"Are you even listening to me? I'm telling you how I found the perfect dress and you keep folding and unfolding your fingers, staring at nothing and..."
"Sorry, Care, I'm all ears." Elena quickly looks up, her blonde friend's ability to intimidate people certainly isn't going to work on her, not today
They've known each other for far too long...
"Okay, you're scaring me, now. You usually have patience with my obsessions and listen to my every complaint. Did something happen?"
Elena doesn't need to think long about whether she tells her or not, after all, Caroline's her oldest friend. And there's actually not much to tell.
"He's back," she says simply.
He's back. That's all Elena can think about. For two weeks now. There are moments when she feels paralyzed…
"He's back?" Caroline's voice rises even higher. "And you say it... just like that- so casually? What happened?"
"Nothing, Care, he just... showed up to bring my mail," Elena explains, sighing heavily.
"What?" Caroline's looking at her incredulously. "What does the mail have to do with it?"
"He's a mailman now, that's what."
Caroline inhales sharply and moves to sit next to her friend, hugging her tightly. "Oh, Elena, are you sure you don't need help? Like... some professional help?"
"Are you serious? Trust me, I'm not the one who needs professional help." Elena brushes away the idea. "Damon came back and his friend Alaric got him a position with the Postal Service. I don't know if he even planned to tell me," she adds bitterly.
Caroline feels relieved Elena didn't lose it. For a moment it looked like... "So he came back and didn't tell anyone?"
"I don't know, he obviously told Alaric. Still, I can't imagine him going to his family first. I told Alaric it wasn't a good idea to push him and I was right, the conversation today didn't go well."
"I can't believe what I'm hearing! He should be this small," she squeezes her thumb and index finger together for effect, "and be grateful you even talk to him and he's going to be difficult? Who cares? Forget about him. You have a good life now, don't put it in jeopardy. Damon clearly doesn't care either!"
Elena gives her oldest friend a 'no shit' look. "Caroline," she starts slowly, "I love you. I know you mean well. But you have no idea what you're talking about."
"How can you say that? I was there. Whenever you needed someone, I was there. He wasn't. I watched you put the pieces back together every little bit by little bit. And I won't let him pull you down, not again. No way!"
It wasn't exactly the brightest idea to tell Caroline, that Elena doesn't need this drama. But she knows her friend is loyal to a fault and will always take her side. She won't run from trouble...
Elena's strolling through downtown Coos Bay, the occasion is the annual Blackberry Arts Festival. Vendors are set up on either side of Central Avenue, featuring an impressive array of talented artisans, music, and great food, including lots of blackberry items.
She stops to buy a small bag of blackberry taffy as she browses the kiosks to see what people are selling. Pausing to pop a piece of taffy into her mouth, she jumps when someone accidentally bumps into her. Turning around, she blushes when she recognizes the bank good Samaritan who helped the woman with her baby.
"Oh hi," Damon smiles, "I'm really sorry about that, I tripped on that ridge of the sidewalk," he points to it.
"No harm, no foul," she chuckles, dropping her small sack of candy into her purse.
"Elena right? Would you like to get a cup of coffee or something?"
"I'd like that," she nods, feeling a shiver when he places his palm on the small of her back to lead her through the crowd. They're lucky to find a table. Elena thanks him with a beaming smile when he returns with two hot cups of blackberry cider.
"You must live around, this is twice we've run into each other."
"You think so?" she teases, arching an eyebrow.
"I hope so," Damon waggles his brows at her playfully.
"And why is that?" a brilliant smile forms on her face.
"Because Miss Elena, I'd love to show you around, maybe take you sailing?"
"Well," Elena reaches into her purse for a Sharpie. With a twinkle in her eyes, she extends his arm and jots down a phone number along with a smiley face. "I have to run, I'm meeting some friends. Thanks for the tea," she gets up and walks out, leaving a stunned Damon behind.
It's not until she realizes the car stops that Elena is thrust back into reality. "Thanks for the ride home, Tyler." She opens the door to get out.
"No problem...Listen, Elena," Tyler calls out before she slams the door shut. "I know you get frustrated with Caroline, lord knows I do myself but she only wants what's best for you."
"I know her heart is in the right place, Tyler. But this is my life we're talking about... Good or bad, they're my decisions to make."
"Do you want me to talk to her?"
"Not at all Tyler, if the need should arise, I'll do it. Thanks again for the evening, I'll see you soon."
"You bet," he waves as he drives away.
