In the morning,the pale blue sky is floating with white clouds,the breeze blowing the leaves beside the road,the birds leaping back and forth on the tree,as if telling people that a new day has begun.Dewdrops rolling along the dandelion and clover dreams,splashing a piece of transparent sunlight.In a golden squeak,hatch a dawn that is no longer wet.
I didn't feel like going to school today.But I got ready,wore my bag and called out to my mom.
"I'm going to school."
I walked for a mile to board a bus to Griville,a small town on the outskirts of Jorsan.
"It's been a long time since I saw grandma,she must have felt very lonely without me".I felt a cheerful buzzing in my blood.
"She'll be very happy to see me!",the thought brought a smile on my face.
I breathed in deeply;the air was tinged with fresh-cut,sweet smelling hay.Butter Cups and broom clover grew along the edge of the lane. Bees buzzed amid wild honeysuckle. Beams of bright sunlight slanted down through the trees.The grove was alive with the cheeps and chirps and rustling of the birds .A Mockingbird scolded me from the high branch of a towering oak tree.
The summer day was serene and beautiful.
A pompous rooster was picking and scratching in the lane ahead. The chickens were confined to the chicken house only in the winter.The rest of the year they were as free as the wild birds to roam the farm wherever they wished. They never ventured far, however from the security of the farmyard,where from dawn to dusk they could be found picking up grain,undigested tidbits from animal manure,grass and all the insects they could catch.
I couldn't help but smile when a rooster, upon finding a choice morsel, called his harem of hens with a "tut,tut,tut,tut".A couple of gullible fat hens came running,but there was nothing left for them. The rooster made a great show off being a good provider and strutted away,having the fluffy white hens at his beck and call seemed to do great things for his ego.
I walked the Roseford road toward town and the river beyond. It was easy walking. Coming back up the road to the farm would require much more effort.I rounded a curve in the road and the town of Griville,a huddle of buildings scattered along the bank of the Dosewallips River,came into view.
Only the tall-red painted grain elevator and two white church steepless rose above the the two-story brick shops and the wooden residences.The town sloped down to the river where the old mill stood. It has stopped operation several years ago.
I crossed the railroad tracks. The train station was one-room frame box like structure with the cattle pen on one side and the elevator on the other. The grass along-side the tracks was charred, deliberately burnt to keep the weeds from taking over.
A lumber wagon, its long box filled with large rolls of barbed- wire fencing and oak posts, rumbled pass me and continued on down Main street after the driver had tipped his hat politely.
Behind the shops that lined the streets sat neat cottages and some large comfortable houses surrounded by picket fences. Closer to the river, in the less prosperous part of the town, the houses were unkempt,unpainted frame shacks,most with a cow or a horse staked out behind them.
When I passed the hotel,I looked at a man sitting on the porch, his chair tilted back against the wall.His shirt sleeves were cuffless and he wore black arm garters,a linen collar but no tie. Our eyes met;his,friendly and appraising.He smiled and tipped his broad-brimmed hat. I felt his eyes follow me as I walked down the street to the grocery store.
I was greeted by the owner.
"Good day to you,young lady.Nice day for a walk into town,huh?"
"I came here to visit my grandma.It's been a long time since I came here,the roads are smooth and straight and it seems like Griville is slowly developing into a city.So,how are the family?"
"Fit as fiddles.Little ones are growing like weeds. Wish they'd hurry up so they can give me some help here in the store. " He laughed heartily .
"Don't wish your life away Mr.Dogar. They will grow up fast enough"
"You're right about that,so how's mamma,pappa?"
"Dad's been busy lately, with a powerplant installment and he always stays at the laboratory to take notes of the animals being treated there".I smiled and continued.
"If I have time,I shall visit dad too.But the sun's been playing hide and seek with a bright smile,so it's hard to decide",I laughed.
"What about Ann?That pretty girl must be catching all attention there.Has she graduated?"
"That-you're right.",I grinned.
"She's in her final year of school,waiting to enter Law college"
,I remarked proudly.
"That's great to hear.Send my warm greetings to Mr and Mrs.Willows.Had a good long chat after a long time. ",he laughed.
"So,what can I get for you today?"
"Some peppermint candies and half a kg of apples and mangos each.I don't come here much often.So gotta buy something for granny when I'm here".I smiled.
I waited while Mr.Dogar went to the back of the store.My eyes roamed the neatly stocked shelves,the barrels of crackers,beans and rice and the bright red,big-wheeled coffee grinder that sat proudly on the counter.I breathed in the mixture of scents:coffee,spices,leather goods and overripe bananas.
I was born on this town.I had walked the mile to city and the additional quarter mile through city to school from the time I was five years old.I was considered a country girl and was not been invited to the socials held by my classmates,even though I was a favourite of teachers and was one of the prettiest girls in school.
Then we moved to Joscon and that's where I met Jake for the first time,in middle school.As I walked along the hard-packed road,my mind roamed.
"Finally,I'm here".I swung the door open,placed the fruits on the table and popped a candy inside my mouth.I went looking for grandma.
My grandpa, Mr.Regal Fedrick Williams,who has served on borders all his life,passed away a few years back.Since then,my grandma lives here alone.But she loves this place so much,she rarely walks out from here.
"Hello,hello,hello..",I stepped off the porch.I could see grandma was struggling with a heavy quilt on the clothes-line.I stepped in to help her.
With that gleaming eyes ,I could say that she was shocked by my surprise visit.
"What brought you here?",she smiled.
"Should I need a proper reason to meet you",I smirked.
"Come in",she gestured me into the living room.
The room was a little messy with old clothes piled up in a corner and a rotten apple on the side of the table,which has now given itself to plump green worms.
