One Green Eye and One Blue Eye

One Green Eye And One Blue Eye:

I have one green eye and one blue eye. The green eye sees the truth. but the blue eye sees much, much more.

This was printed on the back of the business card Matt held in his hand. The card was beautiful! It was lavishly illustrated on the front, with women's eyes—one green and one blue. Around the eyes, like a picture frame, was the information Matt was trying to read.

Readings—Past, Present, and Future. Litha Moon Knight, 555 C Summerset Lane 888/555-5235

Matt had met Litha the week before at a party on the lake. He wasn't invited to the party and didn't actually crash it, more the other way around. He had been kayaking and was in the process of loading his gear into his truck. Several cars pulled into the parking lot packed full of people, and before he knew it he was helping them set up for an all-night party.

Including Matt, there were 13 people; two couples in their mid-50s, three elderly women, two girls around the age of 19, a rather portly middle-aged man, and his thin, tall gray-haired male friend, and Litha—a girl the same age as Matt. Matt had never seen such a diverse group of people having such a good time together.

Several of them had brought instruments to play and from time to time they would create a mournful tune or an upbeat jug. Some even danced in the sand. Litha sat by a small fire and effortlessly toasted and roasted hors d'oeuvres which everyone savored. There were several bottles of fine wine that made their way around the circle of friends. They talked about everything. The stars and constellations took up a large part of the evening, do to the fact that it was such a clear night and the stars were so bright. It was also the beginning of August and right smack in the middle of the Perseid meteor showers.

The three elderly ladies took turns telling the most fabulous stories and Matt found himself opening up to these strangers. An hour or two before dawn he helped them pack their cars and just before Litha got into her car she gave Matt a warm hug and thanked him for his help and handed him her business card. They drove off and he sat in his truck by the lake until the sun had brightened the sky.

All the next week he was haunted by the events of that night. The people. The conversations. The music! He went back to the beach twice, hoping to run into one of them, but no luck.

He finally built up the courage to call Litha and to his surprise, she asked if he wanted to come over. He said yes, and now here he was trying to figure out where 515 C was. He found 513, 515 and 517. 515 look like an ordinary house. It was dark and starting to rain and he was just thinking about giving up when he saw her in the third-floor window. Feeling like a burglar, he walked around the side of the house. And there very discreetly tucked behind a lattice thick with morning glories was a narrow staircase that led up to the third floor.

Litha greeted him on the landing with a glass of wine. She sat down on the bench facing the backyard. Matt joined her. They were protected from the rain by a rather generous porch roof. From the roof hung several birdcages, warm with the glowing of candles.

Matt felt awkward and little embarrassed for wanting to see her, but she didn't seem to notice. She started talking about that night at the lake. She told Matt about each person that was there. The three elderly ladies, the portly gentleman and his tall thin friend, the 19-year-old twin sisters, and the two middle-aged couples. She was fascinated by their personalities, and by the time she got done telling Matt about each one of them, he felt like he had known them forever.

Matt talked a little about his kayaking and his work, but he was never really comfortable talking about himself. All this time he had been unconsciously holding her business card in his hand. "I love your card. One green eye, one blue. I've only seen you in the dark. Is one of your eyes green and the other blue?" Matt asked while turning the card over in his hand.

"Oh, come see," Litha said. She took him by the hand and led him into her apartment.

It was not a typical apartment. It was a large, finished attic. They were generous-sized dormers, in each of the walls. They had just entered in through one, the dormer to the right was a tiny kitchen. One straight across from the entry must be the bathroom because it was enclosed and it had a door. One to the left was tucked away behind folding screens, and Matt assumed that was the bedroom. The middle was furnished with wicker lawn furniture. It was arranged in such a way to make three very distinct areas. A living room and dining area and an art studio.

Litha had gone into the tiny kitchen to pour them some more wine while Matt took in the place.

"Great apartment," Matt said.

"Thanks. I own a house and rent out the first and second floor. There's also a studio apartment over the garage, but it's vacant right now. It has given me the financial freedom I need to do my art."

Matt looked at her closely for the first time since he met her the week before. She was beautiful. She did have one green eye and one blue eye! But it wasn't like the illustration on the card. There was a scar that ran from her hairline in the middle of her forehand and angled across her eye and deep into her cheekbone, right up to her ear. Her eye was a milky blue and Matt thought Litha must be blind in that eye. Litha was waiting for this moment. The horror. The excuses. The exit.

Matt realized he was quiet just a little too long and said, "I'm staring."

"It happens a lot. It was nice talking to you on the porch, though," Litha said, giving Matt a way out. She certainly didn't expect him to do what he did next. Standing in the dining area of the little apartment, Matt proceeded to undo his trousers and let them drop to his ankles. There he stood in a T-shirt, plaid boxers, and a prosthesis, attached at the knee on his right leg.

Litha stared just a little too long.

"It was nice on the porch, but I'm hungry. Want to go get something to eat?" Matt said.

After another long pause, they both broke out laughing. Matt pulled up his trousers and reached for his glass of wine.

"Let's eat in. I'll cook!" Litha said with a smile that lit up the room.