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His Gift
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His Gift |
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Savage Quiescence Member
since 2002-07-29
Posts 326Wandering |
He stood behind the white gate that guarded her quaint little home, wondering for the hundreth time if he was doing the right thing. After a long moment that seemed to stretch beyond the setting sun, he sighed with final resolve. Elijah knew what he had come to do and that there was simply no way around it. Solemnly, he rang her door bell and only for a second did his determination falter when he saw her standing before him. It was her eyes that had always given him pause, with their dynasty outline and sky blue inner. In that moment he silently wondered to himself how many times he had counted the ice blue flecks that danced around her pupils like stars over the ocean. He was pulled from his thoughts when she invited him in, and when she slipped her arm around his waist, he wanted only to find a reason not to go through with it. But he couldn't. He simply loved her too much. He knew she would try to fight it but in time she would come to understand that he had only wished to do what was best for her. That was why he had spent so much time preparing, choosing the right words and keeping it brief. But he knew in his heart that you could never really be prepared to break someone's heart. They walked together into her old farmiliar living room and sat next to eachother on the white leather couch. It annoyed Elijah that the room could still be so cheery when his mood was such the opposite. He tried to ignore the open windows and yellow daisies that adorned the piano and kept his focus on the task, not wanting to drag it out any longer. "Adelaide," he said with quiet purpose. He had been careful not to let his voice break, and now that he had begun, he was commited to the task and he knew there was no turning back. "I know how hard these last two months have been for you. Thats why I came here today. I know that you love me." He slowly pulled his hand away when she laid hers on top of it, and thought not of her soft touch, but of what he had come to do. "But you also love Nathan. The two of you have been together for a long time, now. Even with its rough spots, you have a wonderful relationship. He has so much more to offer you than I ever could. Adelaide, you've simply become far too attached to me already. Do us both a favor and just forget about these last two months. For your sake, as much as mine. I love you, Adie, and I won't let your heart be torn in two. I won't let you throw away what you have with Nathan for something that may never work with me. You are the world to me, Adie, and thats why I have to let you go." She sat starring up into his brown eyes, unable to understand the full extent of what he was saying. "But, Elijah-" "No, Adelaide," he said quietly, not trusting his voice to say it any louder. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, then turned quickly and headed for the door. He couldn't stand there and watch her cry. He wanted more than anything to hold her and kiss her soft lips, and to watch her grow old at his side. But it wasn't what he wanted that he cared about any more. Her heart was all that mattered to him, and he'd give up everything to ensure her happiness. He just had. She ran after him but he was too fast, and he never stopped to look back. She reached the gate just in time to watch his car disappear down the long dirt road that lead to the city and away from all they had known together. Unable to breath and feeling overcome by a wave of emotion, Adelaide fell to her knees with her face in her hands. There, she cried, not only for her own pain but fo the pain she had seen hidden behind those soft brown eyes. It wasn't until an hour later, with the sun's last red glory fading, that she had finally made it back inside. Now, Adelaide sat staring blankly past the silhouette of daisies created by the gray moonlight. She was curled up in the chair by the computer, and her cup of tea had long since grown cold. It was through the internet that Adelaide and Elijah had first met. They became fast friends and he grew to be the confidant upon which she relied to get her through everything. It wasn't until three years later, in the bleak of December, that they both admitted to have feelings that stretched beyond friendship. At that point, Adelaide had been seeing Nathan for over two years, and they had planned a life together. But Adelaide had always seen something in Elijah that drew her to him. She decided to tell Nathan what was going on and just as she had suspected, he was kind and understanding. It was easy for Nathan to see why Adelaide had fallen for her friend. Elijah was much more like Adelaide than himself. They were both quiet, had a thirst for knowledge and a passion for literature. Nathan could also understand why Elijah had fallen for Adelaide, just as he had two years before. It was hard not to love her reserved nature, pensive habits and occasional sarcasm. In his heart, Nathan feared losing Adelaide but he only wanted her to be happy in the end. Adelaide was brought out of her thoughts when Artemis, her young gray cat, jumped into her lap and nuzzled her hand. A small smile of comfort came to Adelaide's lips, and she gently stroked Artemis until she laid down, purring contentedly. Adelaide thought again of calling Elijah, but his words echoed in her mind. "For your sake, -as much as mine-". She was willing to do what she had to to make Elijah happy. The last two months hadn't been easy for him, either. He was diong what he thought was right, and she had to trust him, no matter how hard it was for her. She was crying softly and jumped when