Fabulous readers,
So I think I've crushed a lot of peoples' dreams in Oh Faithful Night. My intention was not to do that, but to inform everyone that the sequel was starting up. The general reactions were mostly negative, or at least I can only assume so as they were mostly massages like, "Nooooo," or "How could you do this!?" I mean, I'm happy for reviews, but when I wake up and receive distraught sadness on my phone, I kind of feel sad too :c So I'm sorry guys. But hear me say: I'm not here to crush your hearts, I'm just trying to set up background story for the later chapters.
-Yo dawg, I heard you like disclaimers-
Some things still reminded him of Jack; the crisp breeze that rattled the trees in the fall, the scent of freshly fallen snow, mixed with earth and decay.
He was walking down the streets, bundled in a soft, knitted scarf and a toasty wool coat. It was a pleasant Sunday afternoon. Church had just released a crowd of families. Daughters and sons, brother's and sisters, husbands and wives, and grandparents of all shapes and sizes. The streets of his small town were crowded with happily chatting people, all dressed in their Sunday clothes. Hates, dress coats, for the children and adults, and small little pink dresses and sailor hats for the babies nestled to their mothers' chests.
The coffee shops were busy, bustling with the sounds of clinking and clanking of plates against silverware. The smell of coffee surrounded Jamie as small little cups sat in people's hands, giving off steam to the frigged air.
Noses were red, bodies were wrapped and bundled, yet people sat out side on iron chairs and talked, happy for the cold and enjoying the tufts of grey clouds that hung in the air. Jamie could hear voices, but not make out a thing. It was just a collection of soft spoken people mixed with the gentle sound of cheery laughter.
He wasn't really on his way to anywhere or anything in particular. He was just on a walk through the town. It was a day for himself, a day he could enjoy without any disturbances or distractions. He had learned to enjoy the finer things in life. Jack had taught him that much. Moments were brief just as their relationship had been. A flower blooms and dies, giving away to a new bud that will soon flourish in its own brief life. Instead of mourning for the flower, the earth simply waits for the next blossom and perhaps makes it more beautiful than the last.
There were treasures in the world, subtle, but beautiful when a person walked slowly enough to notice. The seasons were brief, but they always continued on in a never ending circle. Everything died, and everything was reborn again. Jamie had spent a lot of time thinking about these things. They comforted him and gave him joy in the earth beneath him. The world did not pity itself, but built anew each year, every year, for as long as it had begun to spin.
Jamie smiled, allowing himself the pleasure of his own thoughts. He sank into his coat, shoving his hands deep in his pockets as he shuffled along, deciding to turn into the coffee shop to get a treat.
There was nothing like the rush of heat after being out in the cold. He was greeted with the scent of pastries and dark coffee beans. Sounds of milk steamers and expresso grinders quieted his own thoughts for he could no longer hear them in the hustle and bustle.
The room was crowded and felt cozy with its wooden floors and stone hearth bore a crackling fire in the corner. It was an old building, one of the original buildings built by the founders of Burgess, kept in mint condition and cherished by all of the town. It was fitting that it be a coffee shop for it had once been a local tavern, a place where earlier settlers often gathered to talk and make merriment.
Of course the times had changed, and the drink of choice was no longer rum and ale, but coffee and hot cocoa. Something Jamie enjoyed ever so much. He had a smile on his face when he looked to the the menu, skimming it for a special treat. Pumpkin spice in a mug, bliss could not show itself in a purer form.
His hands pulled free from their cocoon of warmth and wrapped around the mug as he carried it carefully to a stool near the window so he could look out on the cars the drove by slowly. No one was in a hurry on Sundays. The whole city was collectively tranquil. Shops were busy, bistros and restaurants were crowded.
Hot steam grazed his lips and nose as he lifted the cup to his mouth. He blew and sipped the hot liquid, relishing the slight burn that slid down his throat and warmed him from deep within his body.
As he looked out, he was struck with a pleasant memory. This coffee shop was not far where Jamie had once stood on that magical night when Jack had shown him and Sophie wonders beyond any child's imagination.
Amongst the whistles and voices of the coffee shop, he could make out the faint sound of drummers banging away. He could see their apparitions as they marched down the streets. He smiled as he saw the ghost of Jack slipping through the crowds to reach out and hold his hand. Jamie sighed and looked into the dark liquid. A picture of Jack brushed passed his memories. Snowy white hair and bright blue eyes. He feared he would forget his face; that face was something he never wanted to forget; he was a special memory, an magical beauty that had bloomed and died in Jamie's life. He held onto those cherished memories and kept them safe within his heart.
