A Passion's Scourge

by Sarah S. Collins

  I miss you a lot and I’m looking forward to seeing you all. Send everyone my regards.

  A big kiss, John

  .

  .

  10

  After seven months had passed, Elena hadn’t gotten a single letter from John and had grown used to living far from him. Her daughters adapted to the farm’s lifestyle and were living a healthy life.

  _ How is it that after so much time not sending news, now he writes telling me that he’s coming here. Rants Elena to her mother soon after reading the message in the letter.

  _ I never wanted to have to see him again, after all the humiliation I went through when I was with him. I wanted to take my daughters and go to far away.

  _ To somewhere he couldn’t find me.

  _ Quit that, Elena, John is your husband and you’ll have to stay here until he arrives. Listen to what he has to say and it doesn’t matter what happened in the past you have to subdue yourself to him, for John is the man and you’re the woman. Elena gets perplexed at her mother’s persuasion act.

  _ But even after everything I suffered through on his hands, does that not count? Elena lets it out anguished by her mother’s attitude. Elena expected her mother to comprehend her and support the decision she made, but Elisabeth was always very firm on that subject and thought marriage should be eternal up until death.

  _ No. You have to think that besides him still being your spouse, he’s the father of your daughters; and that you can’t erase from your life.

  _ And don’t you know how I had to put through so much humiliation from your father to get here?

  _ That’s how men are Elena, they treat us with disgust so they’ll feel like dominant males.

  _ Unfortunately that’s life. Elisabeth keeps trying to persuade her daughter and the nearly hypnotic sound of her mother’s voice made Elena terrified.

  Elena lowered her head and remained quiet while she was thinking about it, and simultaneously a tear ran down her face.

  The words of her mother were like an order for her to go back to John and completely forget about the past, it was like she had pierced her heart with a stake.

  The days went by and John finally arrived on the farm.

  Elisabeth washed the dishes from breakfast calmy on the kitchen sink when the silence of the peaceful farm was interrupted by the continuous noise of the taxi’s engine. Fueled by intense curiosity, Elisabeth left the rest of the dishes in the sink, dried her hands on a cloth and went towards the door to see who had arrived. And when the man left the car she saw that it was John. Elena’s siblings surrounded him.

  Upon getting off the cab John brought with him many bags with many gifts. _Maybe it was an attempt to please the in-laws, Elena and his daughters. He had spent a good amount of money in all those gifts. Bob limited himself to observe only from afar, from the top of the ceiling eating a fruit.

  John exhibited an worn-out state, the squalid beard and the pale skin, the mouth and teeth slightly yellow.

  Elena waited for him and hugged him. Maggie gave out her hand and kissed him on the cheek. Amanda missed him a lot, therefore when she saw him she gave him a tight hug.

  A few minutes later, Arthur goes to John and lends his hand to greet him; both shake hands and greet mutually.

  _ So how was the trip? Arthur asks John.

  _ Everything went on okay.

  _ I thought it was better to come by plane, since it’s a faster trip.

  _ I was a little anxious during the take off and landing.

  _ During the flight there were a few turbulences, but nothing bad. It was because of a storm, however to tell you the truth I was relieved when the plane touched the ground again.

  _ I understand it perfectly, when I was younger I traveled many times in the Air Force planes.

  _ The first flight brings intense unsettlement, but afterwards the person gets used to it. Reinforces Arthur.

  _ I completely agree with you.

  _ Now changing the subject I brought a few souvenirs for each one of you. I hope you like them.

  John took the bags to distribute the gifts he had bought on the airport before boarding the plane. To the father-in-law he gave a box of cigars, for he knew he appreciated a good tobacco roll. The mother received a very pretty set of kitchen cloths. The siblings got light sweaters. Elena received a long dress and to the daughters John gave each a doll.

  After receiving the gift, Arthur invited John so they’d drink a mug of wine together sitting by the fireplace. Arthur never said no to a mug of wine and a good Bottle of Bourbon. He opened the box of cigars he got from John and lit one, offered one to John, but he refused for he didn’t smoke. After, they spent a good while talking about work and several other subjects. Simultaneously Arthur puffed and expelled a great amount of smoke through his mouth, then he took a few sips of his aged tasty wine; he already was on his second cigar.

  After drinking many mugs of red wine, John was already getting a bit too happy, and it was also getting dark.

  John was always weak on drinking, many times when he went over his limits he got drunk and committed some felonies. John told everyone on the room that he had checked in a hotel in town and since he was already tired he thought best to leave to the hotel and that he’d be back on the next day. Involved by longing, he ended up forgetting to tell the news he had mentioned on his letter to Elena.

  Arthur offered to take John to the hotel, and he nodded. Soon after he took the truck to drive him. Amanda asked her mother to let her go with them, Maggie also wanted to tag along and Elena ended up agreeing to it, for she knew she could trust her father. But they’d only accompany him to the hotel and then would return back to the farm with Arthur.

  The four proceeded to town in the truck.

