"Brother and sister, together as friends, ready to face whatever life sends. Joy and laughter or tears and strife, holding hands tightly as we dance through life."
—Suzie Huitt
A Sister's Love
She missed her brother. Sam missed her older brother. What was left of him now was a shell, really. She missed pre-war Johnny. The one who was charismatic and good with people. The one who loved deeply, grinned often, laughed loudly. The one who flirted with women endlessly, but would never truly be promiscuous because that wasn't what southern gentlemen did. The one who was stubborn and would never stop until he won. The one who was brimming with confidence and light. The one who lived. Whoever came home from the war- that wasn't him. Not the same him, anyway.
She missed the days when he would come and visit her and just beam in her direction. He'd take her out for walks. Tease her a little. Play pranks on her. Sure, she found them to be annoyances at the time, but after a while, she would grow fond of what he would do next. She missed his letters that he would write whenever he went on long journeys. They would always be so well written, so well thought of. Except that last one. She remembered his last letter so clearly. It had been so... empty. So void of hope. It had been short. Two sentences.
'Lee surrendered. The Confederacy has fallen.'
Two sentences that would change their lives forever.
When Johnny had come home weeks after that, he was a shell of a man. He hardly spoke, seldom laughed, and began to isolate himself. That was what happened when a country was ceasing to be. Sam could see him unraveling slowly as he wandered around their plantation home.
Reconstruction would be brutal on them both, but she was always strong. She had to be when Johnny wasn't.
Once Reconstruction was over, Samantha knew that they had to get away. And so, she suggested that they moved from South Carolina- somewhere else. Somewhere quiet. And so, they packed their bags and headed into isolation. Built themselves homes. Sam's by an open field, surrounded by wild flowers. Johnny's more isolated- deep in the forest, hardly navigable, the cabin only found by those who knew the area.
1886. Sam wasn't sure what happened that year. All she knew was that when Johnny came back from a trip to the state of New York, he was different. Not happy, but different. Less bitter, in a way. Sam later learned that that was when he had met Elizabeth herself.
Elizabeth was a good person. She thought, anyway. As the monument wormed her way into their lives, she slowly saw Johnny's clouded eyes becoming alive again. He'd smile occasionally, or just chuckle- even if it was a sort of half-chuckle at times. Elizabeth became his best friend- despite the fact that she was dating his mortal enemy. Sam was fairly certain that she knew that Johnny was in love with the statue before he even knew himself.
The day that Elizabeth told Johnny about her engagement was the hardest. Sam had never seen him cry that much. And the worst part was his silence shortly afterwards. Oh Jesus, the silence.
He was internalizing and internalizing, letting it all consume him. And then, she saw him push his feelings away. Pushed them aside. All for her happiness. He allowed Alfred and Elizabeth to be together.
And then, Alfred abandoned her. It was a hard time for the two- she could tell. Johnny was hardly ever home and got an apartment in New York, leaving Sam home with Annie. He'd send letters, updating her on how they were doing, etc. She found out that Elizabeth was pregnant through a letter.
Everything was through letters. And then, Marc was born. Johnny claimed to be the father at the birth, and Sam knew that he wished that he really was. But he wasn't and she knew that that killed him.
But being busy with Marc and Elizabeth was good for him. Marc seemed to be the light of his life, and he treated him almost like a father would indeed treat his child. In a way, he was more of a father than Alfred would be.
Much to Sam's delight, Elizabeth soon gave up on Alfred, allowing Johnny his chance. And after some convincing, he took it and for once, allowed himself to be happy, because he deserved it.
She was more than pleased to hear that they were together. Sam had wanted this all along. Elizabeth and Marc made her brother happy. They made him smile, made him laugh, and filled the emptiness in his heart.
Maybe, just maybe, this is the start of a new Johnny. One that's a little broken, sure, but is healing. Slowly but surely. One that is loving, one that is a bit self-conscious, but rightfully so. One that's sarcastic and a total grump, but a lovable one. One that loves unconditionally, one that's sacrificing, one that's brave.
A beloved lover, father, and older brother.
Now that he was healing, perhaps- perhaps it was her turn too. She didn't need to watch over him anymore.
Life was finally good for Jonathan Jones.
Now it was her turn for some happiness.
