her as a friend too but not Cole.
They had decided to go to a club with Sarah and Miriam on his birthday. As it happened, when Melly was making her way to the girl’s restroom she noticed a guy wearing a jacket with the word ‘Cole’ written on the back. Dan had given Cole this jacket as his birthday present.
“Cole...” as Melly made her way through the crowd toward him she noticed he was pressed against a girl, kissing her.
The world crashed down on Melly. Tears started falling rapidly from her eyes. Just when she had thought she had gotten over her crush on Cole! Tears still streaming down her eyes, she rushed back to the group and threw herself into Dan’s arms crying all over him. Everybody was bewildered; Miriam was amused.
“Cole… It can’t be...” Melly sobbed, her eyes closed, head resting her Dan’s shoulder.
“What are you talking about? What happened?
“Cole…”
Melly opened her eyes. And then stared across Dan’s shoulder. Cole was standing behind Dan.
“That can’t be,” thought Melly. “He was… he wasn’t!” she was smiling like a maniac, her eyes sparkling. She pushed around Dan and stood in front of Cole, who was dumbfounded at such behavior. He took her face in his hands.
“What’s happened?”
“Where’s your jacket?”
“My jacket? … Pat’s wearing it. Why?”
“Pat?” Melly started laughing. She wiped her tears. All she could think of was ‘it wasn’t Cole! It wasn’t Cole! It was Pat, probably kissing Sarah.’
Dan took the stunned Cole by his arm and pushed his way towards the girl’s restroom, dragging Cole behind him.
“Jacket… jacket… jacket… hey!” he suddenly knew what the whole situation was.
“Hey, Cole!” he turned around. “Guess what? Melly came here and saw your jacket. She saw Pat with Sarah, but she thought it was you because of that jacket. And she started crying.”
“You don’t mean…” Cole stared at Dan, a smile forming on his face.
“Yes, I do. She’s in love with you mate!”
Cole’s smile faded. “But that can’t be! Pat’s shorter than me. And why in the world would I be kissing Sarah?”
“Love is blind, mate! She only saw the jacket!”

This new discovery for Dan was proving useful in his provoking Melly. Time and again he would ask her
“Hey, Mel, why did you cry?”
Melly never said anything. She just looked at him and gave a small smile, then went back to her work. Now, instead of ‘will you go out with me Saturday night?’ there was ‘Mel, why did you cry?’ once when Melly was busy in reading a book he asked her
“Mel, why did you laugh?”
She had beaten him with the book she was reading with loud cheers from Pat and Cole. Pat had been informed of the incident which had occurred that night in the club. Cole had not said anything to Melly about the night in the club, but he found nights more restless now.

Chapter 6

Melly had started teaching Bert again and her final year at the university had started too. Pat and Sarah were planning their wedding for the next year. Dan was having problems with Miriam. He had grudgingly exclaimed that she was too spoilt and uncomfortable to be with. He was with her merely because of his father.
It was past midnight. Melly and Cole were walking home. The car had broken down and the hostel was farther away from Cole’s house, so he had suggested that she spend the night there rather then go to the hostel at this hour. It started raining. They walked faster. The house was only two blocks away. Suddenly a light turned on in front of an apartment. Two thuggish men stepped out of the door pulling a woman after them, who was clearly drunk. Cole stopped Melly and pulled her into darkness.
“Wait. I don’t think it’s safe to walk past here.”
The two thuggish men were talking to the woman. They were having an argument. Rain was pouring down heavily now. Cole pulled Melly by the hand to the opposite side or the street. They started walking again making as less sound as possible, keeping a careful watch on what was happening in front of the apartment opposite them.
Suddenly one of the thugs pulled a dagger out of his pocket. The woman screamed. Cole covered Melly’s mouth with his hand to keep her from screaming. She stopped. Her legs felt like jelly.
Melly could not take what was happening in front of her. The thug with the dagger was plunging it inside the woman again and again. Cole grabbed Melly’s arm and ran, pulling her with him. They ran till the end of that block and then Melly’s legs gave way. She slipped. Her hand caught behind her and there was a cracking sound. Her wrist had broken. She fainted.

