in which past meets future in an alternate reality; how they existed not as immortal beings but as mere mortals with an all-seeing eye, and where they meet to create everlasting time
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ACT I, SCENE X
He found her among the flowers. She stood with her hair down and eyes closed. Her brown hair glimmered under the falling sun and her face was bathed in a warm glow. He stood quietly next to her, not wanting to disturb her from the tranquillity and serenity she was experiencing. Her eyes fluttered open and her lips stretched out in a grin. "The leaves crunching under your feet gave you away," she teased, amusement dancing in her eyes. A sheepish grin fell onto his face. She looked beautiful under the sun. The lights hit her at all the right angles, accentuating the fullness of her cheeks and the arch of her nose. The small freckles along her cheekbones looked like red poppies and the scars along her collarbone looked like fresh daisies. She made flaws look like perfections, made weaknesses seem like strengths. She felt like spring on a wintry night, a warm blanket in the cold, the wind in the desert. She felt like hope. He did not know her well. What he knew of her was her outward appearance, her aura, and what little he had gotten from the minimal interaction they had. But she felt like hope to him. When it came to her, he felt rejuvenated. She restored a gaping hole in his chest, one he never knew was there. The astonishing part of this was that she did not seem to do this intentionally. And it is because of this exact reason, did she seem even more beautiful. She did not just give hope to others. She was the personification of hope.
"I have come to realise these few days, that there are things that only time can fix. I used to think that I could remedy anything, just as long as I put my heart to it. I now realise how wrong I was. In some way, I have been a hypocrite. I knew a couple's issue had to solved by the couple themselves and, I knew everyone had their own healing method and pace. And yet I did not seem to act that way. I was nosy and pushy; wanting to stick my nose in someone else's problems and wanting to play therapist. I'm sorry I promised you that I would help Rosine. I'm sorry that I lied to you, that I gave you false hope. The word 'help' promises active participation, it promises interference and those are things I now know I cannot do.
Pushing her to share her feelings and pushing her to accept the reality of the relationship, were things I should have never done. It was insensitive and selfish. I should have been more sensitive to the small signs she threw me, the signs that told me she wanted to be left alone. Some people like to share their issues with others. It helps them cope. Some others like to keep it to themselves, for they need to first internalise before they can start interacting with others again. I should have known that Rosine was the latter. Now I realise, the best I can do is to be there for her, to lend her a shoulder to cry on when she wants one, to be her listening ear when she needs one. I can't actively help her in this sense, but I think just being there for her, letting nature run its course, letting time heal the wounds would be the best way to go. Hence, I am sorry. Sorry for leading you on to believe I could heal Rosine and sorry for not being able to hold up my end of the deal."
She rocked back and forth on the ball of her foot, unable to keep her nervousness to herself. Her honey brown eyes were lowered, and her lips were downturned. She felt that she was letting him down. Did she really? She was the reason he withheld hope, the reason why he kept hope close to his heart, somewhere near so he could tap on it whenever. She gave him hope because she made him feel that there would be an end to the tunnel, that there is an end to the beginning. He felt hopeful because she gave him hope for a resolution. She made him feel that there was hope in the future, that there was something beautiful to look forward to in the time to come. She made him believe that this suffering would end; that the bad karma between Rosine and him would one day cease, that the misunderstanding between them could one day fade, that the trust that was never there could one day be built. She did not give him hope because she promised to help Rosine. She did not give him hope because she made healing sound easy. She gave him hope because she was hopeful.
Delphia had no reason to feel as if she disappointed him. She was at no fault. To him, she had already done him a service and he was sure that she would continue to do Rosine a service. He knew Rosine would have a smooth healing journey with Delphia by her side. Delphia thought wrongly. She thought she was not helping Rosine as she was applying the wrong techniques. In truth, she already was. She had been by her side ever since the break-up, giving Rosine hope of getting over the heartache. That was the best help she could give Rosine. She gave her hope.
He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "On the contrary, I think you have already helped Rosine. By being there for her all this while, showing that you cared for her... I think that are all forms of help. Cheer up, I don't think you broke the deal and neither do I think you did anything wrong. You did all that because you wanted the best for her and for me. If your intentions were pure, what wrong could you have done? Look on the bright side, Gideon and I patched up like you asked. We talked it out and there are no grudges between us. I think we might even be friends." He lightly jolted her with his shoulder. She nodded her head but kept her eyes downcast.
"When I agreed to the deal, I had a good feeling that this would lead to something great. What a joke, considering I ended up giving up a few days later." She breathed, looking dejected and lost. Carlyle let out a sigh. "You are making it sound like it's the end of the line, like it is the end of the story. It isn't. There's more to the story. This is only the beginning of our journey. I promise you that there's more to come; good times and bad times. I promise you this isn't the end." He offered her his smallest finger. She stared at him, eyes round and wide. Her gaze flickered between his finger and his face. Slowly but surely, she drew her hand from her side, reaching her hand out to meet his.
Eyes locked onto one another, they hooked their smallest fingers together. Just like this, they sealed a deal.
