Chapter 10

Eventually, I went for my morning run, but my heart was not in it. All I could think about was Anna. What was wrong with me? It was unusual for me to be so infatuated with a woman.

After my run, I made a simple breakfast and prepared to plan out the rest of my day.

My spark was gone.

I decided to rent a small boat and explore a nearby river. Everything was present that should have contributed to a great day. The sky was clear, there was a gentle breeze, and the trees and bushes were in full bloom.

I saw a couple of lovely ladies on the dock of the marina, who smiled and waved as I went by. I probably could have stopped and talked, or even give them a ride, but I just wasn't interested.

I tried desperately to figure out a solution to my dilemma. I kept coming to a logger head. I guess my problem was the fact that I had placed love in the back of my mind and it had caught me by surprise when I had experienced it again. For it was indeed love. I knew it. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Anna.

I stopped at the Crab Shack for lunch. The food was good, as usual, and it brought me a little pleasure. I found myself occasionally looking to see if Anna was returning from the rest room, but of course, she never came.

After lunch I made a few phone calls and then drove into town to run a few errands. That evening I ate at one of the outdoor patios. It would have been a perfect night to spend with Anna. I noticed a lovely lady sitting alone at another table. Normally, I might have made some small talk with her, but it was not going to happen that night.

Suddenly, my phone rang. It was Anna. She said she missed me. She asked if I would be able to come to Atlanta. I told her that I would make it happen. I said I would be there early on the morrow. She assured me that she would save the entire day for me.

I suddenly had a mission. I located an internet cafe and searched for fun things to do in Atlanta. I used Goggle Earth to find events that were in close proximity to her cousin's house.

I returned to my campsite and packed up my supplies. I wanted to leave early. The only thing I would need to do in the morning was to take down the tent and roll up my sleeping bag and pad.

When I knew that I had done as much as was possible, I took a chair to the beach and sat down to reminisce. I thought about the swim we had taken the night before. It seemed like a beautiful, beautiful dream. I tried to imagine her eyes, her smile, and her lips. I recalled her laughter and that funny little giggle.

I couldn't wait to see her, even if it was only going to be for a few days. I headed back to my tent, realizing that I would have to make the most of the next two days.

That night I had a dream. I dreamt I was running after Anna on a beach. She was wearing a white silky gown. She looked beautiful. By the light of the moon, I could just make out the shape of her body through the sheer material. I ran after her, but she was always just a little bit ahead of me. I tried to run faster, but I just couldn't catch up with her.

She would occasionally turn her head to see where I was. The look on her face gradually turned from joyous play, to evident concern. Eventually she faded into the mist and was gone.

I woke up in a sweat. I was so upset that I had to get up and walk around the campsite. In vain, I tried to shake the vision from my head. What if it was a premonition? I immediately wiped that thought from my mind. I was going to see Anna tomorrow and that was that.

The next morning I was up at five. I don't believe I have ever broke camp so quickly. It only took me twenty minutes to pack up and be on the road. I figured it would take me around four hours to get to Atlanta. I planned on giving Anna a call when I was in the vicinity of her cousin's house.

The traffic wasn't bad and I kept myself occupied thinking about our plans for the day. Sometimes I have found that the expectation of an event is much more exciting than the actual thing. Many times the actual reality is a little disappointing.

In this case, I knew I wouldn't be letdown. In fact, I knew that I was going to enjoy the next two days to the fullest.

I pulled off the freeway in order to use the restroom and purchase a coffee. I noticed a sharp bend in the road up ahead, but didn't think much about it. A thick hedge of bushes lined the road.

I didn't have time to react.

It happened so fast.

All it takes is one second in time, and your whole life is changed forever.

I tried to go for the ditch, but the oncoming vehicle swerved in the same direction.

My last conscious thought was this ... my time had come.

I was later told that the drunk driver was estimated to be going around sixty. His pickup was badly damaged, but he only sustained some minor injuries.

I learned that it took the rescue crew about twenty minutes to extract me from my vehicle. I must have hit my head, probably from the side impact. They told me I was in a comma for almost three weeks. I sustained a few broken bones, but the head trauma was the most serious injury. When I finally came to, the doctor commented that my good physical condition had probably saved my life.