Elena watches till his taillights disappear then goes inside the house. Laying her purse down, she pulls a bottle of wine out of the fridge and pours herself a glass. After kicking off her shoes, she goes to the living room and sits down on the couch. Curling her legs underneath her, she takes a swallow and doesn't fight it when her mind takes her back in time.
The halls are crowded with people, and the chaos is so perfect, like a movie. The couple that's always making out is on the left side of the hall, and about ten feet farther down, the cliquey girls are huddled together, no doubt planning their next party. Opposite them are the jocks, and between them, the parade of band geeks trudges down the corridor to the music room with their huge instrument cases.
Elena shakes her head. Every year it's the same thing, just different faces. Bringing up the rear are the aerospace tech kids who never do anything but make paper airplanes and the fashion kids who wheel mannequins and clothing racks down the halls. Her eyes fall on Kai Parker, laughing as he walks beside his girlfriend, Hayley. He's a smart kid but quick on the draw, always having an answer to whatever question pops up. He reminds her so much of what a young Damon must've been like in high school. All the girls drooled at him with his messy dark hair, muscular body, and swagger of confidence.
"Morning," Kai utters, darting around her to enter the classroom. As soon as he plops down in a seat, Kai takes over the room as if he owns it, the guys cluster around him as do the girls much to Hayley's dismay.
Once all students are finally in the room, Elena walks to the front of the room, expecting her pupils to pipe down and prepare to learn. There is no longer any nervousness about her that usually comes with a new group of them. She's a seasoned professional now and has earned the respect of both the students and her co-workers.
"Hey Miss Gilbert, what're we doing today?" Olivia asks, sticking a pencil in her hair.
"Due to the tragic fire at Notre Dame, I thought we'd talk about it."
"My mom was crying about it. She and Dad eloped to Paris and were married there," Will interjects.
"I must confess, I had a few tears too. I went to Europe with my parents when I was your age, we paid a visit. It's one of the most notable monuments in Paris and in all of Europe for that matter. The Catholic treasure is over 800 years old. It is located on a small island called the Ile de la Cite in the middle of the River Seine. The building of the cathedral was completed over the course of 200 years; it was started in 1163 during the reign of King Louis VII and was completed in 1345.
We can't discuss the history of the Notre Dame Cathedral Paris without discussing the most famous story of the peasant girl, Joan of Arc, who is well documented in the history books of France. She was very brave and claimed that she had visions from God. This young girl had spiritual and character richness even though she had no material goods. Through her visions and courage, she helped France in the battles against the English troops.
While using the wise military tactics of Joan of Arc, France won many fights against England. She also was a great supporter of the monarchy; she was indirectly the reason why Charles VII was crowned. However, Joan of Arc was captured by the Burundians, accused of heresy, and tragically, she was burned at the stake.
But this was not the end of the brave girl. On the 7th of July 1456, Joan of Arc was declared innocent and a martyr. In 1909 she was beatified in the famous Notre Dame cathedral in Paris by Pope Pius X.
Inside the Notre Dame Cathedral, among so many historical artifacts, is the notable 17th-century organ with all of its parts still functional. There are drawings, plans, and engravings which showed the old and hidden mysteries of several of the church developments and how the city of Paris came into being."
"They'll rebuild it won't they?" Kai asks, Elena is surprised that he looks really interested in the topic. The glint in his eyes is reminiscent of Damon. If something interested him, he was like a bulldog, devouring everything he could find on the subject. She also remembers the look of pride on his face when he attended her graduation and how he walked with her to her classroom on her first day there.
"I heard on the news this morning that they do plan to rebuild it. Maybe someday you'll get to go to Paris too," Elena smiles, a hint of melancholy when she looks at the picture of the spire collapsing, carrying with it the sacred relics, the bones and teeth of the patron saints of Paris, St. Denis and St. Genevieve which were housed inside the spire.
"My dad said they saved a lot of stuff though," Hayley intones, her chin resting on her hand.
"Yes, they did. Now how about you open those booklets I made? I printed what I could find out about the cathedral, including the famous Hunchback of Notre Dame, the novel by Victor Hugo. Disney made an animated movie of it as well as a cartoon series called Gargoyles. The cathedral had many gargoyles, we'll be talking about them too," her voice is drowned out by the sound of the bell ringing.
"If you can, watch the Disney movie, The artists did a spectacular job recreating the cathedral," Elena calls from behind them.
The kids pile out of the classroom and she laughs when Mikael sets an apple on her desk before hurrying out. Picking it up, she knows Damon would laugh and also be transfixed about the topic of the 850-year-old Gothic Cathedral. Sitting down, she picks up her phone to check for any messages, relieved to not find anything from Caroline yet...
