On A Thread

Chapter 7

Geneva probably felt Josh was a betrayal.
Matter of fact he was. Since he landed a job in the big city he had long forgotten about his hometown. Nothing else brought his mind back home except that he had met and fallen in love with his wife. His dad was long dead, and his mom never looked back after she abandoned father and son.
Josh met Brie for the very first time in a town cocktail. She had a crown of brown curls and had her hand buried in the warmth of her father's pocket. She didn't see him then but he was there gushing over her smile and absent minded, he smiled when she did. It was the first time he noticed her dimples. As the evening of the event rolled by he found himself in a conversation with her and heavens! Since then the sound of her name— Brielle, brought him an unexplainable peace of mind. After he found out that she was a native and would stay in their hometown for college, something stirred in him. He found his purpose again and decided to stay back but his plans thwarted when his uncle took him away to Houston for highschool. Josh didn't see his crush turn from a cute brown haired angel to a drop dead gorgeous damsel. All the while in Houston, he kept her name safe in the memory box of his brain so when they met again in college, he knew she was the one, the brown hair and eyes matched the fading image of her younger self, stronger and more striking. The moment she mentioned her name, his memories flooded him, pushing him off course. She was 'the Brielle'.
At the time they met in middle school, from then till now, Josh has harbored a massive crush on Brie, only that now it was more intense, he was a finished man. In love.
He was back home after the long hiatus. It hit him hard when he realized that even Brie didn't return here since after their marriage, a pang of guilt stroke him. She had asked a few times but he was busy.
Curse his schedule. Curse his so called busy life.
He had deprived his wife from coming back to the home she loved so much, the home she grew up in, she could've come alone but he knew very well how sensitive it was if she returned alone without her husband beside her. He could already imagine the whisperers talking about his precious wife and casting pitiful glances. But of course they would sympathize to an extent, the whole town got sick of them at some point. One time, one miss Regina cautioned them, offering them a very less needed talk on modesty and privacy because they had gotten into a heated kiss in the playground late at night. In their defense, the kids were all asleep, but unfortunately Miss Regina was just awake and parading the small park for reasons best known to her. The woman relocated the summer before their wedding.
As he cruised on familiar grounds, Josh wasn't sure how Suzie or their mom would react to him. He had trapped their daughter and mindlessly kept her unhappy. Yes she was unhappy,  in hindsight Josh couldn't remember the last time Brie's laughter bounced off the walls of their home, he couldn't draw out her melodious shriek anymore, he used to be the biggest clown for her, she'd laugh when he mimicked their statistics lecturer but not anymore, he couldn't remember how to make her laugh till her eyes teared up. He wondered if Suzie and mom knew that his wife Brie was contemplating a divor— needed a break. God! He didn't even want to mistakenly put it out. Words carried power, and he damn sure wasn't ready to lose his wife.
Guilt enveloped him when he couldn't recall the shortcut route to the grapevine trove where most of the land for viticulture was at. How could he forget the path that he and Brie took whenever she stayed out late past her curfew. The scowl he got from her father almost made him believe he'll never marry his daughter off to Josh but he did.
He parked by the side of the narrow road, the sun was fast going down and the shadow of the moon got more obvious as seconds went by, he was late. With a sense of urgency he pulled up his maps app and typed grapevine trove, there were two directions, one of fifteen minutes and the other of six, had to be the one.
It took him a minute less than the app to get to the trove. Ahead of him cars lined the sideways for lack of parking space, he ducked to see below the arched sign post, the place was filled with people laughing and talking, trooping into the place in groups, most were of twos, couples maybe, each had glass in hand. He winced as he assessed his outfit, he left immediately he got off work, satisfied that he already had a few packed clothes from the night before, he didn't think much about his full work attire, black dress shirts and gray pants, a tie and a gray jacket. Too too serious for an unwinding evening. He dropped down the sun visor, roughened up his hair to give off a more relaxed countenance, he wasn't relaxed, not when he didn't have Brie beside him.
