by Dervan Brown
“Oh bother!” She sighed, “Look John…It’s not my intention to hurt you, but I cannot leave Joe, not right now.”
“But Karla you said yourself…”
She interrupted, “John, just listen! Listen to me. Remember when I was telling you how my father had forsaken me?”
“Karla, your father died, he had no choice!” John affirmed.
“No John!!” She cried, “He left me! He left me to suffer in this cold cold world all by myself. I was this close!” She made a pinch with her thumb and pointer finger as she uttered her boiling grief. “This close to breaking! I suffered so much and at the very moment when I let go and gave it all in. Joe came from nowhere.” She emphasized, “And saved me! I mean, he literally gave me once again, reasons to live…and for that I am forever thankful…hello?”
“I am listening.” Was his only response.
“John let me explain to you what happened. Like I said before, my father died when I was twelve, and it almost killed me. Every night I would cry in my sleep. There were days I would rush out of class to the bathroom, and for hours I would scream silently. It was devastating! And as a result I started to fail throughout school, and in my final semester while I was preparing for my exams, it got even worst and I couldn’t bear the pressure anymore. So I just quit. It made perfect sense too you know. As my mother at the time couldn’t have afforded to pay for the exam fees and I had absolutely no one else to turn to. It was like waiting for a miracle to happen after prayers and faith have failed immensely. Then I tried to attain a remedial job which was futile, and if I wasn’t having it hard enough already that just toppled whatever sanity I had left.”
John heard the subtle tone and saw the tears falling from her eyes. Eager to offer a warm soft blanket to shelter her from the snow, but somehow the words wouldn’t come out.
“…John I wasn’t happy, I wasn’t living, and I wasn’t even surviving. I was on the brink of suicide and that’s when Joseph Gibson rescued me. He had been everything to me since then. He had been a friend, a confidant and most of all a father to me. I owe it all to him for teaching me how to appreciate life once again. You know one day he said to me.
“Karla, no matter how hard it gets, just remember, when in the depths of your sorrows and unhappiness, to look to the skies and smile and let that simple gesture remind you of the abundance of happiness that sits at the end of the tunnel.”
John was caught up in a notion of indifference and unprecedented confusion. He wasn’t a gullible person neither was he judgmental but he genuinely felt her pain. Who in the world wouldn’t? She was only a little girl and already she had the hardest bitch of a slap that this world often times throw in our faces. However, it had dawn on him, how the hell did he find himself in between such a rock and a hard place? But there is no turning back, at least his heart won’t allow it. He had said hello and right now goodbye would be so wrong.
“So what are you saying Karla? I am a man! Yes I am a man, and God knows I am scared to death of another broken heart! I need some sort of security here, that’s all I am asking.”
“John I can’t just get up and leave Joe like that. He hasn’t hurt me and he has treated me no less than a queen since we have been together. To be honest, the guy loves me.” She asserted, “He needs me as much as I need him right now, maybe even more. What I am saying is, lets for now, take this one day at a time. As the odds are against us and our backs are against the wall. But as heaven as my witness, I so want to know what is behind the door of the temple calling my mind and soul so passionately.
“Ahh Karla, I don’t want to push you away either, but this is a lot to process. Let me sleep on it, and I’ll let you know when I see you in the morning…ok?”
“Okay….” She made between clinched teeth,” So you are coming here tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I think I am going to come and see you. Matters like these needs to be said face to face either way, if you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I understand.”
“So I’ll see you tomorrow Karla”
“Bye….” She replied.
“And Karla….”
“Yes?”
“I like you a lot.”
“Hmmm…” she replied and smiled, “Goodnight John.”
Chapter 5
“Hello!” John uttered and beckoned to Karla Steelburg as he approached the bench on the patio where she sat in isolation. She carried a look of indifference on her face, or maybe it was the songs that played on her I-pad preoccupied her thoughts.
“Hello!” she replied and turned her attention to his eyes. It had gotten easier to hold his stare, but her heart would still palpitate and her pussy would throb nonetheless.
“I brought you something.” He childishly played.
“Really now! What might that be?” she asked with anxious anticipation.
He laughed, “Its only chocolate, not a wedding band. He teased and handed her the Hershey delight. To his pleasant surprise she was more appreciative than he expected.
“Thank you so much!” She emphasized, “A guy has never brought me chocolate before.”
“Well that’s what cousins are for.”
She smiled and blushed at his witty but charming play upon words.
“If the day was darker and we were hidden by a garden, I would kiss you.” She affirmed.
“Go ahead, I don’t care.” He teased, even though he was well aware of the chaos it would cause, especially if her older brother caught them red-handed.
Karla Steelburg drifted into the front seat of the audience, attentively captivated by the opera queen. She understood none of the lyrics that came from her mouth, but the sweet scintillating sound conjured scenes of her childhood days with her and Karl Steelburg. Tears assimilated in her eyes and watered her cheeks.
