Chapter 39
As these events unfolded within the Kingsberg community church, a small canoe drifted in the calm waters of a modest sized Florida creek. The atmosphere was quite peaceful; songbirds chirped over the slight trickle of the creeks waters, as the sun reflected in a manner akin to a mirror ball at the discotheque.
The canoe of course, was not unoccupied; within its wooden exterior sat the tiny, petite, figure of Edyta, wearing her typical black summer dress and silver high heeled shoes. She sat in the front, her back towards the direction of currents flow, using both of her hands to propel the canoe using a wooden oar.
The slim foreign woman was, as usual, accompanied by her faithful confidant Mingxia, who had taken a seat in the rear of the canoe, directly facing Edyta. She had once again donned her traditional Chinese attire, but had temporarily replaced her almost ever present decorative staff with an oar of her own, which she using to assist her companion in propelling the small boat. A slight breeze permeated the environment, causing both women's hair to flow in a gentle manner.
As Edyta rowed, Mingxia took notice of the small smile gracing her pretty companions face; she soon opted to break the silence in an exuberant manner.
"It appears that this small excursion was a great idea after all, Edyta." said Mingxia, "If your smile was to become any more prominent, your lips would touch your ears!"
"Of course it is good idea," said Edyta as she continued to survey her surroundings, "I am, how do you say?...chock full of those sorts of things."
Edyta emitted a slight chuckle.
"Ooh, our bravado is most certainly on display today, isn't it?" said Mingxia in a playful manner, "A strong indicator of your confidence, which regardless of the situation, has been and continues to be amazing ."
Edyta giggled.
"Confidence was not always strong point," said Edyta, "There was time when I never even attempt to speak because of horrible broken English and fear of being teased. But those days are gone...it is bittersweet really."
Edyta sighed as she observed the trees surrounding the creek with a peaceful smile. Eventually, the woman's eyes honed in a flock of geese, who had gathered at the waters edge, feeding on seeds that had fallen from the trees and into the grass. After observing the geese for a few moments, Edyta emitted a slight giggle, drawing Mingxia's attention.
"It appears you've has come down with a case of the giggles" said Mingxia, "A very welcoming prognosis indeed. Care to share what's on your mind?"
"It is pointless story," said Edyta, "I would not want you to be bored."
"Nonsense," said Mingxia, "I have no problem following."
Edyta paused for a few moments, paddling her oar as she continued to gaze towards the geese in silence. Eventually, she decided to speak.
"Seeing swans reminds me of funny story from the past," said Edyta, "As a little girl, family led quite adventurous life and I spend lots of time outdoors. Some fun adventures were had canoeing and kayaking down river very similar to this one."
Edyta paused, adopting a smile as she gazed up towards the sky while continuing to tell her story in a somewhat peaceful sounding voice.
"I remember one time, when I was kayaking down this similar river, swans were swimming with us whole time." said Edyta, "There was...were two swans with two baby swans. As you probably know, swans are only dangerous when they are with their...kids, or little swans. So they were in front of us all the time, but then there was a part of the river where we have to go next to each other."
Edyta giggled slightly
"I was kind of worried that when were to be going next to them, that would they get angry." said Edyta, "Much to my fear, second sister due to love of animals she considers cute or beautiful, make attempts to reach out and feed swans, which of course cause the bird to react with aggression. The bird jumped into boat, flapping wings in crazy manner while squawking and pecking, I could do nothing but scream. Sister try to bat the bird away, but in doing so the boat started rocking and managed to almost tip over. Luckily, first sister step in and was able to control bird and eventually send it back with its family with three worms unharmed. Heartwarming indeed..."
Edyta giggled in an ambiguous intonation, after which she decided to pose a question to Mingxia.
"What is big word you use other day to describe placing things side to side for comparison?" asked Edyta.
"Juxtaposition, Edyta," said Mingxia.
"Yes, that is million dollar word," said Edyta, "Looking back, story conveys juxtaposition between family of swans and family of humans. Swan has no idea that human was trying to be nice and feed, due to fear of loosing baby. Just like human family, mother do anything to protect baby, that is unless mother is given no chance and baby is forced out of hand."
Edyta snickered in a sarcastic manner, as Mingxia stared upon her compatriot with a serious expression, her beautiful eyes focused intently on Edyta's. After a few moments, Edyta slowly turned towards Mingxia, making eye contact and smiling as she twirled her hair.
"While we are on topic of family, I wish to ask question," asked Edyta, "You are very beautiful woman who seems to have shit together, how it it that you never had man and family that goes with it?"
Mingxia giggled.
"My Edyta, you are most certainly putting me on the spot," said Mingxia, "And here I thought this trip was all about you!"
"I thought friendship was two way street," said Edyta, "But I play hardball if I must. Tell me or I capsize boat!"
Mingxia giggled.
"Well as you should be able to guess, the life I lived in my early twenties was far from conducive to dating," said Mingxia, "That coupled with my chosen "profession" really put a hamper on my social life!"
Mingxia sighed, placing her hand on her face while she spoke in a faux dramatic fashion.
"I just simply never had the time," said Mingxia.
Edyta laughed.
"Let me ask new question" asked Edyta, "In perfect world what kind of qualities would the Exalted Melissa's Prince Charming have?
"Hmm, I'll admit that's a tricky one!" said Mingxia in a bubbly manner, "Though I will say that I prefer brains over brawn."
Mingxia paused.
"As for having a family," said Mingxia, "That's a dream that has long been deferred for me, although I will admit the thought still crosses my mind here and there. I'd much rather use my skills to "assist" others. Besides, being in my mid thirties, I do not plan on having babies any time soon, though I suppose in a hypothetical world I could entertain the fact of adoption."
Mingxia paused.
"But enough about me for now," said Mingxia, "Let's remain calm and focused the task at hand, which I must say has been littered with nothing but success thus far."
"I cannot argue," said Edyta, "Freedom seems closer every day, and I am looking forward to nice reunion with old friends this week."
Edyta leaned towards Mingxia with a sly smile.
"Are you sure you can get information we need?" asked Edyta, "I wish to know for sure before I make arrangements for reunion."
"No problem at all," said Mingxia with a cheery smile, "Oh Edyta, you have no idea how excited I am to meet them. I simply can't wait!"
"Calm yourself," said Edyta, "Remember, I am placing trust in you to get job done in manner fit for situation, if you understand what I mean?"
"Edyta..." said Mingxia in an apparent sarcastic manner, "I'm surprised at you, don't you know I took an oath to never do any harm?"
The two women shared a slight smile, at which point Mingxia adopted a serious expression.
"Trust me," said Mingxia, "Everything will go exactly as planned, you have no need to worry."
After sharing a smile, the two woman returned to rowing in silence. After a slight pause, Mingxia decided to break the silence
"By the way," said Mingxia, "Your use of the word juxtapose was inaccurate. In your situation, I would have utilized something akin to 'analogize' or even 'liken' as you were emphasizing comparisons, rather than differences. Remember, bigger is not always better."
Mingxia giggled in a bubbly manner as Edyta adopted a sardonic expression.
"Whatever," said Edyta, "Just keep paddling."
