A Place To Bloom

Drunk

Geraln's face was covered in bruises from his swollen lip, dark black smudges beneath his chubby cheeks on his left side, and scabs of dried blood under his nose. He glared at me with his jaw locked, then shook his head and turned down the road without a word.

We were supposed to go fight a war together.

His wasn't the only relationship I'd ruined last night. The morning sun gave Sarina's deep-yellow skin a glow and reflected off droplets of lilly-scented oil she'd put in her hair. She was right in front of me, but I already felt the void in my heart.

"So this is it?" I said.

She fixed those smiling black eyes onto mine exuding an inner peace I rarely saw in her but said nothing in reply.

I spoke. "I'm sorry."

She lowered her gaze and stepped close, lifting her hands to my arms. "Caleb, you didn't do anything wrong."

I had to explain. I had to try. "I didn't mean to kiss her. It just happened... I don't know why I did. It was a mistake."

Her smile widened and she shook her head. The warmth in her face rivalled the morning sun itself. "You are exactly as you were meant to be."

"It was a mistake. Sarina, I..."

She closed her eyes and shook her head once more. "What does Father always say about that?"

"Uh... that King Jevas had a thousand wives and concubines and was also the wisest man of all, so..."

She laughed. "No, the other thing."

"Lament not the good-old-days lest with them the toils ye bring?"

She pursed her lips but still smiled. "Every mistake you made, every mistake you will make has already been accounted for in His divine plan. Sometimes the wrong we do is best if it sets in motion what truly needs to happen. You wouldn't want to go muck it all up by doing everything right now, would you?" She settled her hand on my chest to cover my heart. "I believe God has something for you in Carthia."

"That's not what you said in the belfry yesterday."

Her smile widened and her eyes beamed at me. She'd found a slice of happiness—without me. That hurt. That hurt deep inside. I didn't know where the pain was coming from, but my skin crawled and my heart raced. Sarina continued. "I spent the night thinking about this, and I realize that I need to define myself without you. We've been close our whole lives—they put us in the crib together. This is an opportunity for each of us to learn who we truly are"

In the Valley of Suffering, on the banks of the River of Unending Torment. "If I survive this war, you mean?"

She looked me up and down. Her eyes watered, but she wiped away any tears that might have otherwise fallen. "You have to promise to tell me everything. I want to hear all of it; leave no..."

Footfalls in the grass rapidly approached from the side. I turned around in time for the blur of little Teryn to throw her arms about me and squeeze me tight. I embraced her in turn while she pleaded, "I don't want you to go! Everyone else is so mean to me!"

I crouched down low so as to look into her watery eyes—hard to believe she'd gotten so tall that I'd be looking up from here. "Hey!"

She wiped her pox-scarred cheeks and sniffled as she looked at me.

"Can you do something for me while I'm gone?"

She nodded.

"I need you to look after the little ones. Make sure they do their lessons every day, and don't let them skip out on their chores all the time. Just sometimes. Look out for them the same way Sarina and I look out for you. Can you do that for me?"