A Road To Hope | ls au

IV.

Louis ignores the confusion in Harry's expression when he asks the farmer for a wooden board and rope. He should be used to Louis' spontaneous manners by now, since it's been an entire month since Louis entered the small farm's scenario.

The middle of May was slightly more humid, and the nights were warmer. Harry was excited for the summer, never forgetting to mention daily about all the types of fruits he wanted to cultivate in the intense heat, and how the up-coming thin rainstorms were great for the cattle and the soil.

"Can I at least know what you're going to do with these?" Harry questions, his voice echoing inside the barn as he hands Louis the requested boards and the thickest rope he could find.

Louis takes the materials and heads outside, the sun immediately prickling his exposed shoulders. "It's a surprise for Jack. Is there something he can do inside the house for the afternoon? I don't want him to see it until it's ready." He responds, ignoring Harry's question.

Luckily, the farmer doesn't push, and manages to keep the child inside the home, with easy and simple cleaning tasks around the rooms.

Working underneath the shadow of an oak tree by the front yard, Louis spends less than two hours in the making of his gift for the little boy. He doesn't have a specific reason to build him a swing rope, but then again, Louis has never felt this spontaneous since his teenage years.

The atmosphere in the farm may have changed him. Louis doesn't feel his heart beating rapidly before he falls asleep anymore, he doesn't wake up in a cold sweat as frequently. Some days are harder than others, however, today is the day he wants to feel grateful, even if it materializes through a swing rope in an oak tree for a child he deeply cares for by now.

When he ties the rope securely and tests it for longer than necessary, he calls out for Harry, who appears in a rush and smiles hugely when he sees it.

"Louis, he's going to love this." The farmer says, a thin layer of sweat settling on his hairline, his curls moving with the breeze. Louis can't tear his eyes away. "Can I go get him?" He asks, and when Louis nods, he runs inside the house, excited like a child himself.

Jack doesn't understand it at first, how it's suppose to work, although his chubby cheeks are pulled in a big smile as he watches Louis explaining how he's suppose to swing, back and forth, legs out and back, hands on the rope.

"It's alright, just don't let go of the rope." Louis instructs, settling the child above the thick board of wood, and then he pushes. From there, Jack takes over and spends about an hour swinging, his little legs flopping in the air as he goes.

The sun is about to go down soon, and despite the trio's distraction over the swing rope, there's a lot of things to do around the farm yet. Harry recoils the cattle and Louis finishes his task at the barn, gathering up hay and stocking for the summer, when rain randomly strikes. He's planning on fixing the roof too but hasn't told Harry yet.

In the middle of sunset, Louis exits and locks the barn. On his way to the house, he finds Harry sitting at the roots of the oak tree, fidgeting with his hat, and glancing up at the twisted branches.

Sometimes, Louis wonders if Harry ever nightmares has too, if he's as stuck on his sister's passing as Louis is on his mother's. He wonders if Harry has ever felt lonely; if his chest ever felt hollow.

After a month of living with the small family, Louis has discovered more things about himself and Jack, than about Harry. Although the farmer is always kind and seemingly happy, he's preserved in the way he shares his feelings, choosing small gestures instead of words.

It took a while for Louis to pick up those traits, to notice how slight changes told so much. How Harry dresses some days, or how occasionally, he leaves his bedroom closed, instead of open to let the wind in. He hides his feelings in the colors of the teacups he chooses in the morning, or behind the way he laces his boots patiently and neatly, when some days he doesn't wear them at all.