16: Memories
As fast as master had made up it’s mind to wait until they were mortal again, it decided to send IT out to get her again. IT was not pleased with this decision, though IT did not let IT’s emotions show. Although IT was not fully healed, Dr. crane alisema it would be salama for IT to attempt another mission.
At the same time IT was preparing to leave again, Alice had safely reached the Denali clan and the carriage trooped on without Michael though Tristan, Jack, and David didn’t seem to care. Rosalie kept to herself though Jack stayed close.
Shortly before they crossed the border from Canada to the states, it came to an abrupt stop. Tristan looked at Jack very carefully, then David, then Rosalie. “We’re fine” Jack alisema impatiently, leaning away from the couch. Again his eyes drifted from one vampire to the next.
“She is, David is, you’re not.” Jack scowled at him. “We will not songesha until wewe go.” Rosalie was jarred out of her phase then at the word go. She instantly moved closer to him, gently holding his forearm.
“Fine.” He stood and she did as well. He smiled faintly and kissed her once. She grabbed his arm tighter and he looked at her.
“Don’t go.”
He smiled. “I’m just going to hunt. I’ll be back.” She sighed deeply. “What? Did wewe think he was making me leave for good?” She shrugged. He chuckled softly. “I’ll never leave you.”
“Don’t make promises wewe can’t keep.”
“I can and I will.” With that, he turned and rushed out to greet the mawingu, overcast late afternoon. She sat back on the kitanda though now not as tense.
“Relax. He’s fast and very good.” She turned to David then, something bothering her.
“David, would wewe say that everything Michael alisema was true?” He was no longer kusoma Great Expectations, now his hands held For Whom the kengele Tolls and he shrugged.
“I think we all knew that our parents favored wewe but I didn’t feel the way he did-I still don’t-for that was no zaidi your fault than it was his au mine.” She looked at him.
“Keep talking, about something, anything. Just keep my mind busy.”
He laid his book down. “Well, what do wewe want me to say?”
“Anything. Tell me about your family.”
“Well, I was married, her name was Danielle. I was still in Princeton and she was well like most girls: thought that the only way for her to be was like her mother. Eventually she went into nursing and we briefly courted about six months before I left Princeton. Now, while our family was not at the level that the Dawson family was, dad and Joe both gave us enough money for us to settle down in a simple home. We married on June 18th, 1937-small, very standard for the time. We had our first child just over a mwaka later, a boy, named Prescott. Our sekunde was born about fifteen months later, again a boy, Carter. And our third was born two years later, a girl named Sarah. I entered the air force about a mwaka after Sarah was born but at the time I was kept at the base, they didn’t ship out men until necessary. When they did the first time, it was 1943 and I was brought back within a week if that. Eventually I was gone zaidi than I was nyumbani but it was a way to keep chakula on the table, roof over our heads, clothes on our backs.” He smiled wistfully.
“What did wewe do before the air force?”
“Joe set me up with a friend of his-I moved from Rochester to Lockport-and his friend, Steven Carr, owned his own company, and he took me under his wing as a carpenter. Eventually, he moved me from a mere worker to his partner. He alisema when I got over this foolishness and left the air force to be with my family, my job would still be waiting. And wewe know the rest.”
“Tell me about your wife, your kids.”
He smiled. “Danielle was what Jack would have called conventional beauty-honey blonde hair, eyes that were slightly darker than yours-well when wewe were human-an ujumla, jumla fine physique. But all of that paled in comparison to her heart. She was so compassionate and full of life, it radiated around her and made wewe feel alive. That was why it was so hard for her to simply finish her schooling and not go straight into nursing. But she threw all that gusto and energy into parenting and was beyond amazing at it.” He stopped then, his head tilted to the left slightly. “Prescott, well, he was born on August 12, 1938. Danielle had a twenty-two saa labor with him, but she never complained and when it was over and he was in her arms, she knew it was worth it. He looked exactly like his mother-hair, eyes, whole nine yards-except for the smile, that was mine. He was a lot like me too-very quiet, somewhat shy. Carter was the polar opposite-his hair was like Michael’s, his eyes were like mine and he was born so fast the doctor almost didn’t catch him. He was always that way though-early. Born three weeks before the due date, learned to crawl a mwezi earlier than Prescott, learned to walk earlier than Prescott, did everything so fast. And then Sarah, who was partly me-my hair and eyes-and the rest was her mother-just nurturing and giving.”
