Author's Note: Ah yes, day two and still kicking (sometimes screaming though). Thank you everyone for the advice and I'm drinking a lovely beverage of tea as I write this and keeping hydrated.... Don't worry about me because it's a labour of love and something I'm sure any of the Dimitrized can understand. These first few chapters are rather short -- I'm trying to get this story back in the direction where I would like to take it. Back to the beginning. Back to the days of birds and ships. So expect longer chapters to come... and I know I don't need to write this - but the one word begs for the other ..."the unexpected". :D
"After dinner they played a duet on the piano; then it got dark, and I went home. That was the beginning of spring. After that I spent the whole summer at Sofino without a break, and I had no time to think of the town, either, but the memory of the graceful fair-haired woman remained in my mind all those days; I did not think of her, but it was as though her light shadow were lying on my heart." ANTON CHEKHOV, ON LOVE.
IF THERE BE TRUTH IN SIGHT
~~"Then there is mirth in heaven,
When earthly things made even
Atone together.
Good duke, receive thy daughter :
Hymen from heaven brought her,
Yes, brought her hither,
That thou mighst join her hand with his
Whose heart within her bosom is."
Grace was sitting at the breakfast table reading a soft jacketed red book over a bowl of cereal. She paused with the spoon mid-motion.
"Mom. Do you remember last year when we were rehearsing for the play?"
"Of course I do." She was wondering where he was. His blanket wasn't on the couch. She hadn't seen a red head in the house all morning and Lily was slowly starting to realize this was disturbing her. She was pre-occupied with thoughts of where would he turn up next. One never knew. And relunctantly it had to be acknowledge she was relieved by that. Not knowing held a charm and protected. Lily thought about asking Grace. But Grace was still talking...Lily smiled at her beautiful daughter and admired the way her hair held back in a plastic clip this one piece bounced. Lily found it charming.
"I wondered. You remember last Thanksgiving, also known as the day the house set fire [Grace said dramatically and gestured with her hands] , when the cast came here and you filled in as Phebe. I mean Jessie.. you probably don't but- "
"I remember Grace. Why would you think I wouldn't?", Lily asked quietly, because she did recall. More things about that day then one. She started to pull the syrup out of the fridge.
"Well, I've been thinking about it lately. I've been re-reading 'As You Like It' . August once explained the story of the play to me, and when he explained it, in that moment, I really saw it. But now- I'm not so sure I read it right and it's been bothering me. I don't know, it's like everything around that time. The play and what was happening at that time, if I could.. just know." she looked up cautiously. "I want to know who he saw as Orlando."
"That's an unusual question Grace. I... --- wasn't Tad Orlando? "
"Mom. Tad was never Orlando."
"Ok, admittedly Tad was no actor but I liked him. And I thought he did an ok job-"
Grace interupted her. "Yeah. A lot of people thought he did a good job. A really good job. But that's not what I was trying to say at all." She paused then, "I was thinking more about the things that actually happened and how odd it all was. When you played Jessie's part for that little bit- do you remember the lines? "
"A little bit. I can't say it's something I've given much analysis to." Lily smiled. "Why what did I do?"
"You didn't do anything. But looking back I've been thinking it was really weird. You were there and I was saying those lines to him and he took my hand and kissed it- ", as the corner of her mouth began to upturn.
"He kissed your hand. In my living room? I missed that."
"He was even on bended knee ! "
"Oh"
"And then the lines we all said," Grace said using her right arm to illustrate the progression in a mimicked rolling motion. "And Mom you never looked up." Grace stopped.
"Grace I did. Don't you see that. I did."
"Why didn't you see. Why don't you?"
There was a pause of few moments as Lily....
"Why don't you just ask him? About the whole Orlando thing.", Lil asked but Grace didn't answer plainfully ignoring the question and reading her book.
"Have you still been writing those stories lately?" Lily asked, "If I never said it (but she knew she did) I was very proud of you. I am very proud of you . Even if you only ever decide to pursue the obscure."
Grace laughed confused and unexpecting, "Actually I've sort of given it up. I was always disappointed with the way things turned out and it's tough. Hmm. I couldn't even stop the story at any point. I just kept writing and then it got to the point where it was easier to just go back to the beginning, and re-write it all."
"Don't worry, you'll figure out your ending." Lily had paused before the words because even as they formed in her thoughts she recognized the ghost that bore then. She remembered a lot of things and this was one she always would. The ghost of seeing him walk off alone down the hall and the sound of the door shutting. The smell of the school that day and the silence that rang in the hall as she waited. And the sound of Grace's shoes carrying her down the hall after him. These were things she felt she played a part in. She stood in, in a role. But it bothered Lily that maybe she could or should have done something more. Seeing them in that classroom she knew that something had gone wrong in the universe and that what she saw was wrong. Unjustly wrong. And also that she was playing a part in it's motion. And she saw something more than all of that too.
But Grace didn't notice her use of that infamous last whispered line because a figure had appeared in the kichen doorway, and yes he had dissembling red hair. Oddly also blue eyes. Lily thought that was strange she could have swore last night at supper they were gray/green.
Grace's face light up, "Hey."
"Hey." Dimitri looked over to Lily then back to Grace. "I sort of got you something... Merry Christmas, Grace." And he held out his hand.
~~"Peace, ho! I bar confusion :
Tis I must make conclusion
Of these most strange events :
Here's eight that must take hands
To join in Hymen's bands,
If truth holds true contents.
