Chapter 62
The Help of Demeter V
(Demeter's P.O.V)
The evening was arrived that time, then Johnny finally went home from the meeting with his business partner, Ace. Instead of peace and comfort, he will bring chaos and sadness to his own daughter's life. Poor Jane, she's living like a puppet, but not as a human. This Johnny controls everything in his daughter's life, it was such cruel and unreasonable! He even made an agreement for the marriage between her daughter and Ace. Johnny don't even think about Jane's happiness and it's effect on her emotion and mind.
It was exactly dinner, while the father and daughter eating the meal together in their dining table. This is the time that Jane's miserable life is about to happen. Johnny is about to tell Jane the fixed marriage that will happen. Here, Johnny told his daughter...
"Jane, I want to tell you something."
"What is it, dad?" Jane asked him.
Here, Johnny begins to tell it and he is even proud of it...
"I already realized that it's about time for you to marry and have a husband."
Jane was nervous from what her father told her. So, her eyes were widened and asked...
"What do you mean, dad?"
Then, Johnny replied...
"I talked with my business partner earlier and your marriage is fixed. How glad I am for finally you will get married."
Jane didn't like it, for it is already her right to marry someone that she only loves, but not forced by anyone. So, she did her best to fight for herself. Jane also knew that this business partner he talks about was same age as her father. So, she stood up and answered back her father...
"I'm sorry dad, but I don't love him, and I am not agreeing to this!"
But Johnny was enraged from what his daughter told him, then he replied...
"How dare you to answer me like that? Where is your respect?!"
Jane cried from what happened and from what her father will do for her. So, she still fights for her right and said...
"But dad, it is I must decide to love a man that my heart will tell!"
"I am doing this for your own good and future! If you marry Ace, then your life will not be in poverty and your richness will maintain!" Johnny replied.
Jane didn't understand it anymore, she can't see that there is for her own good from what her father decides for her, but it was no freedom and slavery after all. But she knows that there is a man who is already in her heart, and she loves truly. If you love someone, you must fight for it. Johnny didn't know their one-year relationship that were hidden for a long time. So, that's what Jane must do that time. So, she answered her father...
"But I already loved someone else."
Johnny was surprised as he heard that his daughter was in loved to someone. After all this time, Jane hides him a secret, and he didn't like it. And he will hate it more if he finds out about the lover of her daughter. So, he was angrily asked his daughter...
"After all these time, you are hiding something from me? Tell me who is that man who gets your heart, tell me!"
Jane was nervous to tell it, but she can't hide her secret anymore. She really loves Charles, so she must proclaim it with bravery and courage, for love must be like that. So, she told her father about her lover without hesitation...
"It's Charles! I love him!"
Johnny's anger become worse as he already heard the truth. He tapped the table hardly with his two hands, and it makes those plates and glasses shake from the impact. Then, he went in front of Jane and slapped her in her cheek. That time, she felt the pain not just emotionally, but physically as well. It was too much abuse she felt from her father that time, there's nothing that she can't do but to cry. Then, Johnny yelled at her after he slapped his daughter...
"You bastard! You didn't even use your mind, you even dared to love that garbage's son?! You are such a useless idiot!"
But Jane cried but she still managed to fight for herself...
"I don't care what you are going to say anymore dad, but I refuse that marriage! There is no other man that I loved but only Charles!"
Johnny will never give Jane her freedom. Instead of letting her go, he even threatened her...
"Just try to refuse, or else I will bring chaos to his father's farm, and I will destroy all of his crops no matter what! Now, are you going to marry Ace, and everything will be going to be okay, or refused and his farm will be destroyed?"
Jane was frightened from that threat and what will happen if she's going to refuse. She really loved Charles, but this time, there's nothing that Jane can do but to end her relationship with Charles for her sacrifice. Jane must do it for him, so that there will be no danger that will come upon them. Jane didn't answer back her father anymore, but she just ran away from her room. She immediately lay in her bed and cried while she hugged her soft pillow. The life was such unfair for her. In Jane's mind, she thinks that what sin she has committed, and she felt this kind of miserable life. She is rich, but she lives like a slave. She lives like a princess, but it seems that slaves have more freedom than her. That whole night, she just cried and can't even rest peacefully, for fear is coming upon her.