she heard a knock at the door. Numbly, she opened it, not knowing who to expect. When Nathan's gray eyes looked into hers and found tears there, he wrapped his arms around her without question. Adelaide rested her head on his chest, loving how it didn't matter to him what was wrong, simply that something was. He held her without hesitation until finally she pulled away. Silently, they made thier way to the couch and sat down close to eachother. After a long moment of quiet, it was Nathan who spoke first. "When I got home, there was a message on the machine from Elijah. He sounded upset and said I should come see you. He didn't explain but I could tell from his tone that it was urgent, so I headed on over." He wanted to ask her what had happened, but he know that when she was ready, she would tell him. In the meantime, he held her tightly and did all he could to comfort her. "He came to see me today," she said, breaking the endless silence. "I could tell something was wrong. He came in here an basically told me that he wouldn't let this go on any longer. He said I couldn't ruin what we have for something that might not work with him. Then he just walked away, and didn't even look back." Nathan gently wiped the tears from her eyes and faught to keep back his own. He didn't know how all this was going to turn out, but he was ready for it to end one way or the other. He knew how hard it must have been for Elijah and he said a silent prayer for him. Adelaide took a deep, shaky breath, then spoke again. "Nate, how could he just throw away our friendship like that? I thought I meant something to him. I thought he loved me. How could he..." Her anger was overtaken by tears, and Nathan rested her head on his shoulder. He patiently waited for her to calm down before he spoke with deliberate compassion. "Adie, let me ask you something. This may hurt, but think about it. Lets say you had decided to stay with me. Do you really think your friendship with Elijah would ever be the same again?" Adelaide didn't answer, but she didn't need to. She had wondered the same thing on many sleepless nights. It was one reason Adelaide didn't want to rush into a decision- she knew her friendship with Elijah was on the line. Now it was all gone, and she felt lost. After a time, Nathan picked her up and took her to her bedroom. He laid her gently on the bed and laid down next to her. She smiled at him as he ran his fingers through her hair. Slowly, she closed her eyes, and under his adoring gaze, she fell asleep. Nathan laid watching her for a long time, replaying the events of the day through his mind. After a while he began to wonder if he should head home, but finally decided that he didn't want Adelaide to wake up alone. He didn't know what was to come, but he wanted to make it as easy on her as he could. When Adelaide got up the next morning, her eyes seemed to have a touch of their normal glitter back. Nathan was glad to see that a good night's sleep had done her well. When Adelaide saw the big breakfast Nathan had waiting for her, she couldn't help but smile. He was always so good to her. Through it all, he had never been angry, and now she was beginning to understand Elijah's reasoning. When she saw the bundle of daisies in the middle of the beautifully set breakfast table, Adelaide wrapped her arms around Nathan and silently thanked the man who had loved her enough to give her her life back. Alicia M. Morris ____________________________________________________ First of all, thank you for reading. Okay, I know this little story has no real purpose or ending, for that matter. It is based half way on something that happened to me earlier this year. I wrote it today while volunteering with the crisis line. I suppose, in a way, it was a way for me to say Thank You for the real life Elijah in this story. It was a healing write. Plus I've had writer's block for some time and decided to use this oppurtunity to get back in the groove. This is only the second short story I've ever written (I'm more of a poetry girl), but I would love to know what you all think. Any feedback is appreciated, and I'd love to know how to improve my writing in the future. Oh, by the way, in the quote "For your sake, -as much as mine-", I used the little - symbols because my computer has never agreed when I try the italics code. Sorry for the crappy method. Thank you very much, and brightest blessings. Alicia "Be the Change you wish to see in the world" -Ghandi |
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| © Copyright 2004 Alicia Morris - All Rights Reserved | |||
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Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
His gift through your hands became our gift as well. I enjoyed reading this little excerpt of life. Thank you. |
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Savage Quiescence Member
since 2002-07-29
Posts 326Wandering |
Thank you for taking the time to read and reply, I'm glad you enjoyed =o) "Be the Change you wish to see in the world" -Ghandi |
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merlynh Member
since 1999-09-26
Posts 411deer park, wa |
I hope you don't give up on the pose of writing in the long form. It opens up so many doors toward simply wonderful conclusions that work themselves out in the long run. I see a marvelous story here; I hope you will find it in your adventures of becoming a writer of literature. You have a good feel for it. |
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Savage Quiescence Member
since 2002-07-29
Posts 326Wandering |
Thank you very much. I do indeed hope to write much more literature in the future and I appreciate the encouragement. "Be the Change you wish to see in the world" -Ghandi |
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