Americana Exotica
(Characters belong to Tarsem, no copyright infringement intended)
Midday was always the same. The sun brightening as it made it's way toward the horizon to bid farewell to the world. Only to make it's return in the early morning. The sound of men shouting to each other didn't startle the young woman as she stood on her step stool, her delicate hand reaching above her head to an orange before she yanked it free from the stemming branch. Her gray eyes scanned the fruit for imperfections before she smiled at it. Every day was like this. She'd go into the groves, pick until she couldn't anymore, before returning to the house to feed the houseful that she now cared for. Ever since her mother passed, Little Alexandria had taken it upon herself to care for her sister and the workers that helped her with the groves each day. Today however, she kept losing herself in her own imagination. Much like she used to as a child. Over the years, that side of her seemed to disappear, giving way to maturity and responsibility. But all day, Alexandria had been pulled from her own thoughts numerous times, sometimes violently from her younger sister, Lita. The brunette looked off from the orange, in the direction of the setting sun as it brightly shone one last time. The rays enveloped her in warmth as she envisioned a dark shadowed figure walking toward her. His coat tails swaying from side to side as he walked, a revolver holstered at his hip, and the brim of his hat extended over the sides of his face. In that moment, Alexandria's breath caught in her throat as she turned her body toward the figure as he continued toward her.
Roy?
She stepped free from her step stool, her long hair swaying in the gentle, warm breeze as the figure came closer and closer until finally stopping in front of her. As if the sun rays knew of their effect on the figure, they seemed to dial down a bit to reveal the figure before her. The red mask that covered his face, the same black costume, even the brass buttons were the same, just as she had thought as a little girl. She giggled a bit to herself as she reached up toward his face, her slender fingers gripping onto the edge of his mask. She gasped gently as she felt his hand grasp at her wrist firmly, almost to halt her from revealing himself.
"A man can't show what's in his heart if he hides his face." Alexandria whispered softly to him, this causing his hand to slide down her forearm slowly. She watched his hand for a moment before she continued, pulling the mask free from his face slowly. The strings holding it to his head fell freely and she stared up into a face she missed. One she'd recognize anywhere she was. A breathless gasp leaving her lips as she stared up into his staring green eyes.
"Roy." She said passionately as her fingers curled around the mask in her hand, his hand moving from her arm to the side of her face. She felt his touch as she closed her deep gray eyes, her hand reaching up to touch his wrist this time. Their bodies mingled close together as his head dipped down toward hers. Her breathing labored in anticipation as his lips drew closer to hers. A moment she had relished in her mind as she grew up. Her first crush, her first love. She leaned her face up to his, her lips almost touching his in return. Then, the sun returned again, bathing them in intense light and shrouding them both in darkness, preventing her from being sure if a kiss had transpired.
The sensation of an orange connecting with the back of her head, signaled to Alexandria that she had once again, been daydreaming. She cried out a bit, mostly in shock as she turned her body to look at Lita's with a disgruntled expression on her face.
"Ow! Lita what—"
"Stop dawdling. We have to finish before nightfall." The young girl said, rather harshly before she moved off from her older sister in a huff. Alexandria sighed, her eyes moving back to the orange that was still held within the palm of her hand. After a moment, she placed the orange into her basket and stepped free from the stool. She lifted it into her arms and made the trek to the next set of trees she had left in order to finish her set. It was true, they needed all they could get at this point. Without anymore distractions, she finished her work for the day and made her way back to the house. Back where there was more work to be done. Work that only she could do. Sometimes she wished things weren't the way they were. But the entire country was in turmoil. Why would she be given any special treatment?