by Dane Bagley
Jashion had lived in the promise land for over a year. It was everything that he had hoped for. It was beautiful, peaceful, and the people were so kind. In short order, when it was discovered who he was and where he had come from, he was taken in. He soon received a live-in working opportunity with the Brown’s, Kevin’s family. Jashion helped look after the stables. Jashion had not spent much time around horses before. He was at first haunted by the horrible memory of his father, drunken, being trampled by a frightened horse during a thunderstorm. Compared to the other beasts he’d interacted with in his lifetime, getting settled in with horses was no big deal. He enjoyed taking them on long rides throughout the promise land. He enjoyed Kevin’s company and rode out with him whenever they could.
Most of the time, however, Kevin was with his preferred companion, Maryanne. For Kevin, Jashion and his stories satisfied any lingering curiosities that he had about the world outside his mountains. Jashion’s stories seemed unbelievable, but Jashion was so genuine, and his scars corroborated so perfectly with his stories. Kevin liked Jashion very much and considered him his closest friend besides Maryanne, at least his closest friend still there.
In the past, every land that Jashion had entered he had entered with Aiden. This time he came alone. The contrast couldn’t be more apparent. When Aiden arrived anywhere, the place was never the same again. Here, Jashion created a tiny wave, like a pebble being dropped in a clear blue lake. The ripples carried for a short time and then it was settled back to normal, like nothing had ever happened. This was how it was in the promise land, and Jashion liked that.
Jashion was a tall, strong, and handsome man. The young ladies had certainly taken notice. Jashion enjoyed the subtle flirtations and the social invites. He had many acquaintances and found the company delightful. Nothing romantic had yet taken off, but he did have his eye on one girl. She was a subtler beauty than was Myrtle or Siccly. Still, there was something about her. The problem was, she wouldn’t give him the time of day. In fact, if he ever smiled at her or tried to say, ‘hello,’ she would turn away from him. He would have loved to talk with her, but her body language made it clear that she was not interested. Jashion admired Sarah Peningham from a distance.
Sarah’s romance with Jimmy Smithy was short lived. She enjoyed his company. Liked to walk and hold hands with him. She found his embrace pleasant and she liked kissing again. Still, she found herself, even in his company, longing for John. Sometimes when Jimmy was talking to her she found herself lost in thoughts and memories of him. Whether John was alive or not was immaterial. If, when with Jimmy, her heart was still with John, then Jimmy was not the one for her. As Jimmy began to draw closer, Sarah knew it was time to say goodbye. Things were still amicable between them. The romance, however, was over. Jimmy had moved on too.
Sarah was unaware of the indifference she showed to Jashion. She was perfectly aware of him. She often stopped by the Brown’s with Maryanne and he was, of course, there. As far as she was concerned, the feelings were mutual. The most painful moment of her life, since watch John disappear, was watching Jashion emerge from the pool and realizing that it was not her love. The heartbreak was so unbearable that she became numb and suppressed the pain deeply. She couldn’t completely avoid the occasional reminders of that moment, which occurred every time she laid eyes on Jashion; but something inside her pushed him away from her. It was pain avoidance and not unkindness that led her to do this. This day she would be unable to avoid him, though she had never consciously considered the reality.
Jashion had thought on it, though, many times, and today he couldn’t get it off of his mind. He, like Sarah, was busily readying himself for Kevin and Maryanne’s wedding, taking place in a matter of hours. Of course, Sarah was the bridesmaid. Jashion was the stand-in best man. Jashion would escort Sarah, her arm through his, just behind the bride and groom. When the honorary dancing began, she would be his partner. Other opportunities may present themselves too. He was both excited and fearful at the prospects. Sarah had suppressed any consideration of these eventualities.