For a dakika he stopped, seeming weakened simply kwa recalling the past and she hoped she hadn’t pushed him too far. Quick as it had come on, the strength returned and he smiled at her, taking out a small book no bigger than a paper-back novel. He turned several pages until he came upon one that satisfied him. “That was my wedding day” he alisema though Rosalie could easily tell kwa the clothing. He was younger though somehow he seemed older and the look he had on his face was pure undiluted love. From there she saw pictures of birthdays, his days in the air force, school events, everything she knew she deserved and David had but Lost far too soon.
“Did wewe ever find out what happened to them?”
“More au less. Prescott went to Boston University, became a surgeon. He went to one of the most prominent hospitals and worked there for just over thirty years. Carter used his brawn over his brains in school-went to chuo kikuu, chuo kikuu cha of Texas in Austin as quarterback, had to quit after junior year, injury to his knee. He became a coach there, worked there for a long time. Danielle, well, she never remarried raised the kids on her own-well, mostly-eventually she moved back to Rochester, Joe helped her there, whole support system. She took up nursing and retired about fifteen years ago, died about ten years ago.”
“What about your daughter?”
“I never found anything past her graduation-valedictorian.” He beamed proudly, then seemed weak again.
Before Rosalie could ask him anything, Jack gracefully came gliding back in, sitting inayofuata to her, smiling. She smiled back.
“Happy?”
“Deliriously.”
“Good. Can we go?” Tristan nodded and slowly the carriage moved on. David resumed his book, Tristan sat going over some maps. Jack and Rosalie sat on the couch, neither speaking, Rosalie in Jack’s arms.
<Rhyme to me. One of yours.>
She felt his body stiffen, his neck popped, his eyes closed. She leaned up on him and looked up at his face. Just when she though of apologizing, he began.
<If I should fall in love, I’ll fall in upendo with you. If I should make love, it will be wewe I make upendo to. If I should ask for a hand in marriage, it shall be your hand I ask for. If I should pick one person to be the mother of my children, I shall pick you. If I should fall asleep with someone in my bed, I want that someone to be you. If I should share my dreams with someone, I want wewe to be my dream catcher. If I should see my children down the aisle, I want wewe to be the proud mother. If I should see the birth of my grandchildren, I want wewe to be the new grandmother. If I should grow old, I want to grow old with you. If I should leave before my time, I want wewe near me. If I should upendo someone for the rest of my days, I shall upendo you.>
If the first poem David had recited left her stunned, this one left her floored. She had known Jack to be an intense person but she had never heard it quite like this.
<David alisema all your poems were about me.>
<He’s right.>
<Even the one wewe just said?>
<Yes.>
Silence.
Tristan was still bent over some maps, muttering under his breath. “Jack? Come here for a moment, please.” Reluctantly Rosalie sat up and he strode towards him. “Exactly where are they?” Jack’s finger traced a line to the final destination. “Ah that’s right. Thank you.” He nodded once and sat back inayofuata to her. She hesitated before she lay in his arms again though this time only one hand held her, the other aimlessly ran through her hair.
Rosalie turned her head up to look at Jack’s face though his eyes were closed. She sighed almost inaudibly and lay back down, wondering what was wrong now.
<I’m sorry.>
<For what?>
<Making wewe feel the way wewe do now.>
<I’m fine.>
<You’re not uigizaji like it.>
His arm that was holding her snaked its way across her abdomen and held tightly to her.