"I'm not surprised," Bonnie comments with a small smile playing on her lips. Although it's not a happy one. "It was bound to happen- Damon would come back and everything would start up anew."
Elena rolls her eyes mentally. Caroline number two, really?
"I have no idea what you mean but whatever it is, I don't want to know. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about it or how to handle it... I will admit however that I feel sort of defeated after our confrontation yesterday but can I really blame him?"
"Of course, you can," Bonnie grins and Elena finds her reaction odd.
"What are you grinning about?"
"Nothing," her friend's smile spreads even wider.
Elena rolls her eyes. "Clearly. If you have a problem with it..."
"Elena," Bonnie reassuringly lays her palm on Elena's forearm. "You've been thinking about him the whole time. You were blind to how cocky he was, I don't know if he's still that Damon but I tell you what, there were too many times to count that I wanted to smack that grin off his face."
"I wasn't blind to it, Bonnie, I know how cocky he is, he's …"
"Not the point," Bonnie raises up her hand to stop her protest. "Let me paraphrase. Yes, you saw it but it never bothered you. What kind of friend would I be if I wasn't truthful with you? Now listen, do I think he'll disappoint you again? Yes, I do. Do I think you'd be better off with someone else? Totally. But would you be actually happy with another man? No, I don't believe so."
"Because I'm a world-class idiot?" Elena's looking at her friend with a hurt expression on her face.
"No, because you love him. And despite everything that's happened, I would wager that he still loves you too. But you already know that..."
Elena nods and gives Bonnie a grateful smile.
"Supper's good, mom. Thanks for inviting me," Elena sets her fork down to take a swallow of water.
"You're welcome, sweetheart. How's school going?" her mother asks, sticking a slice of roast in her mouth.
"We talked about the Paris fire today. Some of the kids realized how significant the cathedral is to history and others blew it off, not caring but overall I was pleased with their interest in the subject. It's a good year, most of my kids are really working hard. I only have a couple that are struggling."
"I'm glad to hear that," Miranda passes her the platter of meat and potatoes.
"So Elena, how are things with Kol? You know we just want for you to be happy...," Grayson mentions, his eyes snapping to hers.
She should have anticipated this...
"We're not going to talk about Kol. Don't even go there," she cautions, reaching for a bun.
"Whatever you say," Miranda shares a look with her husband. "How are Bonnie and Caroline?"
"I've seen them both in the last week, they're good," Elena's voice trails as she remembers the conversation with Bonnie.
"Your birthday is in a couple of days. We'd like to take you out for supper and have some birthday cake afterward. Would that be okay with you?"
"Sure, Mom. I'd like that," she nods then gets up to put her plate in the sink. "I'll help with the dishes, then I need to get home, I have some lessons to prepare."
"You go, your dad will help me with them," she gets up to hug her daughter. Together she and Grayson walk outside with Elena, waving goodbye when she drives off.
"Do you think she'll ever get over him?" Miranda asks, walking inside the house with her husband.
"I really don't know. But she's a grown woman. We'll support her as we always have but ultimately, it's her decision to make..."
It's been a couple of days since Elena saw Damon. She usually has only morning classes but with a few teachers sick and two on a trip with a group of elementary students, she agreed to take on the extra classes for them. It's who she is, and sometimes she is unable to say no to a challenge.
That also gave her a much-needed distraction from waiting for his car to appear.
When Alaric relayed to her that he thought Damon needed a push. She didn't think it was a good idea, she told him so but she also had to admit Ric probably knows better, Damon certainly spends more time with him lately... Is it jealousy that's seeping in and making her feel like this?
The reason she ultimately went for it is probably the simplest and the most honest of them all. She misses him. Talking with him, being in the same room with him.
It's been too long...
Although she hoped for a better outcome, it played out just as she expected, she could've written a script. Despite her best efforts, she may have pushed Damon even further away.
So, no matter how painful it is for her, she's going to have to give him space, as much as he wants. It must come from him, otherwise, she's fighting a hopeless battle.
She pours herself a glass of wine before stepping over to the window. Pulling the curtain aside, she peers at the starry sky and lightly clinks glass against glass.
Happy Birthday Elena...
Thank you all. You're just amazing. I try to be concise when I add these historical facts to something I'm writing. I love history and sometimes I struggle with what to include and what not to include. The Notre Dame fire occurred on April 15, 2019- at the same time this story was being written.
Chapter title: Paralyzed by Dream Theater.
Take care and have a fabulous day.