She could no longer avoid the devilish temptation to incarcerate his arms and sentence his lips to a penalty of life imprisonment at maximum security.
“I got to go put the chocolate in my drawer before someone sees it and gets the right impression.” She stated and walked off to her room.
She came back with a pleasant smile on her face and with a more composed disposition.
“So does the chocolate means you have made your decision?”
“The decision wasn’t mine to make Karla.” He smiled and asserted, “You replied with hello and that was it.” He tried with due diligence to explain his dilemma. “These feelings that I am starting to have, and the fact that I am thinking about you so very often, are beyond me. I can’t control them, even if I wanted to. It’s like, its destiny or some kind of fate which dictates that we should be together. It doesn’t matter if it’s not the norm or if it is immoral or even if it is condemned by every mug in this world.” They caught each other’s eyes. “It’s already written in paradise and that’s all what matters.”
John continued, “I want you so bad, it’s driving me crazy! I don’t even know what the word ‘cousin’ means anymore. As we are not cousins!” He laughed.
“Yeah! At some instances I convince myself that we are not related too,” she placed her cheeks in hand and said, “But it’s real and so are these feelings that I am having for you.”
Within the five minutes of silence that proceeded, the space between them on the bench had somehow gotten smaller to the point where their fingers and feet touched without notice.
“By the way John, how is your dad doing?” Karla Asked.
“Who Peter? He is doing fine. I spoke to him last night actually.” John replied.
“What do you think he would say if he found out you are practically dating his cousin, Karl Steelburg’s daughter?”
“I honestly don’t know. He is usually respectful of the choices I make, but this is totally different and almost unheard of.” He affirmed. “See it’s forgivable when two cousins date not knowing they were related but this is like we are embracing the abominable sin.”
“I know but it certainly doesn’t feel that way.
” She replied.
“You know I have been thinking, we live in a Christian society and the bible speaks about the condemnation of two cousins being together.” With raised eyebrows he reiterated, “If word gets out of this, they are going to stone us! Literally!”
“Yeah, I know, we are going to burn in hell!” She nodded.
“Listen! Let no man but God judge us. They know not what is in their hearts to even dictate to ours!” He held her eyes steady and searched her soul to find common ground as he uttered stern but soft words of forever reassurance. “I will be by your side until the end of time and even on judgment day we will walk hand in hand to the most high thrown, and if it is his will for us to part, I will miss you without remorse.”
“I will go wherever you go.” She replied and bit her bottom lip.
“…There is one little problem though Cuz.” John alluded.
“Yeah, just give me a little time…I will sort this out with Joseph.”
“Ok…I believe you will.”
Maybe they were overwhelmed and preoccupied by the unprecedented developments they found themselves in the midst of, but they didn’t hear the sounds of Kevin’s and Andrew’s chattering until they were less than twelve feet behind them. Alarmed they were that the two might get suspicious of them sitting so close together on a bench that could adequately seat two additional people. It was already too late and any sudden shift at that moment would not only have given rise to reasonable suspicion, but would be enough to persuade a twelve panel jury that there sets a hidden conspiracy within the family.
“No, wait!” Kevin asserted and without hesitance squeezed his butt in between them. “What is really going on here?”
Andrew sat on the grass in a bid to rest his tiring feet after walking over six miles to and from the farm. He was less oriented and had displayed a gesture that said he was not interested to know if his younger sister and John were having an affair. However, that could easily be misread, as he usually carried serious yet unconventional dispositions.
“What do you see going on here other than two cousins chatting carelessly?” Karla argued with him in a feisty tone and risen eyebrows, “Is there something wrong with that?”
He didn’t pursue the argument. He kept his contempt and stared at John in his silent discomposure which was enough to ascertain his perspicacity.
“Andrew, As much as I would like to stay, I can’t. I have some very pertinent business to attend to back at the house.” Kevin ushered a quick closure to the plot and stood to leave.
“I understand, such is life. Thanks for the help with the cattle.”
“Sure anytime.”
“Well…I think it’s about time I leave as well.” John interjected. “See you guys later.”
“Ok, goodbye John.” Karla replied. Andrew said nothing. That gave enough reason to believe that he too suspected that they were having an affair.
Chapter 6
The twilight printed an exotic ambiance as the rays of the sunset protruded in between the spaces of the leaves, and refracted off the pink and white carnation that bedded the garden.
As they walked by the garden path something very rare caught their eyes from the rose patio. They went closer to make certain as it must be that both their eyes were deceiving them. He dug through the thorns of the red floribunda roses and to their pleasant surprise it was a grandiflora with dark blue petals. The beauty they discovered dazed their eyes and warmed their hearts. It was indeed rare and special. Never had it been known that blue roses grew naturally. So they took a photo and swore secrecy to never tell anyone of this precious discovery and promised that from time to time they would visit the rose which now served as a real testament and symbol of what they have together.