Satisfied with his hair, he yanked off his tie and undid four buttons leaving room for a good peak at his hard chest, he knew Brie loved it when he did. Next he peeled his long arms out of his suit jacket and threw it to the back of the car. His eyes fell on Brie's ring in the cup holder then shifted to the similar ring on his finger, he ran his fingers over Brie's ring stroking it with hope that she'll wear her ring for him, for his own peace of mind, to feel their connection, to keep a portion of his sanity in tact. Hot molten of regret poured down his guts, sizzling as it poured. He was feeling  more uplifted than he'd been throughout the week, it was his excitement to see his wife, he barely sat still at work being overtaken by his restless anticipation to run to his wife. He was going to see the woman his heart beats for.
He lifted himself up and pushed the gold ring into his pocket. He planned to put the ring back on his woman's finger where it belonged. He took one last look before unfolding to his full 6'2, cold air laced with barbecue and damp earth wafted into his nose the moment he did so.
As he strolled in, he is wrapped by the familiar ambiance, soft music travelled with the low hum of grouped discussions. Alcohol and herb flavored smoke filtered into his nose drawing him into the warm nostalgia all around him. He surveyed the place to find where the smoke came from but he didn't see it, he would if he walked around more. It had to be barbecue, some guests had grilled cheeses and kebabs in their saucers.
He continued walking ahead, offering congenial nods to a few recognizable faces. The town was a close knit one, you knew your neighbor and the your neighbor's kids, everyone in the other's business and Josh abhorred that about his town. The word privacy ended where your fence did, and even your fence didn't guarantee your privacy. There was always one neighbor bringing you an fruit pie or a basket of grapes, didn't everyone on the trove have an abundance of purple fruits?
He remembered some faces and struggled with some. A few he recalled from his mid school years and numerous town gatherings. As he weaved through the crowd, he exuded an expensive air of pride, not that the people he grew up with looked bad or he was better than them, he was merely proud of himself for leaving the minimal life behind, he didn't like it and never had plans to settle down for the life his father lived, he grew up watching his mother's discontentment and resentment with her life's condition, they had their basic needs and most times he didn't blame her for wanting me. Josh wanted more and he set out to achieve it, for himself, for Brie.
As he meandered, he swiped a glass of red from a passing server and trained his eyes on the crowd of people. Where was Brie? He sipped on his wine, his taste buds appreciating the flavor of rich organic wine, he needed some intoxication if he was going to face people. Still looking over heads, searching for his wife, his attention is diverted.
"Hey! Joshua." A gruff voice called.
Josh looked around, scanning where the sound probably came from. The person must know him well enough because he knew he had changed from what he used to look like. He zeroed in on a waving hand near the fountain. He recognized Adam instantly. Broad stature, shaggy hair and his signature faded jeans paired with a flannel. Adam never cared for style, the complete farm boy package. Josh kicked a comparison aside, smiled and walked towards him glancing around for his wife.
On reaching Adam and his group— two other men, one he knew, the other not really with two ladies. Feeling out of place because of his dressing he grimaced. Josh put his hand forward for a handshake but Adam smothered him in a bro hug, he winced.
Josh extended his hand to the others and they took it.
Adam rubbed his stubbled chin "Was it fifteen now?"
Josh rose an eyebrow.
"I mean since we last saw each other."
Josh smiled and clinked his glass with all of them, "thereabout."
Colin the other guy scanned the area Josh stood. "Where's your gorgeous wife?"
The man's acknowledgement of Brie's beauty was valid but Josh hated the idea of another man talking about his wife, he clenched his teeth, his chin flexed as he did so. "more beautiful than ever." He tipped his glass before taking a long sip.
Adam seemed to have caught the strain in Josh's response because he diverted the topic. "What have you been up to?"
Josh's eyes scanned the crowd with restless anticipation. His deep blue eyes flickered from face to face, searching. He returned his attention to the group "Just business here and there." There wasn't need to dive into details, Adam and Colin might not even care so much if it didn't involve grapes and oak barrels.
Searching, searching, searching. His eyes locked on to a dainty elegance across the courtyard at the same time his heart beat picked momentum drowning out he chatter of guests and clinking of glasses rendering the noise distant and muffled, he could hear the quickened thump of his heart.