Chapter 9
The Crossroads
Sam and Frodo returned just in time for breakfast (they were very grateful). They enjoyed Rosie's cooking so much and also Sam would've never heard the end of it had he been late.
After the plates had been cleared away Sam, as was his custom read the morning mail. Frodo sat by and watched him. He seemed somewhat wiser than the Sam he had left behind, but he also seemed uncomfortable in his new knowledge. It was as if he wished he didn't know what the world was like and proceeded to try and forget .
"Well bless me alive!" He exclaimed. Frodo looked up
"what is it Sam?" Sam held up a lovely piece of parchment with sliver writing on it.
"Pippin's gett'n married!" Frodo's face erupted into a smile.
"Of course we're all invit-," He stopped and looked at Frodo
"I'd better give him some warning your back, he's doesn't need to be fainting on his wedding day."
"Let him save that for his wedding night," Frodo laughed. Sam turned pink and then looked Frodo squarely in the eye.
"I'm gonna call on Miss Lilly Brook," Sam said judging Frodo's response. It was Frodo's turn to blush.
"Now Sam, If you think I going-"
"Why not? You're not supposed to go to a wedd'n alone, you're supposed to escort a young lass from the neighborhood." Sam said smiling wryly.
"A YOUNG lass, I'm not young anymore Sam, and frankly," he looked away]
"I'm really interested in such trivial matters."
"Trivial!?" Sam felt his face flush but this time from anger.
"If you think raising a family is trivial and you might as well not even come to the wedding- I swear," he faded off into some mumbling about passing on the family name. Frodo sighed and looked away uncomfortably. He hated to see Sam so distressed but the thought of stepping back into the world he left behind sent chills through him and he could swear he felt his shoulder tremble.
"Sam, surely you understand that I feel- out of sorts. I'm not the Frodo that courted Angel Lilly Brook nine years ago, she wouldn't know me," He looked pleadingly in Sam's direction. Sam was turned away from Frodo, as far away as he could in his chair without falling over and was biting his finger as if to stop himself from saying things he didn't want to say.
"Do you intend on being alone for the rest of you life?" Sam asked. The sound of his voice made Frodo's stomach drop. He sounded so grave, so serious. Frodo almost felt that he saw the Sam he used to know get up and walk out of the room leaving this strange and distant, worried creature behind.
"No, Sam. I have you," Frodo said softly.
"What about when I gone?" Sam had to catch himself from shouting, he didn't want Rose to hear from the next room. Frodo's eyes began to fill with tears. Sam had never raised his voice to him.
"Sam- I..," Frodo began. Suddenly Sam's face softened and he looked at Frodo. His whole demeanor changed.
"Frodo, do this for me, I have to know you'll be alright." Frodo looked at him
"You can make all the arrangements," Frodo conceded with an uneasy smile. Sam got up and walked to the door. He turned and looked at Frodo.
"When you see her you'll thank me," he winked and walked off. Frodo sat there for a long while reviewing the conversation. It just wasn't like Sam to be so forceful and furthermore Frodo couldn't understand his concern. Sam was in excellent health- they weren't in any danger; the shadow was long gone. Then Frodo understood the shadow was gone, and Sam had moved on with his life. Either Frodo would move with or away from him. They were at a crossroads. Which way would Frodo choose? But what choice was there? No matter how many evenings Sam would arrange with nice hobbit lasses, they couldn't fill the void in Frodo. He lost his heart at the foot of Mt. Doom. He ended there, this was borrowed time and he knew it. Then Frodo realized that he had already made his choice, he made it long ago on a fateful afternoon at the Council of Elrond.
"I never should've come back," he thought and his time and space broke, and he passed out at the table in Rosie's kitchen.
When Frodo awoke it was dusk. He was in his bed and a familiar face looked down on him.
"Dad, Dad! He's awake!" Elanor yelled. Sam got up from a chair in the corner of the room and came to the bed.
"Thank goodness," He sighed. "Are you alright?" Frodo sat up slowly. He felt physically all right, but emotionally something had snapped. He felt so cold, so utterly, utterly cold. His eyes were vacant and diminished. Sam put a hand to his cheek.
"You seem alright, maybe it's just all the excitement," he said looking around the room to avoid Frodo. "Your return, and then Pippin's marriage, not to mention you were up practically all night..." Sam trailed off as Rosie came through the door. She had a large bowl of soup and some bread and butter.
"Here now, Mr. Frodo. This will fix you up." Frodo took the food from her but barely seemed to see her. He set it on his lap and looked out the window.
"Go on now, eat up," Rosie tried to reach him but he was following the path from the front door up to the gate and down Bagshot row. He could down below the hill where the East Road came into Hobbiton, but he didn't turn east. His eyes went west as far as he could till he could only see endless sky and road.
