Heaven On Fire

Thirty Two

HE WIPED his mouth gently with the washcloth.

"What on earth is she thinking?" He sighed. "This is my house, this is mine."

"No one's taking the house away from you. Why are you so angry at her?" I replied, looking at him.

"I'm not angry, Loren,"

I waited with bated breath, unsure of what was to come but bracing myself for the inevitable.

"It's not that I don't love her or appreciate everything she's done for me," David continued, his words coming slowly as if he were carefully weighing each one. "But... I can't shake this feeling that her presence here, in my house, it's... suffocating."

"Have you even been see her yet and asked how she is since she arrived?"

"I don't want to and I don't have to." David said. I felt a pang of sympathy for David, understanding the weight of familial obligations and the struggle to assert one's independence in the face of parental expectations.

"I understand," I murmured softly, reaching out to gently squeeze his hand in a gesture of support.

"It's just... she has a way of... intruding, you know?" David went on, his brow furrowing in frustration.

I nodded in understanding, silently acknowledging the validity of his concerns. The delicate balance between familial duty and personal autonomy was a precarious one, fraught with uncertainty and fraught with the potential for conflict.

"But what can we do?" I asked, my voice tinged with uncertainty as I searched his eyes for answers. "She's your mother, after all. Surely there must be some way to... navigate this situation without causing undue harm."

David sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping with the weight of his burden. "I wish it were that simple," he replied, his voice tinged with resignation. "But I fear that unless we confront this issue head-on, it will only continue to fester, poisoning everything it touches."

And as we sat there in the hushed silence of the gallery room, the weight of David's words hanging heavy in the air between us, I knew that we were facing a dilemma that would require courage, honesty, and above all, a willingness to confront, no matter how uncomfortable it may be.

*****

THE MORNING DAWN filtered through the curtains casting a soft glow across the room. I awoke with a sense of anticipation stirring within me. The events of the previous day still lingered in my mind, and I couldn't shake the feeling that today held something extraordinary in store.

With Saoirse by my side, her tiny form radiating warmth and innocence, I couldn't help but feel a surge of gratitude for the safety and comfort we had found in David's home.

Descending the staircase, I found David in the foyer, a sense of purpose evident in his every movement.

His eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief as he greeted me, and I couldn't help but wonder what surprises he had for the day ahead.

"Good morning, Loren," he said, his voice warm and inviting. "I have a little excursion planned for today. Care to join me?"

The prospect of an adventure with David filled me with a sense of excitement and anticipation.

I had always admired his adventurous spirit, and the thought of experiencing something new by his side filled me with a sense of exhilaration.

"Of course!" I replied eagerly, unable to contain my enthusiasm. "But... where are we going?"

A knowing smile tugged at the corners of David's lips as he revealed his plan. Flying aircraft was a hobby of his, he explained, and he thought it might be fun to take me up in the skies for a little adventure.