Top of the World (War romance story)

Chapter Seven (Part Two)

"Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live." 

Abby

- 

In a town where social drama was used as cheap entertainment, church gatherings were used for gossip swapping, and every person in town knew one another's business, I felt a slight reassurance by the fact that the news of my family's tragedy hadn't reached quite everyone. Hudson, looking as charming as always, looked up at me with compassionate green eyes, and gave me the slightest hint of a smile, and began to gently caress my hand. "I had no idea," He spoke, then swallowed hard, "I don't want to say 'I'm sorry', because that's what people do when they don't know what to say."

He was right. The condolences were nice, but they lacked sincerity. People seem to think that an apology and a pat on the back could cure everything, but the truth of the matter was, it couldn't. My family took each of these attempts of sincerity graciously, but no simple word or phrase could turn back time.

"I'm not asking for pity. I've had enough servings of that. I just wanted you to know. My father's a firm believer in never keeping feelings bottled up, and, quite frankly, I seem to specialize in that." I admitted, with my head hung low. My legs swung off the edge of the open truck bed, and a cool breeze blew slightly, picking up the hem of my dress.

There was silence between us, swirling like a fan in a stagnant room, and the cicadas chirping in the far distance became a white noise. The sky was beginning to melt into the colors of the late afternoon, with a vibrant, striking blue rolling expansively as far as you could see. I noticed a path of gray, ominous clouds hanging in the far west, and thought that maybe, come evening time, we'd have another thunderstorm.

I cocked my head to the right, glancing at Hudson. His head was turned opposite of me, staring out into the plain, swaying grasses of the field. My eyes grazed over him, then settled on his face. The glow from the sinking sun cast a light in a way that made him seem almost angelic. The sharp features of his face were shadowed, but the most simple features stuck out; the mess of brown hair, streaked with a subtle hint of red, curling slightly, emerald eyes gleaming a brilliant color, and his lips, pouted slightly, all seemed as if they were craved from perfect, flawless marble. I felt as if I could gaze at him for hours, as corny as that sounded.

"Despite what others may think or say," He broke the silence with a raspy voice, "I happen to think you're incredibly brave."

My heart swelled at his comment, and I tugged at his arm slightly, turning his body to face me, "You really think so?" I inquired. He nodded. "Absolutely. Everyone experiences tragedy at least once in their lives, and it's unavoidable. It's a part of being human. The part of tragedy that defines us, is how we handle it."

I remained silent. "And by the way, I think you've handled it exactly right. Mourning is every person's right, and no other person has the right to tell you how to feel. Look, I'm no doctor, and I don't know much about feelin's, but what I do know, is that everyone is their own person. To each their own, right?"

I was dumbfounded. I opened my mouth to speak, but no words would come out. I just nodded, and felt a grin grow wider on my face.

"Look," He leaned in closer, grabbing both of my hands that were idle at my sides. He held onto them, and looked me in the eye, "I won't judge you for anything. For your past, for what people think of you, for anything. I know people in town talk about you, and they assume that you've become some kind of... hermit, or whatever, but that doesn't matter to me. I just wanna make you happy, and healthy again. Would you let me do that?"

I nodded shyly, and hadn't realized my eyes were filling with tears, until my vision became blurry. I blinked several times, but before I could wipe an escaped tear from my cheek, Hudson beat me to it.