Shades of Tea

Yunnan

"There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast."- Charles Dickens

After a spending a few days under the sun Dylan had us on the road again. "Its going to be a long drive, so we might as well enjoy it while we can. It's a good thing we only need to reach the place by night time."

What are we going to do?

"We're going to a lantern festival in the city. It's going to take us about six hours to get there, but if take breaks and account for traffic it's definitely going to take longer." He said.

Then we should switch who drives every so often so you don't get too tired.

"You're right. Okay you ready?" I nodded, slipping my phone into my jacket pocket and sitting back in my seat.

This was the last full day we were going to spend with each other, and I didn't want it to end. I was already dreading tomorrow because we'd be parting ways.

"What's wrong?" Dylan asked, glancing at me. Shaking my head, I pushed the thoughts from my head and focused on the present, treasuring each moment we had left with each other. About an hour in the journey we got stuck in some slow moving traffic so I took the opportunity to start a conversation.

What happened to your family when you moved into the city? I scribbled on the paper and showed it to him. He frowned before sighing.

"We were rich, richer than we could ever have imagined. Have you seen the billboards with the greying man, smiling with overly white teeth promoting insurance?" I nodded.

"He's my father, Grayson Tiller. He owns the biggest insurance company in the country, which is more successful than the business my grandfather had left him. My father is an intelligent man, with a sharp sense of business. He simply needed the opportunity my grandfather had given him and he thrived off that. So yeah, I'm filthy rich." He spoke the last few words with such disgust I frowned.

Why are you angry at that?

"Because it's going to make you look at me differently now." His eyes were filled with sorrow and regret.

Your money doesn't change the way I think about you. Money doesn't make a person, at least it doesn't make you. Come on, you work in a cafe for God's sake. Do your co-workers know?

"I didn't want to tell them because unlike you, they would treat me differently and I don't think I would be able to handle it. I distanced myself from my family because I wanted to make meaningful relationships. I guess that's why I went to Europe because people didn't really know me there. In the army things work at a different pace, we're all equals. We don't get special treatment based on where we came from and I appreciated that.

My mother respected my wishes and kept me out of the spotlight, but my brothers were all to eager to get snapped by the paparazzi any chance they could get. Now I think they regret that though because they can't catch a break." He laughed loudly.

"Like I said, I was always the black sheep of the family, the riches only solidified those thoughts. I do miss my family though, it's a struggle just to talk to them now. They've become unrecognisable in my eyes and I'm strange to them. We have nothing in common, except for a last name. I've accepted that a long time ago.

My achievements as a soldier were always overshadowed by my older brother's success in the business, so I stopped trying to impress them and worked for just myself instead. I doubt they even know I own a coffee shop."

Have you ever thought of trying to reconnect with them recently?

"No, I'm not sure I want to. What about your family?"

Well after Daisy died, we all drifted apart. Grief does that to a person. We all mourned in our own ways. My father took to excessively working at the office and my mother spent her days cleaning. Dad was never home, and mom was trapped in her own thoughts that they didn't even notice I had stopped talking. We spend less and less time in each other's company, the last bit of intimacy I received from my parents was a hug the day of the funeral.

I didn't really mind much though because our home was broken, and none of us had the energy to put it back together. Daisy was supposed to outlive them and instead they had to bury her just as her life had just begun, they took that really hard. We all did. I somehow managed to graduate from high school but I had no intentions of going to college. I couldn't bear to leave the house, despite it's depressing atmosphere. It was the only place people wouldn't judge me for still mourning the loss of my other half. Whatever friends I had were long gone, but I was so numb I couldn't care less. Honestly my house sucks.

"Maybe its time for you to make a few changes around the house. It's been too long since you've been a family, its time for you to piece to back together again."

I don't know if I can.

"Of course you can. You've managed to fix yourself, so you can fix your family."

You fixed me. Can you help me fix my family?

"Elise, I didn't fix you. You did that by yourself, I just showed you that you could. It was all you baby." He smiled. Sighing I focused on the road, now that we had cleared the traffic, deep in thought.

We were pulling into our first service station stop when I turned to Dylan, stopping him from exiting the car.

I'm going to make a deal. I'll fix my family on my own, but only if you promise to make things right with your family.

"Elise." He looked at me. I looked back at him fiercely. "Deal." He shook my hand and jumped out the car.

A few tiring hours of driving later we arrived at our destination, armed with two lanterns and a marker. Technically the release of the lanterns wasn't for a while, but we arrived just in time for the entertainment and the food trucks. The atmosphere was electric, the excitement buzzing around us. Groups of people sitting around a fire pit, roasting marshmallows and drinking beers. Dylan managed to get us a seat with a group of travellers, one of whom was strumming on a guitar humming quietly. They chatted with Dylan while I sat quietly sipping on a cold beer.

"Dude we should probably write our messages on the lanterns now because it almost time to release them." One of the men told us as we were handed small gas cans to fuel the ascent of the paper lantern.

This is for you Daisy x. I wrote.

I looked at Dylan's questionable words. Thank you.

"I'm thanking God for bringing you to me." He smiled before pecking me on the lips. We lit the gas can and attached it to the lantern ready to let it free.

"Its amazing." He breathed as we stood beside each other watching the lanterns floating in the sky, our shoulders merely brushing. I interlocked my pinky with his before lacing all my fingers through his, holding them tight.

The dark skies were brightened by the thousands of lanterns floating in the air, flooding the space above us with light. It was indisputably amazing.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay I'm going to tell you now. Only one chapter left!!

Sorry I was meant to post this last week but I got busy and forgot, oops!!