55
“Holy shit, that was a long time coming,” she finally broke the curse of their speechless entanglement, somehow nuzzling even closer. “And worth the wait.”
They lingered in the warmth of the moment as their fingers continued the conversation, they were connected beyond anything words had to offer, their hearts dripped sweet somethings into the depths of syncopation.
“I missed this before I even knew what it was all about,” she whispered, as enchantment soaked into her goosebumps. “I mean, I knew what it was about, I just didn’t know what it was about, you know? And I don’t think it would have been half of what it was, if we’d have fallen in a year ago. Whew, good one.”
He managed to agree without a word.
“So many moons since back then, and you know I was here with you for all of them. Thought about you and Timps a lot over these last few months, me and Spaz talked about both of you all the time, we’re pretty sure at least one of you’s our best friend.”
“I’ll settle for top four,” Miles leaned in.
“Seven, for sure,” she pushed back. “Did you see his hair? It’s getting so long, just a few pieces in the front that can’t pull back, so...
Well, me and him are gonna have a lot of catching up to do, and I wanna give him my full intention while we explore this new dimension of our relationship, so...
I’m just saying it might be a little while before I sneak back over here, as lovely as it was and all, and there’s gonna be plenty of moons ahead of us, and also...
I was thinking that technically...
Well, this moon’s not officially done being new until sometime in the morning. Just saying...”
Sometime in the morning arrived entirely too soon, the tipi stirred into action as emotions mixed the batter, Miles hoped it wasn’t a recipe for disaster. He loved Annie, and she loved him, and she loved Spaz, and Spaz loved her, and Spaz loved Miles, and Miles loved Spaz, it was complicated. There were no deep dark secrets among their private affairs, no hidden animosity harbored by the entitlement of personal possession, their communication was honest and open, and without all the lying around of awkward silence, they got to bake their cake and eat it too.
All that excitement pushed residual feelings for Tiana to the surface. Not during, Miles was fully invested in every drop of sacred union, believe me, but as he lie alone collecting the pieces scattered about the room, he found the unfaded flavor of incomparable compatibility.
He loved them each in unique ways, one didn’t nullify the other, if anything, they expanded his capacity for both. An energy had been built between them, a swelling of heartsongs coalesced into symphony, the chords were not competing for space and time, they fit together to form a more dynamic listening experience for all involved. Each love was its own thing, its own harmonic series of connection, and without the guilt of betraying trust, they were free to develop each motif into its greatest potential.
Miles was new to the whole love game in general, and he’d somehow found himself lucky enough to ride along with two magnificent co-conductors, both influencing his own understanding of what it’s all about, though the situational complexity forced a confession of needing some time to put it all together. And what better time than now?
He felt relieved by the footloose focus of his own feet on the ground, loving another had been ultimately rewarding, but this space for himself would solidify his internal affairs, and in turn, create an even larger canvas for whatever designs the future had in store. He wasn’t ready to commit to a haircut, he’d ease into pulling out with a few baby steps, three moons felt like the right amount of self-indulgence, and it would make it that much easier to relish in the romance of his best friends.
He moved on from the tipi with a new sense of freedom, a freedom to be himself, for himself, no pretext of playing his cards right, the only one you can cheat in solitaire is yourself, and he looked forward to the alone time with his own reflection.
The birds and bees sang a love song as he was reborn into the world, the vibrance of community filled his uncluttered heart, he was at home with himself as he felt a belonging beyond compare. The dawn of new beginning had woken his dreams, by nightfall he’d settled into his new disposition, the universe approved and invited him to dinner.
“Welcome Miles,” embraced June. “Come in, come in, have a seat, we’re just about ready to dish it out. Pass me your bowl if you would, guests eat first around here, hope you like tacos.”
“Of course he likes tacos,” squeaked the littlest voice of reason. “Who doesn’t like tacos, mom?”
“In fact,” confessed Miles in a playful aside. “They’re actually my very most favorite.”
“Me too,” she giggled. “See mom, I told you so.”
“You’re right sweetie, I must have forgotten about the universal language of taco tuesday.”
“Is it tuesday out there somewhere?” wondered Miles.
“Oh, I don’t know, who cares? When you live by the sun and moon, all those clocks and calendars just feel like an arbitrary waste of time.”
“I know that’s right,” agreed Miles. “I’ve felt such freedom to live ever since I escaped the compartmentalization of life.”
“The commoditization of the human experience,” rephrased Thomas. “The factor of factories and the harvest of the people farm. If they’ve got you biding your time for something better, how can you ever fully appreciate the now?”
“Not when you count every second that slips into the pastime of counting seconds,” said Miles. “And then you look back at a lifetime of wishing your life away, and all you can wish for is that you’d have lived a little.”
“The days pass you by and you’re left wondering where all that time flew off to,” June noted. “And all that remains are those last few grains of sand, as you count down all the things you forgot to do, and all you can do about it then, is hope to remember to pay attention the next time around.”
“A life’s worth of next times and not right nows,” rattled Thomas. “And as you recount the money you’ve wagered on a fortune devoid of any richness, you realize that you’re a day late, as the dollar shorted you out of enjoying all those small things that are what life is really about.”
“Hey, I’m a small thing, ain’t I mama?”
“You sure are, my little bit. But you’re gonna do big things out there.”
“Like liberty?”
“Yeah baby. Speaking of liberty, it’s getting to be about that time, itn’t?”
“Time shmime, haven’t you been listening to a word I’ve said?”
“Oh honey, you know I learned to zone out your nonsense a long time ago, how else do you think I manage to find you so interesting?”
“Don’t listen to her Miles, she’s just caught up on pretending it’s not my boyish good looks she’s after.”
“You got me, just waiting for the rest of that scraggly beard to fill in.”
“Easy now,” he protested. “It’ll be coming in any day now, see, it’s already started up at my ears, can’t be too much longer before it works its way down.”
Miles soaked in the well-tended love of a lifetime. What else could he hope to aspire to in life? To impart such an impact on the world, providing a profound quality of life to all those you encounter, and to yourself, as you experience every moment that living has to offer you and all those you love the most. And tacos.
“Do I smell tacos?” came an outside voice that rang with a modicum of familiarity. “Oh Timps, my love, hey girl. I’ve missed you so much. Have you been on an adventure, huh? I wanna hear all about it later, okay? Love you baby.”
“Liberty!” squealed the pippest of squeaks as she jumped up to open the tipi door.
The road worn visitor made her rounds as reunion lit up the room, she wore the unmistakable ambience of a Water Protector. She flowed around the circle until Miles caught a glimpse from those big brown eyes, or were they hazel? Either way, her hair held a year and a half of adventure since her cameo disappearance into the mythologies of Miles’ origin story.
“Oh, hey you,” she smiled, as chance encounter cracked open a fortune cookie. “I was wondering when you were gonna show up.”
“Oh good,” June marveled. “You two already know each other.”
“Yeah, we go way back,” said Miles. “Like, since the beginning.”
“And you know we’re her parents?”
“It’s all clicking into place, as we speak.”
“Yeah, she’s our oldest, and the least tame. Liberty, as in Liberation’s Garden, she was the inspiration for this whole crazy journey we’ve been on.”
“I know the feeling.”