chapter twenty three

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LONG AGO

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LONG AGO

A gentle-looking woman, laying quietly on a lushly-decorated bed in a beautiful and refined room, her weak and tired form a stark contrast to the elegance around her. The sound of the door opening makes her head turn, and she gazes with love upon the figure of a man slowly approaching, a case in his hands. The man, now close to the woman's side, returns her gaze, sharing in the affection she radiates.

Quietly, the woman calls out the name of the man before her, "Reggie". Lifting herself slowly from the bed she lies in, her frail and weak form a sharp contrast to the refined and beautiful surroundings, her voice just a soft whisper, "Don't you look dapper?", she says, her tone filled with gentle affection.

Reginald Hargreeves, revealed to be the much younger man now standing before her, holding the case, which reveals itself to be an instrument, speaks. "Well, I thought it was right to buy something special for the occasion", he says, his tone betraying the affection he holds for her. He sits on the bed, gently and carefully, and with deliberate motion sets the case on his legs. He then turns his attention to the case and undoes the clasp, opening it.

Reginald says to the woman, "As you requested. I didn't realize that you felt up to playing", the words coming out quietly with a hint of surprise, as he takes note of her weak smile.

In response, she reaches out, her hand gently caressing his arm, and her smile growing a bit more. "I don't, I want you to take it with you", she says, her voice soft, yet there is a hint of strength to her, despite her frailness.

Reginald's face falls as he shakes his head, his words coming out softly, and with a hint of pain. "No, my love", he says to the woman, her face not faltering from the smile she wears. "Please", she utters in a soft and gentle tone, clearly begging.

"Find someone who'll love it as much as I have," her words come out in a whisper, and Reginald is struck by the depth of the emotions his companion is conveying, despite her weak frame.

Reginald, setting aside the violin case to the side, leans over to his beloved, as she raised her feeble hand to his cheek and looks at him lovingly. While still maintaining her gentle smile, Reginald's expression is a mix of pain and sadness, "I can't leave you," he says, as her hand gently lingers on his cheek. "There must be another way", his voice is laced with hope, yet there is a hint of resignation as well.

The woman, laying in her bed, caresses his cheek with such tenderness and affection, that she conveys the depth of the love she holds for him. The two share a special bond that was built upon such intense emotions and feelings, and despite her weakness, the connection between them remains strong and indomitable. Reginald clearly wants only for her to be by his side, as his reluctance and refusal to leave her expresses his devotion to her in the midst of her frailty.

The woman speaks, her voice filled with determination despite her frail state, "I will die here, but you won't. I won't allow it", expressing her conviction in regards to him moving on with life without her, "The world needs you, Reggie. Now go", she declares, her words imbued with the utmost seriousness, and yet there is a hint of acceptance in them as well. Reginald takes her hand, gently kisses it, and is then locked in a gaze with her eyes, never breaking away.

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