Bring Glory(Us) Life

Epilogue- Glorious Life

            “Actually I never graduated. Let’s just say I had an epiphany and realized my old life wasn’t for me. So I dropped out and came here. I do art full time now. It’s good.” The young woman gaped, shocked.

            “Seriously? Who would have thought. I mean, you were, like, a genius. But that’s really cool, honest. I think it’s awesome that you did this.” Lachlan set his brush down, closing his paint bottles so they didn’t dry up.

            “What about you?” he asked, leaning back against his arms, head cocked to one side to consider her. “What do you do for a living?” Grace stretched out her legs, shrugging.

            “I’m still in school to get my degree in Biology,” she said.

            “You don’t sound very enthusiastic about that,” Lachlan pointed out, chewing on his lip ring.

            “Oh, well, I don’t know. It’s hard to get a good paying job these days, and biology is a good field so I thought I’d give it a try. I don’t really like it but—” she waved her hands in the air. “What are you going to do. Not everyone can chase their dreams.” Lachlan leaned forward, eyes intense, piercing her soul.

            “And what is your dream?” he asked, completely serious. His eyes were really pretty, with his thick eyelashes and smile lines. Grace suddenly felt very self-conscious.

            “Oh, it’s kinda dumb,” she said, kicking her heels in the grass. Lachlan shoved her lightly with his shoulder, grinning.

            “Don’t say that. No dream is dumb. What do you really want to do with your life?” Grace gazed into the kind grey depths of Lachlan’s eyes, seeing the innocent optimism within.

            “Well...I want to be a musician, play music for people in hospitals or nursing homes and stuff, try and make people happy. But it’s stupid, you can’t make a living off of that. It’s either happiness or money, you know?” Lachlan reached out suddenly, grabbing her shoulders.

            “You don’t have to sacrifice your dream to fulfill society's expectations. If you really love something, you can do it. You can do anything you want, as long as you believe in yourself, and have faith in your heart. A very wise person told me that once, and that’s why I’m here today. If you love something enough, money won’t be an issue. Happiness is far more valuable.” Grace stared at him, heart disturbed, and rose.

            “I have to go,” she said, hurrying away. Lachlan watched her flee, feeling saddened by her suffering.

            “I’m gonna need your strength to help this one, Kilay,” he told the sky, picking up his brush once more, and set it to the canvas.

            The rain came in out of nowhere, tearing down on the temporary market. Lachlan scrambled to pull a cover over his canvas and put away his paints at the same time before too much damage could be done. A strong wind picked up, knocking the cover off. Lachlan gave a cry, lunging for it.

            “Need some help?” a voice asked from the side. A second pair of hands grabbed the cover, and together they pulled it over the painting. Grace knelt down, helping him pack up.

            “Thanks,” he said over the gale, gathering everything in his arms as the rain soaked them.

            “Let me help you get to shelter,” Grace shouted, looking around. “Know of any place?”

            “Follow me, I live just down the block,” Lachlan said, racing over the green toward the street. They burst into a modest apartment complex, entering a very typical room. It had all the bare necessities, with little else, save for the stacks of artwork and supplies that cluttered the apartment. Set away from the clutter in a sacred space was a large peace lily, with the most beautiful flowers Grace had ever seen. Laughing, they collapsed on his couch, putting down Lachlan’s stuff on the table. From what Grace guessed was his bedroom two cats emerged, with brilliant green eyes and long red fur. She bent to say hello as they approached, and the two felines chirped at her in greeting.

            “The big one, the boy, is Ra, and the smaller one, the girl, is Kilay,” Lachlan said, pulling his hair from the ponytail, shaking it out a spray of water droplets like a dog. “Thanks for helping, by the way; don’t think I would have made it without you,” he said, grinning at Grace. She stared at him, meeting his eyes.

            “How can you be so happy? Isn’t life hard? You live in a dump. Aren’t you worried about money at all?” Lachlan laughed.

            “Someone I used to know told me that there is no room in this world for unhappiness. We only have so much time in our lives, why waste it on worries and discomfort? And I chose to live like this. I may not look it, but I’m actually quite famous, in certain rings. There are a lot of people who pay good money for my art, but I don't want to be rich, so I donate the money to medical research.

            “Lachlan—”

            “Call me Locky. The person I used to be, Lachlan, died a long time ago.” Grace gazed into his eyes, fingers tingling in a strange manner.

            “You’ve changed so much. But I think I like the new Locky a lot better,”

        “Me too...can I ask you something?”

        “Of course.”      

        “Can I tell you a story. It’s the story of the woman who changed my life.” Grace met his gaze, seeing his heart displayed openly on his sleeve. She hunkered down beside him, amid purring cats, knowing her life would never be the same again.

        “I’d love to hear it.”