10. Darkness, chapter two continued from Elliot Smith

Our discussions would soon deviate into deliberations on films we loved. As things were going relatively well, I inexorably developed the nerve to tell Kara how I exactly felt.

"I wanted to tell you that I was really disappointed that you came by last night to set me up with Brenda. You see, I really like you".

Kara punctuated my declaration, explaining that she was unaware of Brenda's preoccupation with me and Poo-bear's subsequent neurosis.

"I came to see you today because I like you too".

That was it, It happened, she liked me too. In a millisecond the soundtrack in my head had ignited, I believe in a thing called love by the Darkness. Touching you, touching me, touching you, God you're touching me. This would also prevail as the soundtrack to an advancing montage of shared evenings at the movies and copious late night viewings of Emergency reruns. As a child I had always loved that show, I think it had cultivated from the commotion of fire engines and rescue operations. As an adult, its lustre had vanished but I loved the fact that it was Kara's favourite childhood television show.

One night during a very confidential moment, I whispered three words you definitely don't utter when you barely know someone at the risk of sounding barmy. I had hoped Kara hadn't heard the three words, but she had.

"why did you say that?" Kara demanded.

"Say what?" I knew she had heard me. It's just that the situation demanded a perishable obstruction for me to comprehend what had the hell had compelled me to say those three words.

"You know what you said. Why would you say it if you didn't mean it and how could you mean it if we barely know each other?"

She had me there, "I don't know Kara. The words just came out, I wasn't thinking it and I couldn't stop myself when the words emerged".

This was the truth, the explanation to what had propelled the inducement of the words was unanswerable. I was compelled. This is an essential word to note at this point because I was about to be tossed into a unpredictable succession of events by uncanny compulsion. Coincidence or fate was about to become a directorial force in my life.