“Where are you?” she laughed out loud.
Mandy had suggested Hampton Court as a fun second date venue and she had been right. There was something communal and spiritual about sharing a historical experience. And there was so much to see, absorb, appreciate in the art work, tapestries, décor and space. A thread through history linking us all in some way.
Mandy and I spent the morning touring the palace, had a late lunch and then ‘some fun’ in the maze. You couldn’t visit Hampton Court and not go in the maze!
I stayed quiet, smiling and giggling to myself all the while. Young children came running through, excited parents chasing them as if they had become children again. That was what the maze did. It gave you back your childhood, even if only for a few minutes. You could step back from all the adult bullshit and experience innocent fun again.
I walked back the way I had come and saw Mandy through a gap in the branches. She was only a few feet away from me. Suddenly, it seemed very quiet, as if the maze had absorbed, encased everyone else, leaving only Mandy and me. She looked so young, so beautiful standing there trying to hear where I was, thinking about the best direction to take.
I crept back and found my way around to where she was, dashing towards her and grabbing her by the waist. She screamed, turned to face me and laughed, wrapping her slender arms around my neck and kissing me. A long soft, marshmallow kiss.
“Why did you hide from me?” she asked me quietly.
“I wanted to see if you’d miss me,” I replied smiling and hugging her tightly.
“I don’t want to miss you. I want to be with you, always!” she whispered into my ear.
My world exploded like fireworks, the universe creating a new planet, an incredible eruption of life and wonder.
Children’s laughter filled the air once again, bringing us to ourselves. We giggled together, held hands and found our way out of the maze.