<See? Fine.>
<MHM.>
<Sigh.>
<You poem-do wewe still want those things?>
<Yes.>
<All of them?>
<Yes, I’ve just been waiting for the right person.>
<Me?>
<No, Alice. Yes you. Forever love.>
She couldn’t answer back, her mind tossing and turning the information.
<Jack?>
<Yes?>
<The night that wewe were changed…>
She caught her breath and looked up at the ceiling of the carriage. Jack kept perfectly still and silent-he wasn’t quite sure what was happening but he didn’t want to interrupt it…Whatever it was.
How she had never wanted to tell him this…How many nights when she was human had she lain awake, crying herself to sleep over this…How long it had taken her to push this deep, dark secret in a place where she would almost never think of it…
<Rose? Don’t make yourself do anything wewe aren’t ready for.>
<I’m sorry.>
<Nothing to apologize for. When you’re ready to tell me, wewe will.>
<Thank you.>
<No need for thanks. Anyone should thank anyone, I should thank you.>
<For what?>
<You didn’t have to defend me against Alice but wewe did. wewe didn’t have to stay with me, but wewe did. wewe saved me.>
<Ditto.>
His lips lightly touched her cheek and she smiled at the feel of it.
<I upendo you, Rosalie Lillian Hale. Forever love.>
<I upendo you, Jack William Dawson. Forever love.>
As fast as master had made up it’s mind to wait until they were mortal again, it decided to send IT out to get her again. IT was not pleased with this decision, though IT did not let IT’s emotions show. Although IT was not fully healed, Dr. crane alisema it would be salama for IT to attempt another mission.
At the same time IT was preparing to leave again, Alice had safely reached the Denali clan and the carriage trooped on without Michael though Tristan, Jack, and David didn’t seem to care. Rosalie kept to herself though Jack stayed close.
Shortly before they crossed the border from Canada to the states, it came to an abrupt stop. Tristan looked at Jack very carefully, then David, then Rosalie. “We’re fine” Jack alisema impatiently, leaning away from the couch. Again his eyes drifted from one vampire to the next.
“She is, David is, you’re not.” Jack scowled at him. “We will not songesha until wewe go.” Rosalie was jarred out of her phase then at the word go. She instantly moved closer to him, gently holding his forearm.
“Fine.” He stood and she did as well. He smiled faintly and kissed her once. She grabbed his arm tighter and he looked at her.
“Don’t go.”
He smiled. “I’m just going to hunt. I’ll be back.” She sighed deeply. “What? Did wewe think he was making me leave for good?” She shrugged. He chuckled softly. “I’ll never leave you.”
“Don’t make promises wewe can’t keep.”
“I can and I will.” With that, he turned and rushed out to greet the mawingu, overcast late afternoon. She sat back on the kitanda though now not as tense.
“Relax. He’s fast and very good.” She turned to David then, something bothering her.
“David, would wewe say that everything Michael alisema was true?” He was no longer kusoma Great Expectations, now his hands held For Whom the kengele Tolls and he shrugged.
“I think we all knew that our parents favored wewe but I didn’t feel the way he did-I still don’t-for that was no zaidi your fault than it was his au mine.” She looked at him.
“Keep talking, about something, anything. Just keep my mind busy.”
He laid his book down. “Well, what do wewe want me to say?”
“Anything. Tell me about your family.”
“Well, I was married, her name was Danielle. I was still in Princeton and she was well like most girls: thought that the only way for her to be was like her mother. Eventually she went into nursing and we briefly courted about six months before I left Princeton. Now, while our family was not at the level that the Dawson family was, dad and Joe both gave us enough money for us to settle down in a simple home. We married on June 18th, 1937-small, very standard for the time. We had our first child just over a mwaka later, a boy, named Prescott. Our sekunde was born about fifteen months later, again a boy, Carter. And our third was born two years later, a girl named Sarah. I entered the air force about a mwaka after Sarah was born but at the time I was kept at the base, they didn’t ship out men until necessary. When they did the first time, it was 1943 and I was brought back within a week if that. Eventually I was gone zaidi than I was nyumbani but it was a way to keep chakula on the table, roof over our heads, clothes on our backs.” He smiled wistfully.
