Bands of the Unpaid Dowry

Chapter 29

The shoes of passers-by hit the pavement mostly in light steps and heads unconsciously turned when the two figures passed by them. One of glorious golden brown skin and the other of a beautiful tan. Their shades covered their eyes in the afternoon sun and the uncharacteristically long, kinky hair balanced out the short, wavy smooth hair. Their white shoes matched their equal strides on the sidewalk. The woman's gray slim fit high split maxi dress matched the gray polo shirt of the man and all in all they were striking to whoever they passed by.

Warmth seeped into Millicent's body traveling from Jace's hands which was entwined in hers. The confidence her companion exuded augmented her poised and elegant form that matched his. She was captivated by his warm smile that only she could put on his face as they laughed off some mundane stories they shared.

It was Tuesday, the day before his exhibition. She had offered to accompany Jace to scout the gallery and get an overview of the space which he undoubtedly knew. However, Jace was sure the series he had made needed unique attention in positioning them just the right way so that he got his message across.

"So, what is the theme for the showcase?" Millicent's honey-coated voice dripped into his ears as he steered her to the street where the gallery was. They had parked a bit away from the FloShay gallery because Millicent desired to walk and get some steps in which he easily obliged.

"Hm, I asked you this once. Life in color or the color in life?" He saw Millicent's head bob slowly with their leisurely pace. "I was wondering which to use." She rounded her mouth at the revelation which ignited a smile on his face and his thumb rubbed the skin of her hand affectionately. "You said life in color was a little bland because it sounded like life being put in color, literally. The color in life, like you beautifully put it, sometimes it's hard to find light in darkness and it is only in the light that we can have color. Through the struggles if you discover the end of that tunnel and allow light to flow into your darkest states, you'd find that you missed the tiny hopes of colors that could be seen which could beautify the dull life because you were initially drowning in the despair of darkness. That - it just made sense and settled in my heart. Yes, that's the theme." He added when he saw the familiar twinkle in her eyes.

"We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair. It reminds me of this scripture that says there's always hope for us in Christ. It may seem far but there's hope." Millicent said wistfully following Jace who stopped in front of a grand building. It was a neutral mix of paint in sea blue, white and olive on the exterior. She relaxed further when she was brought into the well-known snugness of Jace's arms. His chin rested on her head.

"And if you feel like giving up, hope even harder; hope does not add or subtract from life, but it gives you a leverage to keep fighting, you know. I've seen that if people or a situation tries to crush you, it seeks to steal that expectancy away because they know that rising out of the ashes makes you even greater. So, don't be scared to rise." She dropped a kiss on his exposed neck.

"Thank you." He mumbled from above her. "For being that hope for me." She felt his hand tighten once more before he let go of her, stepped back and smirked so that his teeth glinted in the sunlight. Her eyes were adoring as they tried to make out what color stood out the most in his eyes. Before she could examine further, he turned around and faced the building they had halted in front of. Jace pulled on her hand and stepped in front of the glass doors which slid open upon detecting their shadow.

As soon as they stepped in, a somewhat skittish but bulky man approached them with an anxious look. His brown hair was gelled back in a prim manner and his dark eyes scanned them nervously; he had a strong jaw but still held some fleshy muscles in his cheeks, and he was tall but not as much as Jace was - the same height as Millicent. He had an averagely toned build and was undoubtedly good-looking. Millicent recognized him as the manager, Cole. She peeped up and saw that that mask of indifference had taken over Jace's features but the tenderness of his hold proved that he was still her Jace.