You and you no cross shall part:
You and you are heart in heart :
You and his love must accord,
Or have woman to your lord:
You and you are sure together,
As the winter to foul weather.
Whiles a wedlock-hymn we sing,
Feed yourselves with questioning;
That reason wonder may diminish,
How thus we met, and these things finish."
"After dinner they played a duet on the piano; then it got dark, and I went home. That was the beginning of spring. After that I spent the whole summer at Sofino without a break, and I had no time to think of the town, either, but the memory of the graceful fair-haired woman remained in my mind all those days; I did not think of her, but it was as though her light shadow were lying on my heart." ANTON CHEKHOV, ON LOVE.
IF THERE BE TRUTH IN SIGHT
~~"Then there is mirth in heaven,
When earthly things made even
Atone together.
Good duke, receive thy daughter :
Hymen from heaven brought her,
Yes, brought her hither,
That thou mighst join her hand with his
Whose heart within her bosom is."
Grace was sitting at the breakfast table reading a soft jacketed red book over a bowl of cereal. She paused with the spoon mid-motion.
"Mom. Do you remember last year when we were rehearsing for the play?"
"Of course I do." She was wondering where he was. His blanket wasn't on the couch. She hadn't seen a red head in the house all morning and Lily was slowly starting to realize this was disturbing her. She was pre-occupied with thoughts of where would he turn up next. One never knew. And relunctantly it had to be acknowledge she was relieved by that. Not knowing held a charm and protected. Lily thought about asking Grace. But Grace was still talking...Lily smiled at her beautiful daughter and admired the way her hair held back in a plastic clip this one piece bounced. Lily found it charming.
"I wondered. You remember last Thanksgiving, also known as the day the house set fire [Grace said dramatically and gestured with her hands] , when the cast came here and you filled in as Phebe. I mean Jessie.. you probably don't but- "
"I remember Grace. Why would you think I wouldn't?", Lily asked quietly, because she did recall. More things about that day then one. She started to pull the syrup out of the fridge.
"Well, I've been thinking about it lately. I've been re-reading 'As You Like It' . August once explained the story of the play to me, and when he explained it, in that moment, I really saw it. But now- I'm not so sure I read it right and it's been bothering me. I don't know, it's like everything around that time. The play and what was happening at that time, if I could.. just know." she looked up cautiously. "I want to know who he saw as Orlando."
"That's an unusual question Grace. I... --- wasn't Tad Orlando? "
"Mom. Tad was never Orlando."
"Ok, admittedly Tad was no actor but I liked him. And I thought he did an ok job-"
Grace interupted her. "Yeah. A lot of people thought he did a good job. A really good job. But that's not what I was trying to say at all." She paused then, "I was thinking more about the things that actually happened and how odd it all was. When you played Jessie's part for that little bit- do you remember the lines? "
"A little bit. I can't say it's something I've given much analysis to." Lily smiled. "Why what did I do?"
"You didn't do anything. But looking back I've been thinking it was really weird. You were there and I was saying those lines to him and he took my hand and kissed it- ", as the corner of her mouth began to upturn.
"He kissed your hand. In my living room? I missed that."
"He was even on bended knee ! "
"Oh"
"And then the lines we all said," Grace said using her right arm to illustrate the progression in a mimicked rolling motion. "And Mom you never looked up." Grace stopped.
"Grace I did. Don't you see that. I did."
"Why didn't you see. Why don't you?"
There was a pause of few moments as Lily....
"Why don't you just ask him? About the whole Orlando thing.", Lil asked but Grace didn't answer plainfully ignoring the question and reading her book.
"Have you still been writing those stories lately?" Lily asked, "If I never said it (but she knew she did) I was very proud of you. I am very proud of you . Even if you only ever decide to pursue the obscure."
Grace laughed confused and unexpecting, "Actually I've sort of given it up. I was always disappointed with the way things turned out and it's tough. Hmm. I couldn't even stop the story at any point. I just kept writing and then it got to the point where it was easier to just go back to the beginning, and re-write it all."
"Don't worry, you'll figure out your ending." Lily had paused before the words because even as they formed in her thoughts she recognized the ghost that bore then. She remembered a lot of things and this was one she always would. The ghost of seeing him walk off alone down the hall and the sound of the door shutting. The smell of the school that day and the silence that rang in the hall as she waited. And the sound of Grace's shoes carrying her down the hall after him. These were things she felt she played a part in. She stood in, in a role. But it bothered Lily that maybe she could or should have done something more. Seeing them in that classroom she knew that something had gone wrong in the universe and that what she saw was wrong. Unjustly wrong. And also that she was playing a part in it's motion. And she saw something more than all of that too.
But Grace didn't notice her use of that infamous last whispered line because a figure had appeared in the kichen doorway, and yes he had dissembling red hair. Oddly also blue eyes. Lily thought that was strange she could have swore last night at supper they were gray/green.
Grace's face light up, "Hey."
"Hey." Dimitri looked over to Lily then back to Grace. "I sort of got you something... Merry Christmas, Grace." And he held out his hand.
~~"Peace, ho! I bar confusion :
Tis I must make conclusion
Of these most strange events :
Here's eight that must take hands
To join in Hymen's bands,
If truth holds true contents.
You and you no cross shall part:
You and you are heart in heart :
You and his love must accord,
Or have woman to your lord:
You and you are sure together,
As the winter to foul weather.
Whiles a wedlock-hymn we sing,
Feed yourselves with questioning;
That reason wonder may diminish,
How thus we met, and these things finish."