On a clear, bright day, an aspiring writer sat down at his desk, staring blankly into his computer screen. He had come out to the countryside in order to be free from distractions, free to think and let the words flow on to the paper. However, after four months, he realized it was easier said than done. He was determined to stay at least until fall, but he really wanted to go home. He missed his friends, his family, even his job as a reporter for the local newspaper.

That’s when inspiration struck. He was focused so hard on writing a grand story, he forgot the grandest of them all: his. His fingers flew across the keyboard at lightning speed. 25 pages. 50 pages. 100 pages. 200 pages. Before he knew it, he had a 307-page novel written. He was elated to be finished writing and to be going home within a matter of days. He saved the file, and backed it up.

The writer descended the stairs and entered the kitchen. He cooked himself a nice lemon chicken dinner with rice, mashed potatoes and gravy. Having stuffed his face like a king, the man went up to bed, where he had his first good sleep in several weeks.

The next morning he awoke, and began packing his things. He then left the cabin, left the woods, and soon after left the train station for home. On the train, he noticed a beautiful woman sitting one row in font of him on the left side. He pondered a moment, and then though of a way he could add her into his story. Occasionally, the man would glance up from his screen at her, only for a brief second and then continue writing.

He finished this latest installment, and as he was closing his laptop, he noticed she was no longer in her seat. Where could she have gone he wondered to himself; the train hasn’t stopped and there are no on board lavatories. No sooner did he finish this thought than he found himself face to face with the woman. Stunned, the writer searched for words to offer a greeting, an inquiry, an explanation, and any sentence at all.

Seeing the man was struggling with his words, the woman broke the silence.

“Hello,” she said in a heavy accent, “please explain why make stare.”

“My apologies miss. You see, I’m writing a story and thought a beautiful woman, such as you, would make for a great character” he replied, in a nervous manner.

“You are very nervous. Why you act this way? Am I scared?” she answered.

The writer, trying to save a little face said, “Its just normally gorgeous girls don’t interact with me. Your accent, its very distinguished. Where are you from?”

“I am from Russia. I come to America to work and to escape factory.”

“Well, do you have any idea where you’re heading? Any friends or relatives you can stay with?”

“No, I am, how you say, ‘Wing it’.”

“Look, my stop is next. Why don’t you come stay with me, until you get on your feet?”

“I could never be burden to you. I find hotel, some where.”

“Nonsense. Please, I insist. By the way, miss, what’s your name?”

“My name is Alisa. And who are you?”

“I’m Jack, but you can call me Ace. Everyone else does.”

Ace and Alisa talked for the rest of the train ride. She told him about her former life in Russia: her childhood while it was the USSR, through the fall during her teenage years, until she left the rebuilt nation as an adult. Jack realized this would make an excellent addition to her character because, after all, it really happened. Alisa finished her story, with tears in her eyes.

“You miss your home, don’t you?” asked Jack

“Yes, it was everything I ever knew. I just hope find good home here” she answered, trying to keep the tears from rolling out of her eyes and sliding down her cheek like a skier on the slopes.

Seeing that the conversation of her home seriously bothered Alisa, Jack quickly switched to himself. He told her about his younger brother Christopher, and his struggle to provide for the both of them after their parents were assassinated. Jack’s father, Joseph, was running for the United States Senate, and he was going to win. While campaigning, he and his wife we’re each shot three times by hit men—two in the heart, one in the head.

Sixteen-year-old Ace watched the events unfold on TV and couldn’t bear to tell his 10-year-old brother to watch. He instead told him later that night, when his parents didn’t come home. Jack first turned to crime to solve their problems. He stole money, food, anything that would help them live. After he was caught once, he was scared straight and hasn’t stolen anything since.

The writer worked up to four jobs at one point just to put food on the table for Christopher. Then, he caught a break. At age 20, Jack wrote an editorial for the local paper. The manager for the paper read the article and immediately fell in love with Ace’s writing. He sought out Jack, and when he found him, offered to pay for him to attend college, earn a journalism degree, and work for the paper.

Jack was overjoyed at the offer; however, he couldn’t leave Christopher all by himself. Seeing the commitment Ace had to his brother inspired the editor to adopt both boys. Their problems were over. In four years, Jack graduated from college with his MA in Journalism and a minor in Spanish, and Christopher was going off to earn his aerospace engineering degree.

Just as Ace was finishing his story, right up to the moment he met Alisa, the train arrived in his hometown.

“Here we are. Alisa, welcome to Jurassic Park Island…Nah, I’m just kidding. Could you imagine? No, this is Williamstown. Come on I’ll show you around.”

He took Alisa all around Williamstown; they went to his old school, to the library, even to the grassy meadow where a scene for the movie Regan and The Sailor was filmed. Ace wrapped up his tour with a trip to the offices for the Williamstown Press. They went in, and he took her to his desk. On the way out, the pair bumped into his boss, and adoptive father, Alex.

“Hey son. Glad to see you made it back safe” said Alex, embracing his son. “Who’s your friend?”

“Dad, this is Alisa. She emigrated from Russia. I’m showing her around and offered to put her up until she could get on her feet.”