“What did wewe do before the air force?”
“Joe set me up with a friend of his-I moved from Rochester to Lockport-and his friend, Steven Carr, owned his own company, and he took me under his wing as a carpenter. Eventually, he moved me from a mere worker to his partner. He alisema when I got over this foolishness and left the air force to be with my family, my job would still be waiting. And wewe know the rest.”
“Tell me about your wife, your kids.”
He smiled. “Danielle was what Jack would have called conventional beauty-honey blonde hair, eyes that were slightly darker than yours-well when wewe were human-an ujumla, jumla fine physique. But all of that paled in comparison to her heart. She was so compassionate and full of life, it radiated around her and made wewe feel alive. That was why it was so hard for her to simply finish her schooling and not go straight into nursing. But she threw all that gusto and energy into parenting and was beyond amazing at it.” He stopped then, his head tilted to the left slightly. “Prescott, well, he was born on August 12, 1938. Danielle had a twenty-two saa labor with him, but she never complained and when it was over and he was in her arms, she knew it was worth it. He looked exactly like his mother-hair, eyes, whole nine yards-except for the smile, that was mine. He was a lot like me too-very quiet, somewhat shy. Carter was the polar opposite-his hair was like Michael’s, his eyes were like mine and he was born so fast the doctor almost didn’t catch him. He was always that way though-early. Born three weeks before the due date, learned to crawl a mwezi earlier than Prescott, learned to walk earlier than Prescott, did everything so fast. And then Sarah, who was partly me-my hair and eyes-and the rest was her mother-just nurturing and giving.”
For a dakika he stopped, seeming weakened simply kwa recalling the past and she hoped she hadn’t pushed him too far. Quick as it had come on, the strength returned and he smiled at her, taking out a small book no bigger than a paper-back novel. He turned several pages until he came upon one that satisfied him. “That was my wedding day” he alisema though Rosalie could easily tell kwa the clothing. He was younger though somehow he seemed older and the look he had on his face was pure undiluted love. From there she saw pictures of birthdays, his days in the air force, school events, everything she knew she deserved and David had but Lost far too soon.
“Did wewe ever find out what happened to them?”
“More au less. Prescott went to Boston University, became a surgeon. He went to one of the most prominent hospitals and worked there for just over thirty years. Carter used his brawn over his brains in school-went to chuo kikuu, chuo kikuu cha of Texas in Austin as quarterback, had to quit after junior year, injury to his knee. He became a coach there, worked there for a long time. Danielle, well, she never remarried raised the kids on her own-well, mostly-eventually she moved back to Rochester, Joe helped her there, whole support system. She took up nursing and retired about fifteen years ago, died about ten years ago.”
“What about your daughter?”
“I never found anything past her graduation-valedictorian.” He beamed proudly, then seemed weak again.
Before Rosalie could ask him anything, Jack gracefully came gliding back in, sitting inayofuata to her, smiling. She smiled back.
“Happy?”
“Deliriously.”
“Good. Can we go?” Tristan nodded and slowly the carriage moved on. David resumed his book, Tristan sat going over some maps. Jack and Rosalie sat on the couch, neither speaking, Rosalie in Jack’s arms.
<Rhyme to me. One of yours.>
She felt his body stiffen, his neck popped, his eyes closed. She leaned up on him and looked up at his face. Just when she though of apologizing, he began.
<If I should fall in love, I’ll fall in upendo with you. If I should make love, it will be wewe I make upendo to. If I should ask for a hand in marriage, it shall be your hand I ask for. If I should pick one person to be the mother of my children, I shall pick you. If I should fall asleep with someone in my bed, I want that someone to be you. If I should share my dreams with someone, I want wewe to be my dream catcher. If I should see my children down the aisle, I want wewe to be the proud mother. If I should see the birth of my grandchildren, I want wewe to be the new grandmother. If I should grow old, I want to grow old with you. If I should leave before my time, I want wewe near me. If I should upendo someone for the rest of my days, I shall upendo you.>
If the first poem David had recited left her stunned, this one left her floored. She had known Jack to be an intense person but she had never heard it quite like this.