Melly felt hot lips pressed against her forehead. Melly opened her eyes. Cole looked down upon her.
“Melly!” he put a hand on her cheek. “It’s alright. You’re fine now.”
Melly tried to sit up. Cole shook his head and pushed her back gently. Melly closed her eyes. She was in hospital. Her neck was stiff, her right hand was fractured and both legs were heavily bandaged.
A doctor entered the room, followed by two nurses. He asked Melly a number of questions while Cole called Dan on his cell. Then he stood in the corner thanking God. Melly was fine with the exception of a severe headache which did not seem to be cured by any medicine the doctor gave her. Her right hand was fractured and her legs were heavily bruised but she would be able to walk in about a week.
Cole had carried Melly back to his house in his arms and had called the ambulance. He had informed Mrs. Halsey about Melly’s condition. She and Chloe were on their way to Toronto.
The doctor had said that it could take a week for Melly to go home. The first day, Cole, Dan and Pat were with her the whole time. Sarah and Miriam had come to visit. Making her laugh and feel better was their whole priority. The second day her mother and Chloe arrived.
Mrs. Halsey had never expected her elder daughter to hang around with three boys but she discovered they were all from good families and she valued her daughter’s choice. Chloe was delighted to meet her sister’s best friends. She liked Pat the most.
On the third day Melly’s legs were made free of bandages. The nurses were to make her walk a little everyday, but when Cole saw that the nurses were amateurs he objected. Then it was Cole on whose shoulder she would put her hand everyday and try to walk.
The first day Melly had dinner with Pat, Dan and Cole and the next two days with Chloe. On the forth day Chloe and her mother were resting at Cole’s house. Melly assumed that Cole, Pat and Dan would stay for dinner but Pat had a date and he left. Melly decided to ask Cole.
“Cole, are you free tonight?”
“Did you just ask him out?” Dan was astonished.
“Shut up, Dan!” Cole turned to Melly again. “Yeah, I’m free, Melly.”
“Can you have dinner with me tonight? Mother and Chloe are resting and your mother isn’t here. I don’t want to have dinner alone.”
“Why didn’t you ask Pat?” Dan teased.
“I didn’t want to break his date!”
“Why not me then?”
Melly giggled, blushing.
Cole looked around at Dan, amused. “What’s your problem dude?”
“I was just asking!” he got up. “Enjoy your hospital dinner date, I’m off to work.”
Cole turned to Melly. “Eight o’clock?”

Melly was making a fast recovery. In the past whenever she had wanted to go to the washroom Cole had picked her up bodily in his arms, taken her inside the washroom and had lowered her to a stand there. But now she could walk. So the doctors permitted her to leave. Ellen had announced that Melly’s family was welcome to live in her house. On Ellen’s insistence Melly came to live with her, but her mother and Chloe left for London, extremely happy that God had blessed her daughter with Ellen’s family, who took care such a good care of her.
As it happened, a day after Melly had come home, Dan’s father expired. Dan was deteriorated. He moved around like a zombie. Now he had no family except his brother, who was so far away and was never free to come to him. Moreover, he had been having more problems with Miriam.
“She’s never there for me.” He had confessed his thoughts to Melly, when he had managed to find her alone, resting. “She didn’t even come to Dad’s funeral and whenever I call she’s with some friend.”
“Don’t worry, Dan, everything’s gonna be alright. God always has something planned. Everything happens for a reason. Look at yourself! You weren’t this responsible a month ago. You’re taking life seriously now.”
Dan nodded. After a while he said, “I think I’ll break up with her. Yes… I’ve got divorced parents. I can do nothing about that. But my future is in my hands. I will break up with her while I still can. I won’t spoil my future. It’ll be better to live alone than live with her!”

Chapter 7

Melly slept in Cole’s room. Cole slept with Bert. One morning he came in his room and found her awake. He walked over and sat down beside her.
“How are you?”
“Better. Thanks”
“Watchoo thinking about?”
“Dan.”
“Hmm.” Cole looked into her eyes. “He’ll be alright. He just needs to relax.”
“He’s never been this serious. He never talked to me about his troubles.”
Cole was quiet. Then he remembered something. “How’s your hand?” he picked up her hand and turned it. There were marks on her palm from the wet road where she had slipped. Melly was watching him. He was the same Cole she had always seen: the first button of his shirt was opened and his hair was untidy. But there was something in his eyes that gained her attention. He was looking at her palm with a strange expression, which gave a light to his eyes, which she did not understand.

Melly was back on the normal routine. Back at the hostel, back at her job at the library, and back to teaching Bert. His half-yearly exams were approaching. Life was back to normal. Then something happened.
When she returned from the library she found Miriam in her room.
“Hey, Melly! Jessie let me in.”
“Hi. Don’t call Jess that! She’ll strangle you!”
“Oh,” Miriam made a babyish face, “she’s already tried, poor child.”
Melly did not answer. “I don’t remember giving you my address.”
“I don’t remember taking it from you.” Miriam laughed. “I took it from Dan.” She ceased her laughing and her expression changed from taunt to business-like. “Cole? You like him? …As in… personally?”
“Had she noticed something or did Dan tell her?” Melly thought. Aloud she said, “Oh, well, everybody likes Cole!”
“Hmm,” Miriam did not stress on the subject. “Dan talks about you a lot. He respects you more than any woman.”
Melly smiled. “He’s sweet.”
“He’s not my type.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. I’m marrying him because of my parents.”
Melly sat there stunned. “Something’s wrong,” she thought. “Why would she tell Dan’s best friend that she did not like Dan? Spoiled as she might be.”
“You’re my type, Melly.”

