Stigma

4

"You went to the Other Side? Are you demented? They will catch you. They will torture you. They will kill you." Drops of spit landed on his face. Jonathan wiped them off with a defiant stare at his father. This only seemed to anger him further, for his face moved even closer to Jonathan's. "Do you know what would happen to me if you were caught? Do you? Do you!"

"Your reputation would be ruined forever, and you would be fired immediately, leaving us poor and homeless. We would then be unable to buy food and starve to death. You already said so. Twice." The slap hit him square in the cheek and made his eyes water. He recoiled, shrank away from his father, cradling his face. Jonathan's father didn't even look at him as he ran up the stairs into the safety of his bedroom. He wouldn't follow him up here.

Looking out of his window at the rolling hills, he tried to peer over the huge wall dividing the two halves of the city. Somewhere over that stone wall was Marigold. Maybe she was also looking at the same wall, on the other side, thinking of him. At least his father didn't know about her. His father didn't know why he went to the other side to the city every day. Smiling grimly, he felt determined it would stay that way. Thinking of his father made Jonathan instinctively touch his cheek, the smile fading from his face.

Diverting his thoughts away from his less-than-loving father, Jonathan focused instead in his plan. His plan, that would doubtlessly result in Marigold. Or death. But certainly Marigold. He tiptoed out of the house, watching his father's bedroom door carefully in case it opened. However, long, grunting snores were emanating from his father's bedroom and he slipped out of the house unnoticed.

Finding the orchard was easy; he came off the main road onto the first side street and there was the weathered gate that opened up to the old orchard. Backing onto that was a huge stone house. Looking around for some rope, or anything he could climb with, his toes tingled with excitement when he spied a ladder leaning against the wall of the house. As he approached the window on the first floor, his face broke out into a smile. For looking out of that window was the lovely face he had been dreaming of ever since he saw her the day before.