Bygones

Chapter 24

Life is interesting, especially in the way things turn out. Sometimes, people get things right the first time. Others, the second. But for most individuals, as the saying goes, the third time is the charm. That's the power of persistence, of not giving up when the going gets hard. The truth is that when you try and try again, some re-imagining and re-fashioning usually takes place until the end result is just right. And when you get it right, you can stop and sigh in relief.

Harley claims this because love hasn't come easy. Every love is a risk. It can smack you on the side of the head like grandma's giant purse or pour all over your feet like fragrance from a broken perfume bottle. No one can be truly ready for love any more than sunscreen prepares you for a day at the beach. You can slather it on, but when it fades, you're often left with an unpleasant burn.

Harley loved her parents, but they hurt her and let her down so many times. She loved the Joker, or at least thought she did during that phase of life, and look how things turned out. Those times are disturbing to think about, which is why Harley tries to put it away from her mind. But then there's Bruce, completely unpredictable, surprising, out-of-the-blue Bruce. He's the third try at love. He's the one that's full of forever. The one that's just right for her.

People don't realize how much strength it takes to mentally pull yourself out of a dark place. It takes a lot to let the light shine through--- a whole lot. And when Harley reflects on the months before she checked herself into Arkham and into the care of Joan, it's profound to realize just how dim the situation truly was. But it was in the depths of that hell that Harley learned what she was made of: strength, resiliency, and courage. It takes a strong soul to endure so much pain, hurt, and madness and still make it out alive.

It's in that living, in putting herself back together, that moving on, that Harley learned real love. Love wasn't about finding the perfect person. No. It was so much more. It's about seeing the truth of the person and accepting all the shades of dark, light, and in between. Love isn't static. It's a verb. You give it day after day, even in the hard times. And if you're really blessed, like Harley, you get back a full return.

Love is like one of the books she read over and over again in Arkham, Jane Eyre. That's when the blonde realized it takes a special kind of woman to love a crazy sort of man. If someone can love Mr. Rochester's absurdity with his lunatic wife, who's supposed to be locked away on the third floor of his house, then someone could love her--- a woman trying to overcome the crazy.

Love is when Mr. Rochester says, "You have me utterly." That's how it is with Bruce. He has her utterly.

The blonde had told herself that she would never fall again. But Bruce didn't make it feel like falling. Instead, he felt a lot like flying, soaring through the clouds; fluffy, candy, cottony clouds. Things didn't fall apart. For once, they fell into place. Now, if only her wedding details could be as cooperative. Who knew that Gotham's fashion district would be as cutthroat and ruthless as the dark, underbelly of the crime world? Smile pretty and watch your back.

True to his word, Bruce made a few calls to Gotham's premiere designer, Betty de Blanc, of House de Blanc. The lady's arrival at the manor made quite the impression. She entered the sitting room with her shoulders perfectly squared. Her hair was pin-straight and red hair with an angled cut which accented the severness of the woman's face. Her head held high, silk pashmina draped across her shoulders, and teal crocodile stilettos on her feet.

The shoes complemented Ms. de Blanc's white, laser-cut shirt dress, which was belted at the waist. The woman's right arm held an array of bangles in every color, size, jewel, and metal, going halfway to her elbow. Harley wondered how she got any work done aside from listening to their noise because they were noisy. All those bracelets would drive her batty. Harley smirked at her little pun, batty.