Another day have passed, it was in the morning, I am teaching all these farmers about techniques and knowledge about growing and taking care of these crops. All of them are dedicated to listen and learn from what I am telling them. But they're not just listened, but they learned a lot from what I am telling them, and it was such a relief feeling for me. After that, when all of us will rest for a while, I entered inside the house for a rest and stayed in the living room while sitting in a very comfy sofa.
But Neal and Charles exactly entered the house...
"Demeter, you're already here. Look, I brought something for you." Neal told me.
Then, I saw he carried some leaves in his hand. So, I wondered what is that for. There, I asked him...
"What is that for?"
"This leaves is good for making a tea, and this drink is made from all of us, the farmers." Neal replied with confident.
I was looking forward for that, so, I told him...
"Sure, looking forward to taste it."
Then, Neal went to kitchen to make a tea for us. First, he put the leaves in a mortar and grind it using the pestle. Then, he puts all those grinded leaves in a very tiny pack used for a tea and soak it in a cup with a hot water in it. Then, here, he served it to us while resting in the living room...
"There you go, the best tea that was made here in our farm.
I tasted that hot tea that Neal made for us. And it was a surprise, this tea was such tasty and delicious. It was such great as the wine of Dionysus, indeed. That's why I praised Neal...
"Marvelous, this tea is really good. I loved it."
Then, Neal just laughed and proudly told me...
"Of course, it's delicious. I made that freshly tea for you."
Then, we enjoyed the tea while resting in that living room. While we are drinking that tea, Neal remembered something. So, he asked his son Charles...
"Hey, son, Jane will come later this evening, right?"
"Yes, dad. We will meet later, why you asked?" Charles asked him.
"I want to invite her for dinner, just tell it to her." Neal told him.
"Sure, I will." Charles replied with delight.
Charles is the first one to finish his tea. After that, he decided to get back to the farm to help the farmers. Until it's only I and Neal are left inside that house while finishing our tea. We are talking about Charles as he left, I am the first one to told Neal...
"You're such a blessed man to have a good son like him."
"Indeed, he is more important than the land and properties that I had." Charles replied.
Then, Charles told me something about Jane's father, it was Johnny. This man also has a farm and rivaled him. Actually, Neal is not mad at him and even didn't do anything wrong from him. He doesn't have any idea why Johnny is mad and hates him so much, maybe because of greed. Because Johnny wants to become greater than him. When everytime Jane is coming to meet Charles, Neal welcomed her with all of his heart. He even treated her well, and almost treat her like his daughter, for he believed that she will be the future wife of his son. But, when Jane is eating a dinner with them, she tells them all about she experienced with her father. It was like how he manipulated and controlled her life, abusing her by words, and how depressed she is when she's inside their house. But every time she's with Neal, especially with her lover, Charles, everything is different. She felt so comfortable and free, happiness is coming upon her. How Jane hopes that she will live forever with them, but it can't because of her father. Neal felt pity from what he has heard from Jane. That's why he always comforts him and make her happy as long as he can.
After Neal tell everything about this, I commented to what I have heard...
"Poor Jane, if I am still a goddess, then, maybe, I already punished her father."
I also told Neal, that I already met Jane last night. She opened to me that time, that how she hopes that she will feel a freedom someday, and her father will let her be free. That's why I gave her some words that will help her to give strength. I also felt pity for her, but I also hope that she will finally meet her freedom, in a very right time.
After that, we are both silenced, but we accidentally stared at each other. Again, I felt that strange feeling and blushed. And I can see that he felt the same way, we can't just admit it. But Neal asked me some question that makes me confused why he asked me this...
"Can I ask that if the gods like you will fell in love to the mortals like me?"
"What do you mean?" I asked with surprise.
But it seems that he felt embarrassed and wondered why he asked that. So, he just told me...
