Lightning Strikes

Sunday Photo Fiction – March 13th 2016

When lightning struck him he was noticeably different for months. Some people said he was never the same. He knew when it happened he could never be the same. He knew it for sure the first time he tried to eat. Food tasted different. It wasn’t bad, but none of it was great anymore. At that moment he understood why hate was not the opposite of love. Indifference was the opposite. He was indifferent about even his favorite food.

But he loved her from that first unforgettable moment when she dropped her keys. That sparkle he saw in her eyes when their hands touched stole his sleep for many nights. That sparkle also stole his words and his courage. The subway doors closed and she was gone.

He looked for her for months, despite not expecting lightning to strike the same unlikely place twice. He saw her only and only her in his dreams.

Five years had passed when he recognized the sparkle in a distant town. Many things had changed. He’d learned to love food again and dream new dreams. He’d found the courage and words to invite her for a drink. He introduced her to his lovely wife.

(200 words)