  While they were out Elena enjoyed a few moments alone, lying on the net in the balcony looking at the trees’ leaves. Some already dry dropped from the branches and fell slowly until reaching the floor. A swift breeze from the mountain blew around bringing a pleasant scent of wet dirt. Elena stopped to reflect on the things said by John and what would happen with herfrom then on.

  _ Let’s go inside daughter, it’s cold out here!

  _ I’ll stay just for a little more. _ It feels so nice here.

  _ Okay take this blanket.

  _ I’ll remove myself, I’m tired.

  _ When your father arrives tell him I already went to bed.

  _ Okay mom.

  _ Good night and your blessing.

  _ God bless you my daughter, good night. Elisabeth enters the house and Elena loses herself in the comfort of the net.

  Arriving on the hotel John thanked the ride given to him by his father-in-law, said goodbye to his daughters and entered the hotel. Arthur turned the car around and went back to the farm.

  The night was difficult for Elena to sleep through. She tossed and turned through the blankets trying to find a position that better allowed her to fall asleep, but it was impossible to do it. Her daughters slept smoothly. Elena decided to get up and head out to take a breath of fresh air. Elena left and lied down again on the net. An owl was hooting on the tree, and bats flew across the sky every instant. Elena got spooked when a bat flew rapidly by the balcony and over her head. Some people used to say that bats sucked human blood to death. That was the vampirism legend, but Elena knew that it wasn’t true, for they fed off blood of animals like horses and dogs. The sky was cloudy, and it poured a thin drizzle. A little earlier there had been a strong storm with thunders and lightning that lit the whole sky. The storm didn’t last long, but in a few minutes the river that ran near the farm filled rapidly and flooded; destroying the bridge that gave access to the farms in the region. Arthur had arrived one hour before the rain came down.

  Some time past having lied on the net, Elena ended up catching some sleep and woke up by the morning with Elisabeth poking her and asking why she was lying there.

  _ Yeah well... I couldn’t sleep and decided to come out for a breather.

>   _ I guess I ended up falling asleep. Said Elena with her eyes narrowed from the sleep. Elisabeth told her not to do that anymore, for it was dangerous to stay out alone, a stranger could come by and do her harm.

  Elena got up and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth before having breakfast. Soon after, Maggie woke up, with her hair all messy and holding her ragdoll in her arms. When Amanda felt that her sister wasn’t in bed anymore, she woke up and followed the voice sounds that came from the kitchen.

  John woke up quite early in the hotel and showered, changed his clothes and went for a hike to get to know the city. Walking through main street it was possible to see the City Hall building, and right next to it the museum of modern arts. The small playground was empty, the kids liked to play only by the afternoon. And ahead of John across the street was Shots Coffee Houser, the most attended bar in town.

  The sun a little shy between the clouds, showed all its exuberance, John thought best to enter Shots Coffee Houser to have a coffee and eat some toasts or doughnuts if they had any. Bob was sitting by the counter reading his paper and drinking his morning coffee as he did all mornings. The coffee shop had few clients. It was still too early, the people had the habit of waking after eight in the morning and only left home to go for a walk or a morning jog. John sat by Bob’s side, tried to start a conversation with him, but didn’t obtain any success and decided to stop. John asked the waitress for an espresso with little sugar and looked in the menu to see the side dish options. The option didn’t please him terribly and he ordered only a slice of pie. John mentioned to Bob that he wasn’t from town, and, therefore would only stay for one more day and then would leave. Bob kept browsing through his paper not looking to be interest to hear what John had to say. John didn’t even mind not being corresponded by Bob and kept blabbering. He said that he saw the farm where his in-laws lived. And also that his daughter and his wife were staying there, however he’d take them away with him. That talk ended up capturing Bob’s attention who dropped the paper on the counter and asked John what was the name of the farm’s owner. John was curious and asked him why he’d asked. Bob responded that he worked in a farm and it could be the same one John was mentioning. John told him the name of his father-in-law. Bob said that it was the same farm he worked on and was even heading there. John inquired if he could give him a lift to the farm, for he had no car.

  The bridge that gave access to the road and led to Arthur’s farm had been destroyed by the rain. And without it there was no way to get to the farm.

  John paid his coffee and offered to pay Bob’s bill, who, however could not accept. But John insisted and with his persuasiveness, managed to turn Bob around.

  The TV showed a newsreport on the storm that had ravaged a few neighborhoods of the state. In a neighbor town a tempest followed by strong winds had devasted the whole city leaving the residents impaired.

  Upon leaving the coffee shop some friends of Bob’s were talking on the sidewalk and warned him that the bridge had fallen with the flood caused by the rain. The city employees and even the residents of the region were already working on the site to rebuild it.

  Bob swayed his head and told John that today wasn’t his lucky day, it’d be best for him to go back to the hotel and wait for the next day.

  John had to return to the hotel and wait for the next day, and root for the bridge to have been rebuilt.

  Bob shook hands with John and left towards his cabin in the lake.

  A thin drizzle came down over the city and the cold started to get intense. The streets of the city were slippery. On the television the forecast was that the weather was only gonna get better starting the following weekend, and probably during the next few hours there’d be strong wind blows and the cold would continue to predominate in the region.

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