The Crossroads
Sam and Frodo returned just in time for breakfast (they were very grateful). They enjoyed Rosie's cooking so much and also Sam would've never heard the end of it had he been late.
After the plates had been cleared away Sam, as was his custom read the morning mail. Frodo sat by and watched him. He seemed somewhat wiser than the Sam he had left behind, but he also seemed uncomfortable in his new knowledge. It was as if he wished he didn't know what the world was like and proceeded to try and forget .
"Well bless me alive!" He exclaimed. Frodo looked up
"what is it Sam?" Sam held up a lovely piece of parchment with sliver writing on it.
"Pippin's gett'n married!" Frodo's face erupted into a smile.
"Of course we're all invit-," He stopped and looked at Frodo
"I'd better give him some warning your back, he's doesn't need to be fainting on his wedding day."
"Let him save that for his wedding night," Frodo laughed. Sam turned pink and then looked Frodo squarely in the eye.
"I'm gonna call on Miss Lilly Brook," Sam said judging Frodo's response. It was Frodo's turn to blush.
"Now Sam, If you think I going-"
"Why not? You're not supposed to go to a wedd'n alone, you're supposed to escort a young lass from the neighborhood." Sam said smiling wryly.
"A YOUNG lass, I'm not young anymore Sam, and frankly," he looked away]
"I'm really interested in such trivial matters."
"Trivial!?" Sam felt his face flush but this time from anger.
"If you think raising a family is trivial and you might as well not even come to the wedding- I swear," he faded off into some mumbling about passing on the family name. Frodo sighed and looked away uncomfortably. He hated to see Sam so distressed but the thought of stepping back into the world he left behind sent chills through him and he could swear he felt his shoulder tremble.
"Sam, surely you understand that I feel- out of sorts. I'm not the Frodo that courted Angel Lilly Brook nine years ago, she wouldn't know me," He looked pleadingly in Sam's direction. Sam was turned away from Frodo, as far away as he could in his chair without falling over and was biting his finger as if to stop himself from saying things he didn't want to say.
"Do you intend on being alone for the rest of you life?" Sam asked. The sound of his voice made Frodo's stomach drop. He sounded so grave, so serious. Frodo almost felt that he saw the Sam he used to know get up and walk out of the room leaving this strange and distant, worried creature behind.
"No, Sam. I have you," Frodo said softly.
"What about when I gone?" Sam had to catch himself from shouting, he didn't want Rose to hear from the next room. Frodo's eyes began to fill with tears. Sam had never raised his voice to him.
"Sam- I..," Frodo began. Suddenly Sam's face softened and he looked at Frodo. His whole demeanor changed.
"Frodo, do this for me, I have to know you'll be alright." Frodo looked at him
"You can make all the arrangements," Frodo conceded with an uneasy smile. Sam got up and walked to the door. He turned and looked at Frodo.
"When you see her you'll thank me," he winked and walked off. Frodo sat there for a long while reviewing the conversation. It just wasn't like Sam to be so forceful and furthermore Frodo couldn't understand his concern. Sam was in excellent health- they weren't in any danger; the shadow was long gone. Then Frodo understood the shadow was gone, and Sam had moved on with his life. Either Frodo would move with or away from him. They were at a crossroads. Which way would Frodo choose? But what choice was there? No matter how many evenings Sam would arrange with nice hobbit lasses, they couldn't fill the void in Frodo. He lost his heart at the foot of Mt. Doom. He ended there, this was borrowed time and he knew it. Then Frodo realized that he had already made his choice, he made it long ago on a fateful afternoon at the Council of Elrond.
"I never should've come back," he thought and his time and space broke, and he passed out at the table in Rosie's kitchen.
When Frodo awoke it was dusk. He was in his bed and a familiar face looked down on him.
"Dad, Dad! He's awake!" Elanor yelled. Sam got up from a chair in the corner of the room and came to the bed.
"Thank goodness," He sighed. "Are you alright?" Frodo sat up slowly. He felt physically all right, but emotionally something had snapped. He felt so cold, so utterly, utterly cold. His eyes were vacant and diminished. Sam put a hand to his cheek.
"You seem alright, maybe it's just all the excitement," he said looking around the room to avoid Frodo. "Your return, and then Pippin's marriage, not to mention you were up practically all night..." Sam trailed off as Rosie came through the door. She had a large bowl of soup and some bread and butter.
"Here now, Mr. Frodo. This will fix you up." Frodo took the food from her but barely seemed to see her. He set it on his lap and looked out the window.
"Go on now, eat up," Rosie tried to reach him but he was following the path from the front door up to the gate and down Bagshot row. He could down below the hill where the East Road came into Hobbiton, but he didn't turn east. His eyes went west as far as he could till he could only see endless sky and road.