Ch. 7~ Talking
Jeweli sat in the corner of the balcony, hidden in shadows, silently letting the tears fall. Why did the moon and stars have the right to be so serene when everything was going to hell in the desert? It wasn't fair.
"There you are," the petite woman jumped. "We were all very worried about you." Ardeth knelt down beside her. "Why are you crying?"
She whipped her head around to hide her face. "I'm not."
A rough, yet gentle hand grasped her chin and turned it to face him. "Yes, you are," he said, nearly a whisper. Reaching up with the edge of his robe in the other hand, he gently rubbed her face dry. "Do not blame it on the sand, nor on the wind, for niether have reached you up here."
She closed her hazel eyes and pushed away his hand. "I'm fine."
"Ah, but then there would be no tears on your face. Please, tell me."
"It's nothing! I just got freaked out by a snake, and I know Rick told you I'm afraid of them." She looked up at him. "Oh, and don't you even dare try using those big, mysterious brown eyes on me, or I'll rip out your beard one hair at a time." Damn, she was crabby tonight.
Ardeth was stunned for a moment. Never had he seen this much fire in any woman before. Had he done something to upset her? Whatever it was, he had to know, "Who is he?"
Jeweli froze again, the pain in her eyes evident. "No one." Her voice was so small.
"No One would not cause you to have nightmares."
"Why don't you just go ask them? I bet they'd tell you anything!"
"Actually, no. They told me to ask you." Nothing. He waited for a bit before he sat down next to her. "I will not force you to tell me, it is your business. I only wish to understand why you push me away so fiercly when I am only trying to comfort you." Still nothing. Ardeth sighed, and turned his gaze to the heavens. "The sky is beautiful tonight."
"Danial," she squeeked.
"What?"
"His name was Danial. I found him one day while I was out trail riding. It looked like his horse had been spooked and threw him. So, I took him home and nursed him back to health." Jeweli paused to sniffle and wipe her eyes. "In repayment, he worked the land for us. Two years he stayed. Everyday, I seved him breakfast and dinner at my table, and took him lunch in the afternoons. Two years, and eventually..."
"You fell in love?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah. He was so wonderful, always bringing me wildflowers in the evenings. We would talk about anything and everything until really late. One night, he told me that he was gonna ask my mother for her blessing." The woman looked at him, "We were gonna get married," she choked out a laugh. "That night, while we were out in the barn, he started telling me about all these plans he had for us. Extending the house, rebuilding the barn and shed, raising more animals. I got caught up in the vision. I pitched in, saying something about having little ones running around.
"He got this look...I can't really describe it. Then, he asked me if I knew how people have kids. Of course, at seventeen, I was naive. Ignorant, if you will. I didn't know what he was talking about, and I told him so. Well, one thing led to another, and the next thing I know, I'm waking up alone. There was a note left for me that said, 'Thanks for everything.'" She scoffed. "'Thanks for everything,' more like thanks for a fun night. Anyway, I immediately told Mom what happened, and she just stroked my hair and let me cry. Luckily, we were up away from everyone, so they didn't know about my mistake. It was a mistake that I payed dearly for as the weeks passed. I was always feeling sick, couldn't hardly get out of bed sometimes. Mom knew what was wrong, but she just helped me through it." The emotion in her eyes told him all he needed to know.
"You were with child." It was a statement. "But, where is the child now?"
"I'm getting there. As it turns out, there was another girl, one that he'd gotten pregnant, and then ran away from. By now, her little girl was about two and a half. She wanted him to claim his kid, but he wanted none of it. Three months after he ran out on me, he showed up again, drunk as a skunk, wanting a little fun. I told him to go to hell. Danial didn't like that too well, and he flew into a rage. I...I remember him hitting me, then, he grabbed me and realized I was bigger than last time. Somehow, his drunken brain put two and two together. He threw me on the ground and started kicking me in the stomach. Everytime I curled up, he'd just kick my back to get me to open up again." By now, Ardeth looked like he was going to fly off the handle.
"Where was your mother?"
"In town. She was trading while I stayed home." Jeweli put her face in her hands, "He just kept hitting me. Finally, I knew I had to fight or die. So, I grabbed the poker from the fireplace and swung. It hit something. I guess I scared him, 'cause he ran out and didn't come back. But, it was already too late. A body can only take so much before. I lost the baby, and I learned later that I'd hit Danial in the head. They found his body about a quarter of a mile down the road, his head smashed in. The doctor came to take a look at me, and told me...he...he told me I would never be able to have kids...because of the damage."
Ardeth
He was speechless. It was no wonder she only ever let O'Connell care for her, no wonder she shied away from him. This poor woman had been taken advantage of, forced to bear the scarlet letter, and then had everything ripped away from her.
"I told Rick, which is one reason he let me move in with them. Our family never lies to each other. When I first moved in, they brought me to Cairo for vacation. I fell in love with the land, the culture, and the people. Coming here that first time,I was star-struck. See, I'd been wanting to do something to comemorate the tiny life lost that day. Then, I remembered. The day after the incedent, I found a mother cat with only one, newborn kitten, a little female. Lokking around me, I knew what to do," she raised up her shirt up, and he gapped.
The right side of her ribs was covered in an image of the the Egyptian cat goddess, Bastet. It was a beautifully done sleek black cat with a wide collar and hoop earrings, as was the style in many places. Ardeth reached out, spellbound, and touched the exposed skin. "It is beautiful."
"That tickles," he pulled his hand away. "I wanted to get it on my back, but Evie said that if she ever managed to wrestle me into a dress, she didn't want my tattoo glaring at everyone." Jeweli lowered her shirt back down.
"Thank you, and I am sorry."
"For what?"
"For sharing your past with me, because it was so terrible. I know how hard it must be, but I am glad you did."
"Well, maybe now you'll tell me a little about your past?"
"Later. For now, it is late, and you need to sleep. Come." He took her hand and led her back inside. Everyone else was asleep, so they said their goodnights, and went to their beds on opposite sides of the room.
This was going to be an interesting trip.
