The People of Dewbrook

Chapter Twelve

She released a sharp breath as she turned her back to her children. "My dears, you are free to go to the local park and play for the next hour or two, where many people must surely be. I have to go and perform a task I have forgotten about, which is quite important and which I must perform right now, so do not ask anything and simply do whatever you want. I must go, but stay safe for my sake. Do you promise?"

"Promise," they said in unison, not thinking anything at all as they ran in the direction of the park, which they had become very familiar with. She was now free to go to the river that was fifteen minutes from her house and cleanse her head for a little. Then, she would certainly be prepared for whatever life had to throw at her that day. She had to be.

For the first five minutes, she knelt at the end of the bridge that led directly towards the river, crushing her palms and weeping to her heart's content. On her right hand, as always, was a rosary that clearly displayed her love for Jesus and all that he stood for, serving as a reminder that she had come there to say her prayer for him, but for a while, she could not bring herself to speak due to the sheer sorrow that she felt. Soon, she became sick of it, and, taking a deep breath, she said this:

"My Lord and protector, I make my prayer to You today. I am not the kind of person who is obsessed with the concept of prayers, never having wanted much for myself, but unfortunately, there comes a time in every person's life that they are consumed with want out of urgency. I have always tried my best to be a loving wife and mother, surviving the harshest times of my life because I knew that You watch over us all at all times and that You have the ability to determine who is good and who is evil and treat them accordingly. 

However, I must also admit that I was a believer in the idea that wealth improves everything, for nothing can be hidden from You. From a certain perspective, it can sound a bit corrupt, and from a certain perspective, money is indeed corrupt. I regret to have rejoiced when I heard that gambling had made my husband rich, for I now know that gambling is one of the worst vices imaginable, being easily connected with all sorts of other vices that suck at a man's soul until he is unrecognisable to everyone, even those who love him the most. He has been dragged knee-deep into debauchery, condemning us all irrevocably, but as long as there is still even a little bit of time left, I believe in You to return every member of this family to kindness, gratitude and joy, even myself, for I have not been the best person I could have been lately. 

After all, You must know that we have served You well, and surely You would never leave people like us to be miserable forevermore. I think that contentment is not much to ask for, but our fate is in Your hands. I know that You will make the choice that is the most right, even if it does not seem like it at the moment. Remember that we will always love and worship You."

After that, she began crying again, not being quite sure that there is a God, or if God even is as great as people say, having known people who have suffered great injustice and died from it, shaming herself for these unholy thoughts a moment later. It made her cry even harder, although she knew that crying was weak, for she knew that she could not help it. She was tired of being a martyr. Fortunately, her misery did not last much longer. She saw that Harold had arrived, and, immensely glad to see a confidante walking in the same area that she did, she jumped from the ground and rushed to embrace him immediately.

"Harold, I am so glad to see you," she said, proud of herself for not crying anymore.

"Is everything fine, Mildred?" he said with an awkward inflection in his voice while gazing at her bloodshot eyes.

She laughed uncomfortably. "It is fine, my friend, everything is fine. Why would it not be?"

He sighed. "Mildred, I must confess that you are a dreadful liar. You look appalling, and I have heard your tearful prayer to God a minute ago, which I would have expected from anyone who is facing the problems that you are facing. Do not ever feel that you are alone in fighting your burdens, for there are many people who love and support you, and with that in mind, be sure that everything will be over soon enough. In fact, I will tell your husband everything the next time I see him, and I am sure he will understand. I am heading to the tavern, so I am certain that you will not have to wait very long."

"Thank you," she said, turning away from him. "I must go and pick up my children from the park now, for I cannot let anything happen to them. Good luck with your mission. I am sure that everything will be great. Farewell until the next time."

"Farewell," he whispered serenely, heading to his intended destination.

Harold saw Stephen the moment he stepped into the tavern. Luckily, Stephen was alone, very sober, and also very happy to see him, so he sat beside him without hesitation. 

"What is it, my friend?" Stephen chirped, looking away from his empty glass of wine. "I presume that you have some good news to tell me, right?"

Harold shook his head. "The news is not that good, but they are important, so I must tell you everything. I just saw your wife crying and praying to God near a river, being quite concerned for your well-being and wishing that everything would return to what it once was, which I am sure you must also want on some level. Would that not be great? To release yourself from your addiction and all your vices and live a life of comfortable wealth that will never be lost to the uncertain tides of gambling? So, what do you say?"

Stephen smiled brightly. "That sounds great, my friend. In fact, I have attempted this multiple times, although it always lasted a couple of days at best. I shall try harder this time around and see how it goes, I guess."

And try he did. On that fateful day, he told his wife everything, which she was immensely mirthful about. His children hugged him excitedly, blessed with the belief that he would never do unpleasant things again. He did not even hesitate to go to Caroline and say that she was ruining him and that their love had to end if he wanted to be a fortunate man. She was heartbroken, but she understood. At least she had the beautiful memory of their two-month love and the joy of knowing that this was for the best. However, falling asleep, Stephen began to feel that his story was still not over yet.