The stranger who touched my heart.

I had heard about the Amish stores where fruit was so large and the taste of them was to be more than I ever could possibly imagine. In my head I pictured Willy Wonka with his crazy hair yelling excitedly "Oranges that taste so much better than oranges can taste!" I had great expectations.

On my way through the door I picked up a basket for fruit and walked over to where the fruit was. I slowed down as I saw grapefruit that were the size of melons. I picked one up to smell it and shut my eyes enjoying the incredible smell of the grapefruit.

When I opened my eyes there was a man standing directly in front of me, smiling just watching me. I could feel my heart beating wildly. He was tanned and had long wavy damp hair, he was dressed in an unbuttoned camp shirt, shorts and flip flops. He looked like he had just gotten out of the water. Which water I wondered, the ocean, the pool? He didn't smell like chlorine, the ocean I decided, he smelled salty.

He smiled exposing his perfectly white teeth then laughed at me with my grapefruit. "You look like you're enjoying that grapefruit!" "I am! It smells amazing, but I want oranges first."

We were talking to each other like we had known each other our entire lives. He grabbed my hand and we walked over to where all the oranges were, there were so many different ones. So many to choose from how would I pick seven? I always chose seven, it was more than six, yet less than 12, and for some reason to me that made sense.

I felt completely weightless with him as if we were spirits mixing, it was such an incredible feeling. I didn't know his name, he didn't know mine it was if it were just meant to be.

He turned to look at me and said " I like you, you have great energy." I wouldn't have said something like that, but I had to agree with the same thing with him. I felt like my body wasn't holding me back, there was no awkwardness, no stumbling over words just great sensations.

"Do you know how to find the best oranges?" He watched me, waiting, noone had ever cared about what I had to say or what I thought and here he was looking like a puppy with his head slightly cocked waiting for an answer. "Darker orange?" He shook his head no and picked up two oranges. Put your hands in front of you, palms up then shut your eyes, I won't hurt you. I felt as if everyone else in the store were no longer there, that it was just us. This stranger who was starting to make my heart come alive for the first time in five years. " I'm going to put an orange in each of your hands, tell me which is heavier." He very gently placed them in my hands, I could smell the scent of the oranges and the smell of him and the ocean all combined. I picked out the seven oranges that were heaviest and he put them in my basket. He asked me why I chose the heavy ones, I just didn't know. He said quietly, "Silly, because those are the ones that are full of juice!" That made perfect sense to me. He picked out some oranges for himself as I watched him figuring which were heaviest, then we walked through the rest of the store hand in hand. I noticed all the women turning to look at him, he smiled at me the whole time and me at him, I was amazed, I didn't know any man would only pay attention to only the woman he was with.

We had such a pleasant shopping adventure together, I felt like me, but then again I felt nothing like me, so being in the present-not feeling the heavy lead blanket of depression of the past I always wore around me.

I liked this girl of being so in the present. He broke through my thoughts as we were leaving the store. "Your car?" He was asking. "On the right, towards the rear. " "Same as mine" he said. We walked together towards our cars still holding hands. I thanked him for teaching me about fruit,he insisted the pleasure was all his.

We arrived at my car, he laughed and pointed at his parked right next to mine, we both laughed.

We gave each other hugs as we parted he said he loved my long red hair, freckles and sunburned skin and he asked me to never close my heart down, I promised.

I told him I loved him from the inside out, he has such a good heart, I hope he never gets hurt.

I never knew his name, he never knew mine. That day we were two souls connecting, and I think back to it with much fondness. When I think of oranges I think of him and how that day I allowed him, this stranger to touch my heart and I smile.