TEN
‘1979’
Rick was five years old. A minute, he and Vanessa were building bricks together on the floor in the living room, and the next, Vanessa was on her way to release some urine while Rick continued playing. Few minutes later, there was a noise.
‘AARRRGH.’
The noise was followed by a whimpering sound.
That’s Van’s voice he thought, and he sprang up and dashed inside without second thought.
In the hallway, Vanessa was crying on the floor by the restroom door, holding her fingers soaked in blood.
Rick ran to her.
‘What happened?’
‘The door,’ she pointed at the door crying.
Rick looked at the door with hardened face then he looked at Vanessa crying. He knew what had happened; the silly door closed on her hand and injured it.
‘Blood, blood,’ Vanessa cried. She hated the sight of blood and everyone in the family knew that.
Rick swiftly pulled his shirt off and held on Vanessa’s bloody fingers with it, leaving the door thoughts for later. He sat with her and palmed her head.
‘Sorry, sorry.’
It was hours after and Vanessa had been treated by his mother and she was finally asleep. But all the while the treatment and petting was going on, his mind was on that silly door that hurt his darling friend.
Rick walked down the hallway in anger with lots of stones in his folded shirt. He could bear anything but Vanessa hurting. For his age, he knew too much about love and care, or should the right words be, felt love and care? He cared so much for Vanessa that one couldn’t differentiate if it’s love or just responsibility because somehow he felt responsible for her. They were close from birth and they grew closer; went to the same school and had the same friends. Any friend they had was just a plus. You either became friends with them both or with neither of them. They cared for each other before anyone else and no one had issues with their closeness because they were still very young and moreover, they had to be; there was no running from it.
Rick got to the restroom and slowly poured the stones on the floor, he started picking one by one and throwing at the restroom door.
Joanne Vaughn rushed into the hallway at the sound, calling him as she rushed down to him.
‘Rick! Rick!’
Rick wouldn’t answer. He was either ignoring her or too deep in anger realm to hear her calls. He kept on throwing angrily.
Joanne got to him and pulled him in a flash out of his realm.
‘Rick stop! What are you doing?’
‘It hurts Vanessa,’ he replied sadly and it seemed the pull did not only pull him out of the realm but also snatched the anger out of him. He became sad.
Joanne hunkered in front of him, ‘oh my baby, I’m sure it’s sorry already.’ She started to walk him away holding him close. ‘And you shouldn’t do that again, it couldn’t have done that to Van intentionally.’
‘But Van is hurting.’
‘Yes I know and like I said, it wasn’t intentional, it’s sorry. And don’t ever do that again, you know your dad would be very mad if you broke that thing down and I’ve told you it’s a very bad thing to throw stones. Don’t do that again okay?
‘Okay mommy.’
‘Promise?’
‘Promise mommy.’
‘That’s my boy, and don’t worry, Van will be fine. She’s sleeping peacefully now and by the time she wakes up, she will be fine I promise. Moreover, don’t forget Van’s daddy is a doctor, he will take a better care of her and her fingers will be as good as new; huh?’ she smiled at him and Rick smiled back nodding.
Rick and Vanessa had known each other since they were born. If they didn’t bear different surname, some would have thought they were twin. The Vaughns and The Norths were best friends and neighbors; and as if that was not enough, the wives, Joanne Vaughn and Audi North gave birth the same day, an hour apart in the same hospital. They would always jest that their husbands had planned for both of them.
Vanessa’s father, Lam North was a doctor in the hospital where they gave birth and so it was easy and smooth for them. The joy in the family knew no bound especially for the fathers that the celebration went on for more than a week and that made Audi weak but not Joanne, she was always known for her weird energy. She was the strong of the two. Then the unfortunate happened.
A month later, Audi died in a fire accident, she was burnt without recognition in a car crash. And Lam still blamed himself for it. If only he had gone for the groceries and hadn’t had an urgent call from the hospital. They had planned he would go for the groceries that day and he was on his way when the call came in and he had to rush to the hospital for an emergency. Audi was a bit weak but she opted to go for the groceries.
‘Don’t worry darling, you go to the hospital and I’ll go for the groceries,’ she said.
‘Are you sure— I mean you are weak.’
‘Yeah but not too weak to go out, and I have taken some medications remember? Don’t worry I’ll be fine; you go to the hospital, it’s urgent.’
‘Okay, do me a favor, don’t stress yourself taking Van. You can leave her with the Vaughns.’
‘Okay,’ she smiled; he kissed her and she looked into his eyes and said, ‘I love you.’
Lam smiled at her, ‘I will give you the response when I get back and because I want to so much say it, I’ll go and be back in a jiffy. Don’t move, we’ll go to get the groceries together when I get back okay?’ he changed his mind and she nodded. ‘Promise?’
She nodded again.
‘Good.’ Lam rushed out of the house and that was the last he saw of her, only to receive the bad news at work on phone.
‘Your wife was involved in a car accident. The car caught fire; she’s dead.’