It was already the twenty seventh day of June and the summer had declared with its infinite army, war on the land. Making sure to torture every civilian it came across and burn all the villages and fields. Even the nights that reigned showed no mercy and left in the still air a discerning un-becoming deadly heat.
On few days the rain would come without warning, but when she did, she brought hope and reassurance that the world was beautiful. Her tears of joy flowed from the hills down into the garden, and touched the feet of the blue rose that slowly sprung and anxiously awaited the queen’s instruction to blossom and daze the world with its beauty and beyond usual love.
“Hey Karla!” John gave out as she answered the phone.
“Hey! Is something wrong?” She asked.
“No, not at all. I just came off the phone with one of my college friends. Actually, he told me that a few of the guys were having a get-together at the beach. So I am thinking about it. It’s so hot these days. A day at the beach is well needed.”
“Oh ok then….So are you asking me to come along with you?”
“Ahh…sure you can come along if you wish.”
“Just kidding, I wanted to see if you would be ashamed to introduce me to your friends.” She replied with a light laughter in her voice.
“Oh come on girl! I thought I already made it clear that I don’t give a FUCK what anyone has to say about us, not my friends, not my brother, not my parents, no one!”
“I know John, you’re the audacious maverick.” She affirmed.
“Yes! You know the only reason we are still hiding is…”
“I know baby. Just a little bit longer Cuz. Continue to hang in there for us.”
“I have made up my mind, and I am sticking with you cousin. I want you so bad it would make me a fool to turn away from you now.”
“Thank you.” She softly noted.
It’s certainly a divine blessing when two people come together in a bid to ascertain unconditional love. Everything you do is worth the risk and at the end of the day if it’s meant to be, nothing is more phenomenal.
“Hey, ill check in with you tomorrow, ok babe?” John stated.
“Ok, have fun…later!”
“Bye.”
The dial tone resonated and sequenced into a conjuration of thoughts of how the guys would react at the news that John Steelburg the guy that most college girls literally drool over by just one sexy soul searching stare is dating his cousin by blood.
The day was as cruel as yesterday and it made no promise of rain. However, the wind from the sea provided a tolerable restitution. The blue everlasting ocean stretched the distant and subdued behind the forest on both ends. The horizon greeted the skies and created an infinite omnipresence which contrasted the rushing waves of water that pounce the shores at timely intervals.
He walked on to the white sand in a bid to captivate the mystic serenity of having water rushing on to his feet, and a soft zephyr caressing the rest of his body.
He heard a shout coming from the far left, and to his surprise it was the guys calling him from an open gazebo.
As he approached the steps of the gazebo he was greeted by cheers, laughter and a light beer from Nickson Graham.
Nickson was quite the drinker that didn’t know his limit at all. All it took was one sip from the first bottle to get him started and by the time he reached the bottom of the seventh, he was already a sailor dancing the plank. Nickson was a well-rounded and jovial person. The faithful type. He still had the same girlfriend since the ninth grade of high school, and undoubtedly he was the only one seated around the table that could be sworn for in a court of law or anywhere else that he had never cheated on his girlfriend. As fidelity would have it, he would never. He however would definitely make a drunken husband but a very good one at that. He was just an average looking guy, with a huge heart. The world needs more like him.
“Welcome John!” Donald Robinson approached him with open arms for a friendly embrace.
“Ok, ok, that’s enough!” John proclaimed in a bid for freedom from his suffocating gesture.
Donald Robinson was a six foot seven inch, two hundred and fifty pound giant comprising of seventy five percent muscles and twenty five percent of whatever it was tha
t made him up.
He was a delicate and warm individual, but his larger than life structure gave him an undeserving title. The guys called him ‘K.O.W’ (King of the world). Not so intimate people took the pronunciation as ‘COW’, but nevertheless he was cool with the attachment. The only problem was it didn’t afford him a girlfriend since he started college, or maybe it was a typical case of being nice gets you everything except her.
Alas, there was David ‘Romeo’ Barrett. As the name suggested, he was quite a charmer. He was tall and handsome having about six feet in height of hard brown shaded titillating body that was beyond heaven and earth sexy.
He smirked as he cornered his eyes at John as he circled the table towards him. The two were the closest of friends of them all, yet they were staunch rivals of each other.
John stood behind Romeo, made a smirk from the left corner of his mouth and uttered.
“You’re an ass you know that!”
“And together we make the hole!” David replied, stood and gave him a warm embrace.
“I miss you man!” John declared with a pat to his back.
“It’s nice to see you John, it really is. It feels like an entire year since we got a break from the hellhole.” David acclaimed and ushered John to the chair on the other side of the table so that he directly faced him.
The fragrance of already cooked food captivated the surrounding air. The music provided a soothing melody above the sound of waves drumming the shorelines, and the long overdue conversations of reminiscence, jeering and laughter scintillated the afternoon.
“So Donald, how has the ladies been treating you, any luck?” David teased.
“Well you know, I met this girl….”
“Donald is an utter waste of living matter!” Nickson interjected and the others had a loud outburst of laughter.