He was content sitting there with his thoughts, perhaps acting much older than he was. He was just a young adolescent with his life still ahead of him. Only old men and nostalgic women thought the way he did. He chuckled as he pictured himself old and withered in some rocking chair somewhere.
He hummed and rocked in his seat, closing his eyes before bringing the heat back to his cold lips.
The tingle of the heat reminded him of the kiss of frost upon his mouth. He licked his lips and set the cup down, leaning on the counter with his hands to cradle his head. Could Jack have been out there right then? The snow had begun to fall in light clumps, dusting the ground with speckles of white. Surly the sprit was not far off, drifting lazily through the clouds with his great oak staff grazing across the sky.
He peered up at the sky, hoping to see a flash of blue, though he highly doubted that he would. Jack had not shown himself for the few years since that time.
The wind tussled the hair of people outside, causing them to sink further in their coats and cling tighter to their cups.
Jamie heard the door opened and a bill ring clearly through the murmurs of people, attracting his attention to the door. He paused and watched as a young girl stepped across the threshold of the coffee shop. The wind was lapping at her heals, her hair blowing in her face as she shivered. Snow fell about her shoulders and dark blue dress as she closed the door, shutting out the wind and snow that did not seem to let her alone.
She shook out her umbrella, tapping it on her booted foot so that white showered down onto the floor. Jamie turned away. How long did he stare. That had been rude of him. He pressed his lips together as he looked out the window, watching the whirl of the wind as it sent flurried into the air, making them dance happily up to the grey sky.
"Can I sit next to you?"
Jamie startled, he sat up in his seat and clutched to his coffee cup as he turned his head sharply to the voice. Blond hair framed her tiny face; her great blue eyes look up at him with a frame of long, dark eyelashes around them, making her eyes glow bright. She had rosy pink lips and a dust of red across her face and cheeks. She had been kissed by the breath of frost in the air and it made her look like a beautiful porcelain doll.
Jamie blinked at her a few times before he nodded. "Er, yeah sure."
"Thanks. There aren't really any other seats. It's busy isn't it?" she said as she hopped up onto the stool, leaning her umbrella against her seat.
"It's always busy on Sundays. Everyone has the day off so they all spend time outside and out around the shops."
"Oh. I see," she hummed as she looked out onto the snowy curtain that now fell in the window. "It's a bit early for snow isn't it?"
Jamie laughed. "You must be new here, huh?"
She looked to him with a sheepish smile. "Is it that obvious?" she said meekly.
Jamie leaned on the counter, turning his stool away from the window to facing her instead. "The weather never needs and excuse to snow. It'll sleet and rain for the whole fall season, but don't worry. The snow wont stick around for long. It'll melt by tomorrow. It's best to enjoy it's brief beauty while it lasts."
The girl laughed. "But it's not even Halloween yet. I should like to think that the snow would wait until after Halloween at least."
"Yeah, well you know what they say, Ja-" he stopped before he uttered that name. "Never mind," he said with a smile.
"Pumpkin spice latte for Krista!" Called the barista from behind the counter.
The girl looked, causing Jamie to jump off his stool. "Is that you?"
She nodded.
"I can get it for you," he said as he smiled, walking quickly to get the cup of coffee, he was quick to weave in and out of the chairs and people that stood in his way as he brought her her drink. He placed it in front of his new acquaintance and smiled.
"Such a gentleman," she giggled as she stirred the froth with her small teaspoon. "I'm Krista, I mean- well you already know that," she said as she tucked a golden lock behind her ear.
Jamie climbed back onto his seat, extending his hand out to her. "Jamie," he said as she shook his hand. "Where are you from?" he asked, wanting to get to know her.
He stared at her dreamily as she spoke, enjoying the sound of her soft voice. She was refined, polite, very smart, beautiful. He was struck with a familiar feeling that he had only experienced once before in his short life.
He leaned on the counter and listened to her, forgetting the snow outside as it rained on, covering the ground in a thin blanket of white. Instead, he focused on the girl beside him as she spoke and laughed with him there in that small coffee shop on that prefect Sunday afternoon.