She handed me a glass of water with shaky hands.
"Your dad and mom come here often but what took you so long?Have you forgotten about your grandma?"
She sat by my side and tilted her head on the wall.
"They visit you often because their laboratory is just a few minutes walk from here.Granny,I'm a high school girl.My life is filled with people and problems . I've got lot of things to do,but not a single day goes by without thinking about you",I hugged her.
She told me that she missed me so much,we talked about the old days and she introduced me to the neighborhood kids and their pets.She proudly showed me the corn and daisies that has now bloomed into bright colours showing off their beauty on the edge of the field.
In the evening,there are strange clouds in the sky.In the setting sun,it adds a few mysterious colours to it.Some are like frog princes,the crown of the head is gleaming.Some are like white rabbit running,it is yellow by the evening glow.
She insisted I stay here tonight but I already missed school today.So,I promised her to come here on weekends.I waited for the city bus for an hour and finally a red bus rolled to a stop.
When I got down on Joscon.I started walking to the Alta river bridge to see the cute puppy.
The evening sun cast long shadows on the ground.The slanting rays of the setting sun gave a warm orange tinge to the sky. The sky was ablaze with fire of the setting sun.The night sky was aglow with bright city lights.
I found the puppy happily playing with Shawn under the bridge.
I was still in my school uniform which made him surprised.
"Did you bunk school today?",he looked at me, leaving the puppy on the ground.
"Suddenly I felt an urge to see my grandma. I visited her today.So,I couldn't come",I smiled.
"Meiko looked worried.She was talking about you all day"
"Had a nice day with her?",I questioned him sarcastically
"Huh?she talks nicely.She's so funny",he sat on the stone bench and the dog wiggled it's tail at him asking for food.
"Yes,yes.She thinks whatever she does is funny".
You could clearly say I was jealous.He didn't seem to notice the annoyance in my voice and continued in a confidential tone.
"So,how was today?Was it fun?",he dropped few pieces of bread to the dog,who was now feasting on it happily.
"Yes,It was too much fun.So I have no energy to talk about that"
Shawn mentioning the name of Meiko made me jealous and angry.
"It's late . I'm going home".I said coldly and turned away.
"Let me walk you home",he got up on his legs cheerfully.
"No,I can go on my own"
He stood there staring at me with confusion.
" I'm not jealous ",I kept saying it to myself.
But that's not true . I'm curious to know what they talked about me.
"Mom,I'm home!",I threw my bag on the table and ran inside the kitchen.
"Mom's not here".Ann was lying on the sofa,scrolling through her phone.
"When will she come?"I sat on top of her,eating my apple pie.
"You're heavy!",she tried to move.
I laughed.
"After a week or so",she replied sassily.
"Dinner's on the table",she exclaimed.
"No,I'm full . I'm going to bed"
I was turning the pages of the diary.
"I like him more in my dreams".
I jumped on my bed,straightened up my pillows and lay on it.
I tried to sleep,but Ann was dancing to the song 'Joanna' in full volume.
I wanted to join her too,but I'm just too tired for that.
Grandma sent me home with corns and lilies from her field.She must be lonely too,just like Shane.
The thought of him made me fall asleep.
He was nowhere to be seen.The moon has risen,like a jade round ice tray just dehydrated,not stained with fiber dust.
I walked towards the hut and found him sleeping inside.I sat beside him,but didn't wake him up.
My presence made him alarmed and he sat straight,startled.
"You're here",he said in a lazy voice.
"Could you bring me some comics when you come here next time?",he was speaking seriously.
How could I say him that I meet him in my dreams?And that I can't do anything while sleeping.
'Last time when I was here-',the thought made me blush.
He gave me a bowl in which he had mixed many fruits and told me to eat it.
"Uh?what's this?"
"No matter what problems you have,you come here to see me without fail",he chuckled."It's my way of saying thank you"
To my surprise,the food tasted so much better than the wonderful cheese balls I make.
"Could you stay with me here itself?Why should you go?"
"I promised some other person too,that I would be with them forever"
"Is it that 'real me' you're talking about?"
"Yes",I smiled.
"Fine",he looked upset.
"I'm starting to lose hope.I don't think I'll ever get out of this place",his tone was dull.
How could I say that he's just a guy in my dreams and everything would come to an end when I wake up?
"Keep trying,you'll find a way out",I tried to sound encouraging.
"When I first saw you . I thought you were my solution.But you too seemed to know nothing"
I felt bad for him.
"You know there's nothing worse than waiting",the tears rolled down his cheek.
I went to wipe them but here I am sitting on my bed with a messed up hair and blanket wrapped around me.
'What in the world woke me up this early ?'I looked at the clock.It was only three in the morning.
I was so tired but I couldn't sleep . I just lay there wide awake,waiting for the morning to arrive!
Dear Shane,
Please don't trust me from now on.I can't even wipe your tears,but you still believe in me and keep waiting for me,there.I still wonder how many forevers,I can promise you with.Whenever I look at Shawn,I'm tryin' to find a little of you in him.I was so happy that you're the favourite place that I end up with all my sadness and smiles,but now I can't think that my happiness has took away your smiles.I memorised your laughs and talks and I'm looking for it in everyone I meet.When everyone else turned their backs on me,you still held my hand tightly and I'm grateful for that.You were the one who gave me back my smile and I promise that I shall give you back the happiness that you've lost!!!
My thoughts always head up in your direction.Though you're not here with me,you're the only thing on my head all day.Something in me tells that I'm gonna love you forever.You promised that you'll never leave,so I promise I'll forever stay.
Until the last star in the universe dies out.YOU have ME....