My vehicle had been totaled. My brother had flown down to see me and had made the necessary arrangements. He had left instructions on how to contact him when I came out of the comma. Evidently he wasn't too concerned about the possibility that I might not recover.

After the fuzziness began to fade, I remembered the appointment with Anna. In a panic, I asked for my phone. Of course, the battery was dead and I had to wait for it to charge. When I finally dialed the number, I recognized Yuri's voice on the other end of the phone.

"Hello, can I speak with Anna?"

"May I ask who is calling?" Yuri responded.

"It's Clint. I met Anna at the campground."

"We wondered what had happened to you. Anna waited all day for you to come. She was very depressed. I guess she tried to call you on several occasions. I tried to warn her that you probably had moved on, but she kept saying it wasn't true."

I was stunned. "I had an accident on the way down. I have been in the hospital in a coma. I really need to speak with Anna." I realized that my tone of voice was getting a little sharp.

"Anna is not here. She returned to Russia several days ago. She has not been the same person since our trip to the coast."

I couldn't believe it. The nurse came in to see why my heartbeat had become so elevated. She asked me to get off the phone, but I shrugged her off.

I heard Yuri asking if I was still there.

"How can I get in touch with her," I asked.

"You will need to write a letter. There are no cell towers near her village. In order for you to speak with her, she would need to go to the village hall and call you. It can be very expensive."

I told Yuri to have her call me the next time she phoned him. I said I would send her the money to cover the cost of a call. He assured me that he would inform her as to my condition.

I lay back in bed and contemplated my situation. It was bad, very bad. I was robbed of seeing my girl by some drunken fool who didn't even require a hospital stay. Then other thoughts began to enter my mind. Did she think I had just stood her up? That mental exercise was just too difficult for me to think through. I knew that I had to get out of the hospital so that I could begin to plan my next move.

My brother arrived the next day. He was glad to see that I was doing better. He informed me that he would stay with me until I was ready to travel. He had collected what was salvageable from the wreck and had already mailed it home. All that had to happen was for me to get well enough to travel.

The next few days were frustrating. I couldn't contact Anna, the doctors wouldn't let me be discharged, and my head hurt like hell.

I called the number again that Anna had given me. This time it was Yuri's wife who answered. Something told me that she did not believe my story. I finally convinced to her to give me Anna's address. I immediately set about writing a letter. I also placed a hundred dollar bill inside the envelope. I wrote that it was to be used to cover the cost of several phone calls.

My brother arrived and I was released from the hospital. I was given instructions to check in with my doctor when I arrived home. The flight home was uneventful. It was rather comforting to finally be going back to a place of my own.

Once I arrived home, I started to learn everything I could about the village where Anna lived. It was evidently too small to be located on Google Maps, but I was eventually able to zero in on the general vicinity. I used information that Anna had shared during our long conversations. I tried to contact Yuri several times, but nobody answered. I began to suspect that they thought I had just been one of those guys who picked up girls and then dumped them.

I eventually returned to work. I started with half days and then quickly resumed my normal duties. I didn't have any external evidence of my accident, except for a scar above my eye. My friends joked that it made me look like a warrior.

Despite the return to normal life, I could not shake thoughts of Anna from my mind. Many nights I would lie in bed and think about her. I downloaded the pictures I had taken onto my computer and purchased a larger screen. I would play the slideshow over and over. I would often stop and enlarge certain areas of her face. I would dwell on the eyes. The camera lens had captured them well, but it was not like gazing into them in person.

I waited weeks for a reply letter, but nothing arrived with a Russian return address. My life became one of doing my daily duties, hoping that the phone would ring or the mailman would bring me a letter.

Nothing came.

I gradually began to formulate a plan. I would travel to Russia and find my love. Once I had the plan, all I needed to do was to work out the details. I spent many nights on the computer finding out everything I could about Russia. I ordered a new passport, which had expired, and talked to my employer about the possibility of taking a business trip to Russia. I eventually talked him into letting me go, providing I would cover all the expenses.

The company I worked for was a supplier of decorative wood paneling products for upscale arenas and auditoriums. My boss was actually a very good friend and had offered me a chance to become a partner. Many of our products were prominently displayed in the local sports arenas. Fortunately for me, there was a slowdown in building and most of our business was now in remodels. My boss would be able to handle the work, but it would mean longer days for him. I promised that I would make it up to him.