“What the hell, man! You left me waiting for like two hours.”

“Sorry Sam, I was…detained, and there was absolutely no way I could leave.” I stared back at the rumpled sheets on my bed, the scent of her perfume that lingered on the pillows was the only sign that she was real. I never did catch her name, nor did I tell her mine. I let her slip through my fingers like the idiot I was.

“Well I hope you don’t stand me up for dinner tonight. My wife is excited to meet you, and my sister will be here as well.”

“I’ll be there. There’s no way I’m missing Christmas dinner.”

“Good. Be here at eight sharp. My wife is a kicker for sit down dinners.”

“I’ll be there at seven.”

“Can’t wait to see you, man.”

“Me too, Sam. Thanks.”

Hanging up the phone, I grabbed my coat and headed on out. I needed to do some last-minute shopping before heading over to Sam’s. It had been a long time since I’d bought gifts for anyone, and I was definitely not in my element. Within the hour I was being pushed and shoved around as shoppers grabbed whatever last-minute items they could find. Lines as far as the eye could see while men and women rushed to buy their final gifts.

A glimmer of silver caught my eye and I stopped, staring into the display window of a quaint little shop. There was an Angel Crystal Ornament on display and it seemed to call out to me. A golden heart and golden wings adorned it. Staring at it I remembered the angel that was in my bed the night before. The one that disappeared as quickly as she’d appeared.

I knew nothing about her, yet I missed her as if I’d she’d always been a part of my life. It was an odd feeling. How could you possibly miss a stranger, but yet, I did. I missed her soft sighs, her big green eyes, the feel of her hands on me. The sweetest purr that fell from her lips when my entered her body, it was the most enticing sound.

For some reason I walked into the store and purchased the angel. I figured maybe someone would want it, maybe I’d give it away at Christmas, or maybe even keep it for myself as a reminder of my pretty redhead. The snow had begun to lightly fall and stick to my scarf, the wind had picked up sending a gush of cold my way, wrapping my coat around me and sinking my head into my scarf, I wandered the streets of Manhattan, for once enjoying the Christmas feel. The twinkling of lights in department store windows, big giant ornaments hanging everywhere, and the occasional Christmas carol that wafted through speakers from within a store.

I felt a sense of peace this morning. A feeling I’d lost in the last couple years. Ever since my Ex filed for divorce, I just couldn’t seem to breathe. It was a nasty time in my life. So much hatred that came from love, I couldn’t believe how much she’d come to hate me. How I wasn’t enough for her. On top of the fact that through the course of the divorce I’d found out she’d cheated on me more than once. After that, I wasn’t playing nice anymore. We’d been married for ten years, and there was absolutely no way in hell I was giving her a penny of my hard-earned money. Instead, I left her with the house and moved back to New York. Far enough away from her to start a new life and forget all the shit she’d put me through. She was intent on hurting me any way she could, and she did. Her excuse, I wasn’t there for her. But how could I be, when her trips were more important to her than me. Those trips where she’d sleep around with any man that crossed her path.

Don’t get me wrong. I tried. I didn’t want our marriage to fail, but it had already started to dwindle when we found out she couldn’t have children. It was as if though she took that as an opportunity to open her legs to every man that wanted a taste. And I couldn’t do it anymore. I was done being pushed aside and treated like I was worthless. Yes, men can also feel neglected, and it had hurt. I had loved her so much, yet she took that love and destroyed it. And when I realized that I would never be happy with her, that’s when I packed my shit and left. She filed for divorce a month later.

Two years later and I had asked my company to move me. The opportunity presented itself to work in New York and I grabbed it. I moved to the city farthest from her, all the way across the country. This was the first Christmas I was going to spend away from the place I knew as home, and I felt more at peace here than I ever did in Washington.

I never expected that the move would bring me into the arms of an angel. But maybe that was the step I needed to start feeling like myself again. Letting go with a stranger who only wanted what I had to give. A beautiful angel who only wanted to have one night of pleasure, even if it was undeniably the best night of my life. If I never saw her again I’d at least have the memory of her sweetness in my mind forever.

I have to admit, that if I could, I’d search for her. I even contemplated going back to the same place I found her. But who was I kidding, God only knew where she lived, where she was at this very moment. But a thought fluttered through my mind and I wondered…was she thinking about me.