"No, nothing. Forget what I have asked you."
I just chuckled from his silliness, while he was just silenced and just smiled. Is Eros being there and fired his arrow from both of us? Because I can feel it, that there is a love that has grown in our heart. That time, I already knew and believed it, that I am already fell in love to Neal. And he felt the same way too. But, instead of wasting our time, we decided to go back in the farm to proceed to our work.
In that whole day, there's nothing changed in our daily routine. I keep on showing and teaching them about more knowledge in farming, and all of them kept on learning. But there is only one thing that was changed, and that is the sales. It keeps on increasing than these past few days. We are kept on doing great, and I am proud for each one of them. I believe in these coming days or more, this farmers will still be doing great.
In that evening, Neal, Terry, and I prepared a dinner, for Jane will come and Neal wants to invite her for a meal. While Charles will wait outside their farm for the arrival of his lover, but he didn't know that there is something happened to Jane. Before he leaves, he asks his father that he's about to wait Jane outside the farm.
"Dad, I wait for Jane outside."
"Sure, go on my son. Just leave it to us about cooking for the dinner." Neal replied.
Then, Charles went outside that house to wait for his lover. As he was already outside that farm, it was strange that why it took so long that Jane isn't arrived yet. But he just kept on waiting for her, maybe she's just busy or something. In that many minutes of waiting, finally, the car of Jane was arrived. Charles stood up and smiled, he thought that his lover will not come. As the car stopped, Jane went out from that car and Charles immediately embraced her...
"We meet again, my love."
But Jane didn't reply or talked back. As Charles released her, he realized that Jane's mood was unusual, and he didn't like that feeling. That's why he dared to ask her...
"Are you alright, Jane?"
She just smiled a bit and replied in a very soft voice...
"Yes, I'm alright, thank you."
Then, Charles told her about the invitation of his father for the dinner. So, he asked her...
"My dad invites you for a dinner. Come, and let's go inside, they already preparing a dinner."
"No, I will not stay longer with you anyway." Jane replied.
Charles felt strange from the action and mood that Jane showed him. He didn't like how Jane behaved that time, so, he asked him without hesitation...
"Be honest to me, is there any problem or something?"
Here, this is the last moment and time for their relationship. Jane started to tell him everything, yes, it is painful for her, but it is a must. Because she will just protect him and Neal's farm from her father. There, she begins to tell this...
"I came here to tell you something."
"What is it?" Charles replied.
Then, Jane told him that will break his heart like how the stone from the mountain thrown into the ground and breaks into pieces...
"I want to break up with you, I'm sorry."
Charles' eyes widened and his world stops from spinning. It was such painful, it was like how come she broke up with him just like that. That time, he believed that her father must be involved in this. So, he told her...
"You broke up with me just like that? Your father was involved in this, right?"
But Jane just replied him...
"I am going to be married soon to his business partner. So, it's better to end everything. I'm sorry, Charles."
Charles can't accept it, for he believes that there is no reason to end their relationship just like that. So, he tried to fight his love for the woman that he really loved...
"I will never let this happen! Don't give up, Jane, I am willing to fight our love for each other! No one will ever dictate for our love! No one!"
But Jane enraged and answered Charles back...
"Are you idiot? Do you know what you're saying? If I refused the marriage, then my father will destroy your farm or ever put all of you in danger! Now, do you still want to fight your love for me?!"
Charles was just silenced, he also loved and cared about so much for his father's farm. Now, he understands that Jane just wants to protect them and it's a no choice. His tears slowly fell from his eyes, for he already knew that there is no other way to fight for their love anymore. Then, Jane told him a farewell before she leaves him...
"I am just doing this to protect you. This will be the last time that you will see me, you don't deserve me, Charles. Farewell, and I will never forget you."
Jane ride inside her car, drive it, and leave him alone in sadness and loneliness. Charles can't control his emotion that time, so, he cried out loud that his scream almost heard from the heavens. Through that tears, he let all out his pain and emotions that he felt.