Out in the Countryside

The one Thing Money Can't Buy

The crickets were the only ones making any noise as their singing floated about in the night sky. The dark sky covered them like a blanket and the cool breeze caused for a soft whispering to form from the growing grass. The glow of the moon shone through the cracks in Arturia's golden hair while her dress tried to dance with the wind a bit. Arturia extended her hands as to keep her dress in place and sighed, "I love nature," she stuck with her first story and she knew it was meaningless to do so because the boy was already unto her.

Diarmuid ran a pale hand through his wavy hair and let his eyes remain on the glittering stars before him, "I simply want to understand you. We all have secrets and problems, and we want to hide them, but it's not healthy that way. So, if you don't mind me asking again, why are you really here?"

She sat up quickly and sighed, rubbing her face. She couldn't tell him, she simply couldn't. Never before had she admitted this constant struggle and now, only because she was miles away from it, it did not mean she would be able to pour her heart out. She took a deep breath and looked back at him, he was now half up, supporting his weight with his elbows while he looked at her, "Family, I guess."

The glow of the crescent moon was enough to light the expression on his face; curiosity and what seemed to be empathy. He lay back down on the grass after he shrugged and accepted the short answer, "Sometimes family does drive us mad."

Arturia chuckled softly and gave a nod, "Yes, and significant others as well." She hadn't directed it to him because she had gone through the pressure of a boyfriend already but he did take the comment for himself.

"Grainne can be a hassle sometimes, but she's a good person." He commented extending a hand up towards the sky as if trying to reach out for a star or something else in the distance.

"It was because of money." She gave in. She admitted she would regret telling him later, but right now she needed to breath and stop drowning herself. The wind howled and the grass was set alive with loud murmuring. She closed her eyes again, her hands clutching the floral dress in place, "My parents only cared about giving me everything money could buy... they were never home." The gate whined as it was rattled by the wind, "They were always off at work to make sure I had everything that I could ever want. But they never understood that happiness can't really be bought with money. Financial stability leaves you without stress—that's a given—and gives you luxury but..." Her words became quieter as she continued, uncertainty filling her, "loneliness doesn't. If I had a football game, father would be at work and mother at a nail appointment because the following day she would need to attend a wedding or something," Arturia shrugged, "Boyfriends? The wealth of my family limited my dating and my parents preferred a rich boy... My boyfriend treated me more like a possession or trophy rather than a human. Everyone did." She fell back onto the grass with a thud and turned towards Diarmuid.

"I was just a prize to be won, a pretty face you left on the shelf to show off to everyone. I wasn't human. What can a mansion do for you if you're the only one there? What can a boyfriend do for you when he sees you as something to dominate because you give him a challenge? Why should you listen to parents that are absent? If they aren't there for you when you need help on that math question or when you fall and scrape your knee, they won't be there for you when that depression hits you like a tsunami and you lock yourself up in your room for days on end."

Diarmuid was dead silent but his amber eyes were trained on her, studying her cold expression as she spoke every single word, he could see the loneliness and the hollowness within her eyes. She needed support and most of all; love.

"What's the difference of leaving if you're living alone for your entire life either way? It's not as if they're spending time with you to miss you when you leave." Her face fell back to look up at the sky, she could finally see whatever Diarmuid had been reaching for; hope.