“What is it?” I asked putting the paper in my back pocket.
“My thoughts.”
David left shortly after. His scent lingered on my green blouse. I laid it on my pillow hoping the aroma would penetrate it. I took a quick shower before going to bed, eager to read whatever he had written.
I jumped on the bed with the parchment paper in my hand and opened it.
My Dearest Love,
As I sit here writing, I wish nothing more than to have you with me. The days have gone slowly without your tender gaze upon mine. I am weak without you and do not know how I can survive in this state.
The scent of your hair, the touch of your lip, the rose of your cheek all lay engraved in my touch, my sight, my scent, my mind and my heart. I am committed to you with all that I am, and I am nothing without you.
Tonight I lay awake recounting our lover’s meets and I agonize over the insignificant distance between us. Yet, it so pains me to have you this short distance away. Might I be a fool to feel this way? And if a fool I am, then it is for you; for you would make any man a king’s fool, my queen.
I pray thee sleep well, with dreams of your one true love and may he be me, for the love of my eternal life is the one that breathes life into my soul and that is you and only you.
I bid thee sweet dreams and sweet kisses on thy cheek and thy lip and thine eyes, that I should be so fortunate to keep them on mine lip every night.
Ceaselessly Yours,
David Chios
This was the very first love letter I had ever received, and how perfect it was. I had to show this to someone. I ran over to my mother’s door and knocked.
“Mom, you awake?” I said in a loud whisper just in case she was asleep.
“Come in,” she yelled behind the closed door.
Claire was in her pink bathrobe with a towel wrapped around her head. She was painting her toenails on the bed.
“What’s up, honey?” she asked.
“David wrote me a letter. I want you to read it. It’s beautiful!” I said excitedly.
“Give it here.” She stretched her arm and snatched it away from me.
She started reading the letter in a low tone trying to imitate David’s accent. After the first line she read in her normal voice.
“This is poetic,” she said. “How did he come up with this on his own?”
“He’s a freakin’ genius, that’s how.” I grabbed the letter put it on my chest and fell back on the bed. “He loves me.” I smiled from ear to ear.
“Yes, that’s evident.”
I turned and lay on my stomach with my hand under my chin and the letter in my other hand. “He loves me,” I repeated to her.
“I heard you the first time,” she laughed.
“I know, I just wanted to assert myself,” I giggled. “Do you think David would make a good husband?” I asked without thinking to whom I had posed the question.
“Wait a minute, young lady. I am not having this conversation. You’re only seventeen. Switch that gear off and turn it to your studies. I’ll have none of that until you’ve finished college,” she frowned.
“It’s a rhetorical question, Mom.”
“No it’s not. I see the way you’re all googly eyed with that boy. Do you think I didn’t go through the same experience when I was a teenager?”
“It was just a question,” I said in a hurt tone. “I’m not planning on getting married any time soon.”
Claire was in thought for a minute. “I didn’t mean to sound like I was reprimanding you. You caught me off guard. You know how much it means to me for you to graduate from college.” She took her towel off and smiled at me. “I think he would make a perfect husband, Isis. That’s why I freaked out, okay?”
“Really?” I sat up on the bed.
“Yes. He’s brilliant, gorgeous, sincere and respectful. What else could you ask for?”
I smiled. “He is isn’t he?” I held my hands together and batted my eyelashes playfully.
“You’re such a clown! Go to bed,” she demanded.
“Night.” I jumped off the bed and kissed her on the cheek. “Love you, Mom.”
“Love you, too, kiddo.”
Another northern front had blown in on Monday morning. The sky was dreary, announcing more rain. The wind was cool and pleasant. I didn’t care for the rain, but the temperature was wonderful.
Claire left for work earlier than usual, being as she had missed three days of work the prior week. I lingered on the porch with my cup of coffee, waiting for it to be near the time David would pick me up for school.
I went back into the house and washed the coffee cup and then ran up the stairs to brush my teeth for a second time. Coffee breath wasn’t very becoming, I thought.
The letter David had expressively written was fresh in my mind. I could never be as skillful with words as he was. I probably read the letter ten times before going to sleep the night before.
The doorbell rang while I was testing my breath on my hand. I grabbed my things and ran down the stairs. I was so happy to see David at the door.
“Good morning, love.” He greeted me with a kiss on the lips today.
“Wait,” I said pulling him down toward me again. “I’m not done.”
I kissed his forehead, his eyes, his nose and finally his lips.
“You’re no fool,” I made reference to the letter.
“But I am… a fool for you. You could ask me for death, and I would be at your mercy.”
“Don’t even play around with that,” I frowned.
David chuckled. “It’s my foolish heart that speaks. I am only the marionette.”
“Sorry, I’m not into wooden boys, Pinocchio.”
“Such a shame.” He rolled his eyes back and shook his head. “And here I thought a kiss from my princess would make me a real boy.”
I laughed at his quick-witted humor. “Let’s see if it’s true.”
“Gladly,” He said squeezing the air out of me.
“David,” I gasped. “You’re crushing me.”
“I’m sorry,” he tittered. “I forgot how fragile you are. Are you alright?”
“I think I have a few broken ribs, but other than that, I’m peachy.”
“Enough of this, my lovely. Let us be on our way.”
Things looked like they were back to normal for the next couple of days. Word had somehow gotten out about the incident between Gabriel and my friends. I guess nothing is a secret in such a small town.
