Let My Daughter Go: An Exodus Story

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO

The other world, the dream that seemed more real then life lingered throughout the days that seemed to pass swiftly by. Buni Lidia's funeral passed by in a daze, bits and pieces of them left a little imprint on my heart. At the church, I remembered an angelic voice echoing from the rafters where the handsome nameless still stranger sang and played the old pipe organ. His voice was smooth and strong and pure it seemed, and my mind kept going to him, which was ludicrous since I didn't even know his name.

Soon it was Monday and my sister and I came to my aunt's house, to speak of our next steps and where we could go with the supplies that had been donated. I was sitting comfortably on the worn out couch that had been set against the wall of the porch, my sister was staring somewhere far off on the chair next to the couch when Dariel and he walked up the rickety wooden steps.

Of course the thud in my heart must have been heard in the entire city when blue eyes met my eyes and sat right beside me, and I could not find a cure for my sudden blushing silence.

Dariel glimpsed my reddening face and winked, I could have slapped him.

"Alex, I forgot to introduce you, this is Evanthia my cousin and Radiana her sister. They're visiting from the States."

"Buna ziua," the one who was no longer nameless greeted, "Great that your cousin finally had the genius idea of introduction." he smiled his rueful smile.

Still mute and blushing me simply nodded and smiled a bit too brightly, and almost in a whisper said my hello. My sister not as susceptible to the charms of blue eyes since her own were the color of a clear summer sky, found it more wise to be direct and to the point.  

"You like my sister don't you?" she said not even blinking an eye, not saying hi, just that, nothing more. Though I kept my smile pasted to my face, I was silently scolding her with my eyes at the same time looking for a great big rock to hide under.

"Yup." he said.

So that rock seemed to be no where near big enough by the flowers, um wait, what? There went my imagination at the speed of lightning once more telling me he said yes.

"What?" I nearly chocked.

"Yea I do." he replied just as to the point as my sister had chosen to be.

Well, that was good and dandy but since I knew next to nothing of Alex, my ever creative mind could not create the next word. So thank God, literally thank God for aunt Miriam who just at that amazingly perfect moment came out of the kitchen across the porch with refreshments and some budinca, also known as pudding (but only as she could make it) to be set before us on the coffee table. This part of the porch served as a type of living room as well since there was no living room in the house.

"Okay my dear, tomorrow we will go to see the woman I was telling you about who's husband just died. She's very poor, in fact she's had to give some of her children to the orphanage here in Cugir because she can't take care of them." She said matter of factly as she put the pudding mixed with fruits on a plate for each of us to enjoy. "But until then you should all go to the river since it's too hot to be driving on the road now."

Ever grateful for my aunt's unknowing intervention in this conversation, away from the topic of infatuation, I was the first to jump up. For the two mile trek through the thick woods I was ready, and at the end of it we would be rewarded with a very refreshing roaring river.

"I've heard much about you from Dariel," Alex was saying to me as we worked away along the much traveled path, "How long will you be in Romania?"

Momentarily that was the last thing I wanted to cross my mind, "About two and a half weeks," I replied not very cheerfully.

Alex's eyes lingered over my pouty lips and smiled, "Good then, that's plenty of time to get to know you better," He said, blue eyes twinkling playfully.

"Um, yea, definitely." I replied dumbly getting a distinct impression that our ideas of getting to know each other were quite opposite. Lifting my eyes to the tranquil sky, I thought, God it sure would be nice to be gifted with better flirting skills.

Dariel shot daggers Alex's way, and if looks could, well you know, yea, Alex wouldn't have stood a chance of survival. "She's not like you Alex, and she doesn't need to know you like that bro." My cousin's eyes flared with protective warning, he was making it ever clear that there would be consequences if the result would be a broken heart or worse.

Putting both hands over my mouth to stifle a giggle, I must have looked the part of a giddy school girl. But the fact of the matter was he meant it, and it warmed me that he was like that with me and my sister, like an older brother we never had.

"Nu te-ngrijora, don't worry, he's your best friend after all, that must mean something." I said while putting a gentle hand on his shoulder and reassured him.

He nodded and smiled mischievously, "Yea it means I have low standards."

"Anyway, I thought you sang great Alex, at buni Lidia's funeral." I said matter of factly, even daring to meet his eyes but looking away just as quickly.

"Si tu, you also." He replied.

A light breeze caused a whisper through the forest trees, as we continued on. The path we followed took us on a constant up and down pattern around the mountain almost like steady waves. Along the way our chatter became lighthearted and every so often we would pause, take out our camera and forever captured the beauty surrounding us. We immortalized these moments in this way, and never would they be forgotten by me.

Alex with each word and rueful smile continued to charm my heart. Meeting him somehow felt like destiny and appointment made in heave, yet my heart screamed caution.

The song of the river soon met our ears along with children playing or screaming, running from refreshing water fights. The latter part we eagerly joined in, once my heart beat at an unimaginable speed as Alex caught me up in his arms and threw me in the river.

Summer kissed our souls that day, especially mine. My enthralled heart sang with hope, he made me feel that beautiful the way his eyes perpetually lingered on me. This was perhaps as in my dream, but which part of it I didn't know. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind there was and echo of caution, but very thoroughly it was ignored.