It was raining heavily and Melly was running hard. She had to get away from the hostel, fast. She reached Cole’s house and rang the bell. She stood there panting, looking around, terrified, white from head to toe. Her head felt dizzy, and she was cold because she did not have her jacket on. When Cole opened the door Melly threw herself in his arms.
“Mel-what in the world-you’re dripping wet! What happened? Tell me!”
“Miriam… Call Dan. She tried to…” Melly could not speak. She burst into tears as the realization of what had happened hit her. Till now she just had been thinking of getting away, getting to Cole. Now, she realized what had happened.
“Sit.” Cole helped her sit on the stairs, which were the nearest place to sit. He ran upstairs and brought down two big towels and a blanket. He wrapped them around her. He called Dan and told him to come immediately. He then turned to Melly. “Tell me exactly what happened.”
And Melly told him everything; starting from the conversation with Miriam till the fight. She shivered as she remembered everything. Miriam had tried to harass her. Melly had fought. In the end she had escaped with a cut lip and a bruised elbow. But she had no regrets, for she had also pierced Miriam’s thigh with a pen she had found beside the phone when she had fell on it, trying to escape her. She had put her head up proudly when she had come to that point, reassuring herself, and Cole had adored her dignified posture.
“Isn’t your mother home?” she asked him when she had finished.
“She’s at the parent teacher meeting at Bert’s school. You should change. Come on. And Dan will be here soon too.”
He helped her get up and walked her upstairs. The bell rang.
“You go in and change. We’ll be up in a minute.”
She changed into the same Bermudas with a different shirt is time. She was sitting on the bed exhausted when Cole and Dan came in.
“Mel, I’m so sorry.” Dan took her in his arms.
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“I gave her your address!” he was bewildered.
“You didn’t know.”
She slept for fourteen hours straight.
“Thank God it’s a Sunday or I would have had to wake her up!” said Ellen the next morning. She had been worried sick over Melly.

Chapter 8

Time changes all. It had changed Dan too. Now he was happier than before and more responsible as well. He was back to his original self, teasing Melly and asking her out every now and then. Pat was to have his wedding after two months.
It was Melly’s final ‘welcome-back-to-life’ party. She was free from all worries now. She was awaiting her final result. Bert had come 1st this year too. To Cole, Melly was looking exceptionally beautiful, more ravishing than she had been when he had seen her on the bus for the first time. He was having a hard time keeping his eyes off her.
“That’s it!” he told Pat. “I love the damn sight of her. I can’t stand it anymore!”
“What have you been waiting for, by the way? When will you propose?”
“I had been waiting for her exams to get out of the way.” He said it slowly, he was thinking about something. His hand went in his pocket.
“She’s free now.”
“Thanks, Pat! I never noticed!” Cole said sarcastically.
Pat laughed. Cole never liked to be disturbed when thinking about something so serious.
Melly was talking to Dan. “You’ve changed.”
“Everyone has. Well, not Pat really, but me and Cole, yes.”
“Cole? No.”
Dan laughed. “Not to you.”
“What do you mean not to me?”
Dan looked at her, searching her face. He seemed to be thinking something. He turned back and said, “Tell me what’s changed about me.”
Melly noted the change in the subject but did not object. “Well, at first you were the teasing Dan. ‘Will you go out with me?’ all the time. Then you became a lot serious and now you’ve become the same old Dan again.”
Dan laughed again.” ‘Will you go out with me?’”
Melly smiled. “By the way, is this change permanent or temporary?” teased Melly.
Dan looked at her again, seemed to think about her question, and then said, “I’ll answer your question now. You may not have noticed Cole’s change because it’s the change between before he met you and after he met you.”
“What…” she looked at his smirk. “You can’t mean…Cole possibly couldn’t…” she was confused “… could he?”
Dan’s eyes sparkled but he did not say anything. They heard somebody calling the restaurant to attention and they turned. It was Cole.
“Everybody, I’m about to propose to the woman I’m going to marry and I would like to have your attention.” He looked Melly in the eye. “I am about to propose to a girl whom I met on the bus about two years ago, I fell in love with her when I saw her. She’s never been my girlfriend but has always been by my side as a friend.”
He knelt in front of Melly. Melly wondered if he could hear her heart pounding. Cole held out a hand. “I have loved you ever since the first time I saw you, Melly. I will love you all my life. Will you be as kind to do me the honor of being my wife?”
And as Melly said “yes” and put her hand in his, the whole restaurant clapped and hooted. Cole slipped a ring on her ring-finger and kissed her hand.

Melanie Halsey was to marry Cole Milburn after a week in London. Then she would become Melanie Cole Millburn. Everybody was very excited. Pat’s and Dan’s happiness knew no bounds. The wise Pat had always known that Dan or Cole would be marrying Melly so it was no news for him but he and Sarah were more than happy. Dan had always known that Cole loved Melly but the idea of their marriage was thrilling. Ellen was intoxicated by the thought of Cole marrying Melly. She could think of nothing else. Little Bert was very excited too.
Back in England Melly’s mother and Chloe were preparing for the wedding. They both felt everything should be perfect for Melly. Melly had reached London five days before the wedding. The others were to come two days after her. An urgent matter had brought its way up and Cole wasn’t able to go with them. He rescheduled his flight for the day before the wedding.