Andy and Bill seemed to be slowly getting over the scare.
The police had no clue as to what happened to Gabriel. I was still blaming myself for not taking him more seriously, when he showed Bill the gun that first time. I could have talked to him. I could have avoided all of this mess.
My mother, after speaking to officers, said everyone, including Gabriel’s parents, had the notion that he was gone. Officer Ramirez said there was no trace of him, and the likelihood of him being found was minimal.
Ramirez told my mother Gabriel’s disappearance was a mystery, and his parents were told that there would be a search in the sugar cane field only once more for his remains. They believed he might have taken his own life. I was devastated when my mother told me the news.
“How can they be so sure?” I asked Claire.
“They say he fit the profile of a manic depressive, and they weren’t ruling out suicide.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s actually d-dead.” I had trouble with the last word.
“It’s terrifying for his parents, Isis. They’ve gone looking for him on their own. I couldn’t imagine going through something like that. I feel horrible for them.” Claire scrubbed a pan on that Tuesday night after dinner.
I stood there behind her, cold and unconvinced. “I just can’t believe it, Mom. I’m in shock.”
“So was I, honey. I knew that boy since he was in elementary school with you.” She wiped her hands on her apron. “I just don’t understand how he got himself involved with drugs and guns and God knows what else. He was such a sweet kid.”
“He was,” I agreed with a blank stare and a knot in my throat.
That night, I tossed and turned thinking of my ex-boyfriend and former friend. I wanted so much to know what had happened to him. Was he really gone? Was he just a lifeless body lying somewhere in a field or a ditch? I shuddered every time I thought of it. I didn’t want to imagine him that way, but the thought kept haunting me through the night.
The northern winds were really blowing on Wednesday morning. It was a significant change from the previous week with the humidity. It was crazy weather season in south Texas.
Claire had left early to work again. She was trying to catch up with files at the office, from the days she had been absent.
David picked me up right on time. He looked dazzling in his black jeans and black long sleeved shirt. His blue eyes were piercing. He was just perfect.
After our morning hellos, we were off to school. David asked me to remain in the car when we reached the school parking lot.
“My father has gone to Italy on business. He has asked me to inform him of any changes you might have been feeling lately because there have been no changes in me,” he explained.
“I don’t feel any different. I’m not even sure I’m changing at all.”
“I told him that.” He seemed to pout slightly. “If the metamorphosis doesn’t occur soon, I’m going to have a fit of anxiety. I can’t take this any longer. I want you to be mine forever.”
“I thought I already was.” I was unsettled.
David sighed, “Isis… love… if this change doesn’t occur for us, we cannot be together.”
“But you said… your family said…” I sounded upset.
“Yes, we did say the changes would occur. That is what is supposed to happen in the case of any normal human. The deity should change into a mortal, but in our case… well, it’s hard to foretell.”
“I won’t leave you. I don’t care if we don’t change,” I warned him.
“I would never let you leave me,” he looked intently at me.
We sat there silently looking at each other. We had just agreed to live against the rules. What would the future hold for a half-bred human and an immortal deity?
Gemini came looking for us at the student parking lot. When they saw we were fine, they went back inside the school building.
“I love you, David,” I finally broke the silence. “We need to find a way to be together if this change doesn’t happen. I won’t lose you to anything.”
David grabbed a hold of my hand. “I want you to promise me one thing.”
I nodded.
“Promise me you will never love anyone more than you love me.”
“Are you saying good-bye?” My heart began to hurt.
“No. I’m securing my treasure.”
“I promise,” I said, crossing my heart.
“I promise you that we
will
be together.”
From his pocket David pulled out a gold ring and placed it on my finger on my right hand. The ring was simple with a small white stone—a diamond.
My heart started pounding at an unbelievable rate. I stopped breathing all together. I knew he wasn’t proposing, but with this ring, I knew he was promising to do so one day. I was speechless.
We were late to first period. Andy was on the edge of her seat when we walked in.
“Where were you?” She whispered. “Why didn’t you answer your phone? I thought something happened to you guys,” Andy sounded upset.
“Sorry,” I said wiggling the fingers on my right hand. “We were busy.”
“You’re engaged?!” She said in a very loud voice that made the entire class turn around.
“Shhhh!” the teacher hushed us.
“No, we are not engaged,” David said, hugging me from the desk behind mine. “I should be so fortunate.”
“You still should have answered your phones. Don’t pull that number on me again, you hear?” Angrily, she opened her notebook and started scribbling notes.
I could understand why Andy would have been so upset. She didn’t know about what the police had told my mother about Gabriel yet. I hadn’t mentioned it to anyone, because I really hoped they found Gabriel alive. I would have to tell them to calm them down. I even kept it from David. I would have to tell them today.
During lunch I gathered the group at a corner table, secluded from the twins’ groupies. It was hard to keep those kids away for more than five minutes, so I made it fast.
“The police told my mother that Gabriel might have committed suicide.” I got straight to the point.
I heard a gasp coming from Bill. “What?”
“That’s their hypothesis.” My throat started feeling like it was being constricted. “They’re supposed to be looking for him one last time today.”
The group looked at me expecting more details.
“I don’t know what to think. I just wanted to let you guys know what’s going on with the case so that your parents are informed and less worried for you.” I felt David’s hand on mine. “That’s all I had to tell you,” I added, before the twins had some of their fans yelling out for them from across the nearest table to us.