Allegro con fuoco

LXVII

It was almost like they weren't in Singapore at all, anymore. Like they weren't even in the world anymore. It was just them, and Ben, and the garden, and the flowery bowls. Eddy could smell the flowers, even, and something else too, something spicy sweet that trilled in the warm air. Brett looked at him, the brown spot in his eye floating in the tears he was refusing to let fall. 
"My lovely Eddy." he said softly. "I've loved you forever. From the moment I first saw you. I will love you forever. I won't waver, I won't leave. Ever. We'll grow together, going where life takes us, together. I'll be by your side, and I'll have you by my side, my man. My everything. Nobody has ever been luckier than me."
Eddy blinked to let his own tears fall. There was nothing left in him to care about such trivialities. He heard Brett's words, the beautiful words, mixing with the scents, mixing with the ethereal spot they found themselves in, words Brett had clearly thought about, even if he hadn't known this was coming. 
"Wow." he said huskily. "I don't know if I know how to say anything as beautiful as that. But... I love you too, Bretty. I love you so much. And I'm the lucky one, because you've chosen to spend your life with me. I get to be with you. I still can't believe I do. So I will support you, and no matter what you decide to do, where you decide to go, I'll be with you. Always."
Ben smiled his kind smile at both of them, then he picked up the copper vases and poured some water from one of them into the other.
"Let us vow to bear witness to the wholeness of life"  he said then. "Realizing the completeness of each and every thing. Embracing our differences, I shall know myself as you, and you as myself. May we serve each other for all our days, here, there, and everywhere. Let us vow to open ourselves to the abundance of life. Freely giving and receiving, I shall care for you, for the trees and stars, as treasures of my very own. May we be grateful for all our days, here, there, and everywhere. Let us vow to forgive all hurt, caused by ourselves and others, and to never condone hurtful ways. Being responsible for my actions, I shall free myself and you. Will you free me, too? May we be kind for all our days, here, there, and everywhere. Let us vow to remember that all that appears will disappear. In the midst of uncertainty, I shall sow love. Here! Now! I call to you: Let us together live the great peace that we are. May we give no fear for all our days, here, there, and everywhere."

The two boys stood side by side, rooted to the spot, staring at the monk with his kind eyes and his yellow robe, speaking those words they had never heard before but yet seemed to change something about the very make up of their being. 
"T-thank you." Eddy stammered then. 
"Wow. Yes. Thank you." Brett added. 
It was the most solemn of moments, stretching out into minutes, but then Ben broke it by laughing suddenly, freely, a great belly laugh that seemed to flow over the pergola and back down into the bowls of flowers, his orange robe shaking with his mirth. 
"Good, good. Now. We have been invited to a feast by my brother! Let's go and eat!"
Brett shot Eddy an astounded look as they followed the happy monk again, away from the pergola, back through the gardens and onto the tiled square. 
"You knew this?" he whispered. 
"I knew there was going to be a blessing and I knew about food. I didn't know how... wow."
"Eddy..." Brett breathed, and now the tears that he'd held before swelled up on his eyelids. Eddy grabbed his hand, holding it tight. "It was the best thing ever. Thank you. I'll never ever forget it."
Eddy smiled as the gratitude washed through him. He looked around to see the spot that would now forever be so special to him vanishing around the corner.
"Yeah, yeah." he half scoffed, a bit shy about all this praise. "Me either. Now let's go and stuff our faces, yeah?" 
"Yes. And then I'm taking you back to the hotel and we're consummating this... sort of marriage."
Suddenly Eddy could have skipped the whole party and gone straight back to their room. But he grabbed himself together. Brett loved to party. 
"It's a deal." he said as he let his hand go and walked after the orange robe, towards the bus stop.
Wait. Monks took buses?