“Well, miss Alisa, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to the United States.”

“Thank you, sir” replied Alisa.

“Oh, and your mother and I are going to see your Uncle Will and Aunt J this weekend. I asked Ryan to check on the house, but he knows you and Christopher might be going in and out.”

“Okay, thanks for the heads up. Have a nice weekend. See you on Monday” answered Ace. He turned to Alisa and said, “Okay, I’ll take you back to my place now.”

The two walked down the street a few blocks. When they turned the corner and passed an alley, a man jumped out behind them. He drew his six shot revolver and aimed it at Ace.

“Don’t move buddy. Hand me your wallet and jewelry. You too babe” demanded the mugger.

“Okay. Here you go, just don’t pull the trigger. You can have it,” replied the reporter.

“Thanks for the goods.”
The gunman turned and started walking away. Something possessed Jack, because at that moment he lunged at his attacker and knocked him down and the gun skidded down the sidewalk. He landed a punch on the side of the man’s face and grabbed his and Alisa’s possessions. Then as quickly as he could, he unloaded the revolver.

Suddenly the police arrived on the scene. Captain Skylar and officer Dillon stepped out of the squad car. They made their way towards Ace and the now unconscious attacker. Dillon handcuffed the assailant while Skylar questioned the reporter.

“Okay, son, tell me what happened here.”

“I was walking home with my friend right there. We came around the corner, and he pointed the gun at us, demanding we give him our wallets and jewelry. When he turned to walk away, I knocked him down, hit him once, took our stuff back, and dumped the bullets out of his gun.”

“Okay, we’re going to need you guys to sit tight for just a minute while we interview witnesses.”

After a few minutes, Ace and Alisa were allowed to leave; the local delicatessen, Dylan, verified their story. When the pair finally arrived at Jack’s apartment, it was nearly midnight. After a quick macaroni and cheese dinner, the writer showed her to his bedroom.

“You can sleep in here tonight. I’ll crash on the couch.

“That very kind. Thank you Mr. Ace.”

“Please, just call me Ace. Now get some rest. Sleep well Alisa.”

“Okay, good night Ace, you have well sleep too.”

The next day, Jack woke up around eight. He went to his room to check on Alisa. To his surprise she was gone. Her suitcase was still there, but the bed was made, the pillows were fluffed, and he could see the floor. Puzzled, Ace went to the kitchen and made breakfast. He ate slowly mulling over where she could have gone. He finished his breakfast and went out to the balcony.

He found Alisa sitting with her head in her knees. She was crying deeply, and Ace really wasn’t sure what to do. He closed the door, and sat beside the Russian girl. He placed his hand on her back; she jumped a little, and buried her head once again.

“I didn’t mean to startle you. What’s wrong Alisa? Are you feeling homesick?”

“I miss family. I need work send money home. My family, they are poor.”
“Hey, hey. Look at me. I promise on Monday we’ll go get you a job. Right now, try to relax. I understand you miss your family. Is there anyway for you to reach them?”

“Only by letter, we don’t have money for phone.”

“Do they ever want to come here?”

“ Well yes, but again, we have no money. I am not…”

“Not what? Not legal?”

“No, not exactly”

“Alisa, you can’t get a job if you’re not a legal resident. And at this point, only one thing is going to make you legal in this country: green card marriage.”

“I do not understand. I must get married? And what is ‘green card’” asked the Russian alien.

“A green card wedding is something many illegal immigrants do; it provides you with legal status. There is one catch though; the marriage has to look legitimate. We could get married, you’re already living here, you’ve met my father, and we know a lot about each other. This could work.”

“You would do that for me? A stranger? Oh thank you Jack. Can we get married today?”

“Yeah, I don’t see why not. Let’s go down to the courthouse.”

The pair went down to the courthouse, where the Honorable Brittany married them. After validating the legitimacy of the marriage, she put through paperwork for Alisa to get her green card. Before the new husband and wife left, Brittany warned them that if this were proven to be a scam, they would both be in a lot of trouble.

On the way home, Jack and Alisa discussed how they were going to keep the marriage legitimate, and then divorce sometime after she received her green card.

“So, you said a letter is the only way to get in touch with your family?”

“Yes. The only phone is in the factory in the city. But the boss wont allow worker to use the phone.”

“Oh, I’m very sorry to hear it.”

It was then that Jack began to formulate a plan to get Alisa’s family to the States. Later that day, while Alisa was buying some new clothes, Ace placed a call to the foreman of the factory where she was employed. He was on the phone for what seemed like hours, but it was worth it. He negotiated the sponsorship of the rest of Alisa’s family. In return, he would send five thousand dollars when the family arrived. He was hanging up just as Alisa walked in.

“Look at what I bough, Jack!” exclaimed the newly married Alisa, “Let me show you what it looks like on me!”

Before Jack could answer she ran into the bedroom to change. Suddenly, he began thinking that this could be more than a green card marriage; however, he didn’t want to get his hopes up. He flashed back through his prior relationships and how each time he got his hopes up, it ended horribly.

The first steady girlfriend Jack had was before his parents were killed. They dated for a year and a half—right up to the assassination. She was supportive of him, but they grew apart, because their interests changed. He was still interested in her, but she found another man. It was after this the stealing began.

