Letters on Fire

A new beginning

Bright, long and hot summer days followed the mild spring. It was July again. A full year passed since the arrival of the last letter, a new one was due tonight.

Ronald hastily gathered some tubes of paints and brushes lying in a mess around his easel and placed them in their wooden box.
Finally the painting was finished. Ron picked it up carefully as it wasn't quite dry yet, and carried it to the fireplace. Moving some photographs to the sides, he placed the painting on the mantelpiece. He was happy with it. Ronald smiled to himself, lost in thoughts.
What an unusual year it had been, so much had changed...

Walking across the room to the front door, he looked around to make sure that the place was tidy. Later he would pass by Lily's cafè, he was hoping to spend the evening with her.

But first he had to go to the cemetery. It was Rose's birthday.

The cemetery was very quiet and nearly empty in the hot summer afternoon. On reaching Rose's grave he noticed that Lily's white roses were already there. Ronald placed his red bouquet next to Lily's. The silent peace of the place seemed to penetrate his heart. A years-old knot inside of him was beginning to loosen, he was starting to feel free.

Ron noticed a young, blonde woman standing quietly by a distant grave. She was holding a little boy in her arms, sleeping with his head on his mother's shoulder. Another child, a slightly bigger girl, was hopping happily up and down the white gravel lane of the cemetery, collecting wild flowers. The girl was beautiful, with her white, marble-like complection and straight, long, raven-black hair. She reminded him of someone he once knew; his friend Jake.

Ron felt unexpectedly very sorry for the young woman, he could imagine her pain, her suffering. He hoped that time would work better for her than it did for him; that it would heal her wounds faster.

The sun was beginning to set and the air was cooling down slightly. When Ronald finally walked away, the sound of the white gravel under the soles of his shoes was the only sound on this windless summer evening.

Lily's cafè was humming with life, the small tables full of happy, lively people.
Ronald found her busy preparing drinks at the counter.

"Ron, what a nice surprise, I didn't expect you tonight," Lily greeted him with a huge, contagious smile.

"Shall I go away Lily, are you too busy? Or shall I wait for you?" He asked hopefully.

"Don't go anywhere, take a seat please," she said, pointing to the last free table. "I'll be right there."

After a few moments she appeared, carrying two tall glasses of iced coffee.
"Time for a break," she announced smiling, passing one glass to him. "Are you ok Ron?" She asked, suddenly worried, as if just remembering what day of the year it was.

Ronald reached for her hand over the little table and she didn't pull away, enjoying his unexpected touch.

"Yes, fine. I was wondering, have you got any plans for tonight?" Ron blurted it out quickly, before he could change his mind.

"Nope, no plans. What shall we do?"

"Well, you could come over to me, I'll cook you a dinner. What do you think?" He was still holding Lily's hand and it gave him courage, it felt really good.

"Great! I didn't know you could cook as well. Wait for me here if you want, I'll finish soon. Then we can go to grab some groceries. I promise I'll help you with the cooking. Deal?"

Later that night, when they reached Ron's house, everything was silent and peaceful. Not even the slightest wind disturbed the ancient trees lining the gravel drive. The white house seemed to be shining against the dark background of the night sky. There was no letter waiting for Ronald on his doorstep and even though he didn't mention it, Lily noticed how he relaxed. It was a perfect summer night.

Entering the house, Lily saw the painting straight away. The portrait above the fireplace was obscuring the old photographes with its lively colours. She stopped in her tracks, admiring it.

"Do you like it?" Ron's uncertain voice reached her from the far end of the room. "What do you think about it?"

"It's beautiful," she answered in a low voice.

It was her, in the painting. Lily, in this very room, nearly a year ago. The first time that she came over.
She was standing by the fireplace, looking at the viewer, in a pool of sunlight coming in through the open door. Her grey eyes were two wells of silver water, her copper hair turned gold. The white summer dress that she had been wearing that night became irridescent in the painting, capturing and reflecting all the hues of the summer evening's light.
It was amazing to see herself through Ron's eyes.

"I love it," she said louder, trying to hide the tears in her eyes and emotions in her voice.

Ron came by her side, putting his arms around her. Lily leaned closer and kissed him gently on the cheek. She was happy. Maybe Ron was finally ready to take a first small step to a brighter future. Perhaps she could walk along with him.

This, she thought, might be their new beginning...