<David alisema all your poems were about me.>
<He’s right.>
<Even the one wewe just said?>
<Yes.>
Silence.
Tristan was still bent over some maps, muttering under his breath. “Jack? Come here for a moment, please.” Reluctantly Rosalie sat up and he strode towards him. “Exactly where are they?” Jack’s finger traced a line to the final destination. “Ah that’s right. Thank you.” He nodded once and sat back inayofuata to her. She hesitated before she lay in his arms again though this time only one hand held her, the other aimlessly ran through her hair.
Rosalie turned her head up to look at Jack’s face though his eyes were closed. She sighed almost inaudibly and lay back down, wondering what was wrong now.
<I’m sorry.>
<For what?>
<Making wewe feel the way wewe do now.>
<I’m fine.>
<You’re not uigizaji like it.>
His arm that was holding her snaked its way across her abdomen and held tightly to her.
<See? Fine.>
<MHM.>
<Sigh.>
<You poem-do wewe still want those things?>
<Yes.>
<All of them?>
<Yes, I’ve just been waiting for the right person.>
<Me?>
<No, Alice. Yes you. Forever love.>
She couldn’t answer back, her mind tossing and turning the information.
<Jack?>
<Yes?>
<The night that wewe were changed…>
She caught her breath and looked up at the ceiling of the carriage. Jack kept perfectly still and silent-he wasn’t quite sure what was happening but he didn’t want to interrupt it…Whatever it was.
How she had never wanted to tell him this…How many nights when she was human had she lain awake, crying herself to sleep over this…How long it had taken her to push this deep, dark secret in a place where she would almost never think of it…
<Rose? Don’t make yourself do anything wewe aren’t ready for.>
<I’m sorry.>
<Nothing to apologize for. When you’re ready to tell me, wewe will.>
<Thank you.>
<No need for thanks. Anyone should thank anyone, I should thank you.>
<For what?>
<You didn’t have to defend me against Alice but wewe did. wewe didn’t have to stay with me, but wewe did. wewe saved me.>
<Ditto.>
His lips lightly touched her cheek and she smiled at the feel of it.
<I upendo you, Rosalie Lillian Hale. Forever love.>
<I upendo you, Jack William Dawson. Forever love.>
To think, most of my character names come from a thrift store baby book!
what a stupid! love! love! love! "i upendo love" "everybody needs to be a lover" "true love" all those stupid words! "bla bla bla"
upendo is a legend, there's nothing u can call it "love" , wewe can't even define it. wewe know why? because it isn't there! that's why wewe can't say i am in upendo and say the same word after two years au two days.
wewe see, if it worked with your lover, wewe 'll say wewe loved each other, and if it didn't work, you'll say it wasn't love!!!
wewe are all stupid, lovers!
wewe aren't even "lovers"
because "lovers" is a word from "love" and love's a legend.
when i heard this once when i was young, i didn't believe it.
but know i believe it's the truth, and there's nothing else truth.
wewe may not believe me now, but wewe will, in few years in your life.
upendo is a legend.
upendo is a legend, there's nothing u can call it "love" , wewe can't even define it. wewe know why? because it isn't there! that's why wewe can't say i am in upendo and say the same word after two years au two days.
wewe see, if it worked with your lover, wewe 'll say wewe loved each other, and if it didn't work, you'll say it wasn't love!!!
wewe are all stupid, lovers!
wewe aren't even "lovers"
because "lovers" is a word from "love" and love's a legend.
when i heard this once when i was young, i didn't believe it.
but know i believe it's the truth, and there's nothing else truth.
wewe may not believe me now, but wewe will, in few years in your life.
upendo is a legend.