The next girl he dated was a criminal like him. She got him hooked on alcohol and marijuana. They were running wild, and he was falling for her, or so he thought. He was so messed up from all the drugs and booze he thought they were married, and called her “honey” one day. She left him, and that night, he was caught stealing by a rookie officer named Skylar.

When he got out of prison and rehab, he started working four jobs. They were all for fast food joints, and he worked nearly 80 hours a week. He dated a girl from one of those jobs, but his work took precedence over her, so she left him.

After Alex discovered the young man’s natural writing ability, and Jack started attending class, he began dating a girl named Michelle. They dated all through college. He was going to propose to her after they graduated, but somebody else thought other wise. The night he was going to propose, they were at dinner, when she suffered a heart attack. He sprinted outside and saw sergeant Skylar sitting in his squad car. They rushed her to the hospital; it was too late, though, the doctors pronounced her dead on arrival.

Since that fateful night, Ace hadn’t had a stable relationship. He had his column in the paper nailed down for quite a while, but soon, he was losing focus. His stories slowly started getting worse. At this point he decided on taking a hiatus. So he packed up some belongings, some food, and his computer and went up to the woods.

“What do you think?” asked Alisa, rousing Jack from his daze.

He looked up, and his jaw dropped. She looked like a supermodel in the dress she had bought. He barely managed to get out “You look beautiful”.

“Thank you. I hoped my new husband would like” she replied, in what seemed like a suggestive tone.

Now Ace was really confused. They laid out all the rules for their green card marriage earlier that very same day. Now, it seemed she was coming on to him, and this really got his hopes up. He had been a casualty of love for his whole life and it seemed like that was all about to change. She sat down next to him, right next to him.

“I want to thank you for helping me out, and for cheering me up. I never shopped for new clothes back home. It was wonderful” Alisa said, as she gave him a big hug.

The reporter was now convinced that she had a thing for him. He hugged her back, and it made him feel like a new person. A part of him didn’t want that hug to end, but he also knew that this would come back to haunt him. When she let go, he tried gasped and fought back tears that started to form.

“What is wrong? Was that a bad thing to do?” asked the stunning Russian woman.

“No it was good; the best hug I’ve had in many years. Thank you” answered the writer. He then gave her the rundown of his relationship with Michelle. “And so I thought I could never feel whole again. That’s why I went up to the woods. It’s why we met on the train. It’s why I fought back against that mugger. It’s also why I think I have a crush on you. But this is just a green card marriage and I only met you a day ago.”

“Tell me, Jack, do you believe in love at first sight?”

“Yes, I do. What are you--?”

“What about love at first feel?”

“Isn’t that an AC/DC so—?”

Before he could finish his question, she grabbed him and kissed him. It was at that point Jack realized he had found somebody to love. He now felt like a new person. He was ready to take on the world and return to his job on Monday.

A few months passed from their first kiss. They lost interest in the idea of it only being a green card marriage, and they were living like a happily married couple. Jack had been promoted to deputy editor. Alisa received her green card in the mail, and according to the factory boss in Russia, the family was to arrive plane that night.

“Honey, I want to take you out for dinner tonight. I’ll get us reservations for the Fancy Italian Restaurant. And then maybe I can take you some place special.”

“Ooh that sounds wonderful, darling. I will see you tonight. Have a great day at work.”

The rest of the day went as smooth as the morning. When they left for dinner, Ace was feeling like he was king of the world. Dinner was fantastic, and the best part of the night was in store. The young man had kept Alisa’s family’s arrival a secret from her to give her a moment she’ll remember forever,

“Are we going somewhere Jack? Is it an exotic vacation?” she asked when they got to the airport.

“No, something even better. Say hello…to your family” replied Ace as they walked through the doors.

Upon seeing her family, Alisa ran to them, and they embraced. Jack stood by the doors, looking on with satisfaction. Her father, Ilya, approached him when he was done hugging his daughter. He gave Jack a big hug, thanked him and welcomed him into the family.

Now that both Jack and Alisa’s families were here, they could have a traditional wedding. Watching her come down the aisle, Ace was filled with that feeling he got the first time they kissed. The reception was even better. Their fist dance was to “It’s Your Wedding Day” from the musical, The Wedding Singer. When the dance was over, Jack read Alisa a letter he wrote:

“They say you’ll marry you best friend. If that’s true, I’m glad that you are my best friend. I love you more than anything. Honestly and truly, all I want to do is grow old with you. I really don’t want to ever let you go. The one that I want is right in front of my eyes. And you’re the one that I want, yes indeed.

“Every time I hold you I’m scared to let go because you’re my world. Everything I do, I do it for you. As long as I am living, you will always be one true love. The one I would walk a thousand miles for. The one I would kill for. The one I would stop a bullet for. You’re the one for me. I just can’t see me loving nobody but you.”

After he read the letter, she gave him a big kiss. They left for their honeymoon soon after. While on the plane, Ace got an idea for a story. He pulled out his computer and started to type.

On a clear, bright day, an aspiring writer sat down at his desk, staring blankly into his computer screen….