The words rang in his ears like a bell that couldn’t stop ringing. I told her not to move, I told her we would go together. All she had to do was listen to me and not move. Only if I hadn’t picked the damn call. I shouldn’t have left her alone, she was weak and I didn’t even get to reply her, he beat himself everyday till this minute.
Joanne Vaughn had to take on Audi’s responsibility from the moment, she took care of Vanessa like she did her son Rick. And as the children grew, they got closer and closer that not even their parents could separate them. And before anyone could realize it, their relationship turned into something else.
‘1987’
Rick and Vanessa were by the river bank. They were kneeling in the sand in front of each other holding each other’s hands with their eyes closed.
They opened their bright eyes and grinned so much at each other.
‘What did you see?’ Vanessa asked.
‘Your image.’
Vanessa laughed and sat her butt in the sand; Rick joined chuckling. Vanessa looked into the ocean in silence while Rick watched and admired Vanessa’s beautiful bright face in silence then he looked at the waters.
‘How would you love your wedding to be like?’
Vanessa looked at him grinning, she was thoughtful, and it seemed she suddenly put herself in the dream and felt how she wanted it to be.
‘Fabulous,’ she said cheerfully.
Rick smiled at her.
‘You?’ she asked.
‘Same?’
‘You’re asking me?’ she chuckled.
Rick pecked her on the cheek swiftly and ran off.
Vanessa held her cheek and smiled as she watched him run off. Then she sprang up and chased after him, both giggling as they ran.
Their love grew deep rooted and thick as they grew. They couldn’t do a day without seeing each other and this started to cause concerns to their parents.
At sixteen, they had really concluded in their hearts they were going to spend their lives together. They were so sure. Sitting under that fig tree in each other’s arms, so close to each other’s breath and with the feeling arousing deep inside them, they could never be wrong.
‘How many children do you want us to have?’ Rick asked.
Vanessa looked up smiling at him, their face within each other’s breath.
‘Two, a boy and a girl.’
‘No three, two girls and a boy.’
‘No two. The more children you have, the more out of shape you go; so two,’ Vanessa said firmly with baby frowns.
‘And where did you get that?’
‘Research! baby.’
‘Hmm,’ Rick pondered, ‘well, much harm shouldn’t be done in adding one more number to two.’
‘Oh common stone, I’m the one to go through the stress and fall out of shape.’
Rick was thoughtful, ‘yea,’ he said.
And Vanessa looked at him.
‘I mean no,’ he corrected, ‘you won’t fall out of shape but yes, you will go through the stress but I’m the one to go through the stress of taking care of the nagging you.’
‘What! I’m not gonna nag when I’m pregnant.’
‘You are.’
‘No, I’m not.’
‘Yes, you will.’
‘And how would you know that?’ she asked nodding up at him.
‘It’s written on your cheeks.’
‘What?’ she laughed, ‘you’re kidding.’
Rick laughed pulling on her cheek; his lips to her lips, ‘no I’m not.’
Vanessa chuckled, ‘yes you are.’
Rick kissed her, ‘I love your crazy self.’
Vanessa smiled looking at his lips with emotions and then she kissed him, ‘I hate you so much.’
‘I know.’
They kissed slowly and passionately, breaking every second in between to look into each other’s eyes.
And their love was unbreakable.
It was a Thursday evening and Rick was happily riding to see his love on this day. Whenever he was going to see her, a strange feeling aroused inside him, a feeling like all his worries just became so invisible and he suddenly had no worries in his life. Not that he had any worries anyways, they were an average family and his father worked for the government, one of the lucky government jobs. He was a naval officer and his take home was awesome. Though he never allowed his wife to work but they were not in lack of anything. Ron Vaughn provided everything for his family even before they needed it. And since Rick was his only child, he got everything he needed in a snap.
This particular evening he was riding his thirteenth year special birthday gift from his dad to see his love as usual. He was feeling as usual but with a tinge of unsettlement. They had made plans yesterday to see this evening. And he wondered why he felt this way, maybe because she hadn’t been in school that morning and he couldn’t think of why, or maybe it was because they had planned to finalize making their relationship official to their parents that evening. Finally, their hide and seek love was going to be over in minutes. Though the parents knew but they felt they make it official, starting with Lam. He thought if Vanessa had hinted her dad before his arrival.
Finally, what seemed like years of journey was over. He jumped off the bicycle barely stopping and knocked on the gate. He was greeted with this same nice old man.
He grinned at the man breathing heavily over the rush ride.
‘Hey Ten.’
‘Rick,’ Ten looked surprised.
‘Is Van around?’
‘They left already, she didn’t tell you?’
‘Tell me what? What do you mean they left?’
‘They left the country this morning, in fact I’m just about closing up; I’m leaving for my town.’
Rick’s throat ran dry instantly and he found it hard finishing a sentence successfully.
‘No I mean, no uh no t—they s-she can’t she— you’re lying.’
’They are gone Rick. I saw them arguing last night.’