By Jove
BY JOVE!
(te iubesc)
CHAPTER I
I remember it now as though it happened only yesterday. Ma just finished stitching my new outfit. It had beautiful laces and it was white, like a princess’ gown. I was going to wear it at my birthday. So I was so happy when my Ma finally finished sewing it.
I was twirling around in the living room in my new-white dress when I heard the sound of a heavy Machine being turned down, followed by a loud thud outside my house.
‘Luci..Luci…hurry up! He’s here!!!’
That’s my noisy brother, Ryan. He’s always running and yelling for no obvious reason. But that day, I was running beside him, ignoring my Ma who was yelling something about not finished with the dress and no running in the new dress. Somehow, I was excited too for a reason I couldn’t explain.
‘Look at that. They really are moving, Luce… I guess we are getting ourselves a new neighbor, huh, little sis’’
I was about to answer that question, when I heard someone whispering in a shrieking voice,
‘My oh my, would you look at that, I can’t believe they really are coming back here. I wonder what that child look like.’
I recognized that voice. That was Mrs. B, our chatty neighbor. Ma disliked her. She said Mrs. B talked too much about nonsense. Mrs. B was standing beside Mrs. L. They both hung around with each other most of the time. I sometimes wondered if they had other friends.
‘Well, it’s pretty predictable B. I mean, with all that had happened in their family. Oh Dear. That poor child… He must have suffered!’
Funny, I thought. Mrs. L did not look sad at all when she said those words. In fact, her eyes sparkled and she smiled a bit too.
And then, I saw him. That boy they were talking about.
He came out of a car, looking down to the pavement. The palest boy I had ever seen. But that was not what stunned me the most. It was his eyes.
They were so vacant.
Then, out of the blue, as though he had heard something, he lifted his head and looked straight to my eyes.
Me, under the oak tree beside the sideways. He, in front of his house across the street.
We were just looking at each other. We did not even move closer to each other.
Then a voice broke the silence.
‘Jo! Son, c’mon and help me out with these boxes!’
A tall figure suddenly came from inside the house.
The boy turned around and walked to his side.
At the same time, brother pulled my arms and said,
‘Luce, let’s go back to the house. It’s almost dark. Ma’s gonna be looking for us, soon.’
I managed to say ‘yes’ and reluctantly followed my brother back to our house.
Jo V. that was the boy’s name.
***
Jo came to my birthday party. My Ma invited him. When he came, all of the other mothers went silent. As soon as Mr. V nodded and walked out the door. They began whispering to each other.
My Ma greeted Jo and escorted him to me.
‘Luci, this is Jo. Jo, this is Luci, the birthday girl’
‘Hi Jo!’ I said cheerfully.
He gave me my present and said ‘hi’ and a ‘happy 12th birthday’ in a low tone.
He had a distinctive voice; very different from that of anyone I knew. Crispy was the word I could find to describe it.
He looked at my birthday cake with a strange look on his face.
‘Luci..?’ He said, pointing out at the name painted on the surface of the cake.
‘Not spelled with a ‘y’?’
I nodded. It’s short for Lucino, I explained.
I was used to the puzzle look on people’s faces when they saw how my name was spelled. My name was very unique in spelling, though not in pronunciation.
But I did not mind. I loved explaining it to other people. I was actually going to explain it further when he suddenly said,
‘Ah, I understand.’ Jo said, with a smug smile on his face.
Doesn’t it mean ‘Light’. Like the name of the Roman Goddess; Juno?’
I gasped at his words. No other twelve-year olds knew that!
My Ma was surprised too. She said, ‘Well, yes Dear. Lucino Alma is Luci’s full name.
It means Light of Heart. Alma was actually her grandmother’s name. So, the name fits perfectly’.
‘You are such a smart boy!’
Ma smiled warmly at Jo. I can see that she was fond of him.
Jo seemed surprised by Ma’s remark, but then he studied Ma’s face and realized that her compliment was genuine. Jo smiled brightly.
That’s a nice smile, I remembered saying that to myself.
Somehow, his smile made me smile too.
Jo and I got closer ever since. We loved discussing Myths, Legends, and even Histories.
I never knew anyone who liked discussing those kinds of things, aside from my grandmother who loved to talk about Myths and Legends while reading me bedtime stories when I was younger.
Jo became the one person who knew me best. He became my best friend.
***
CHAPTER II
Jo and I loved playing in the forest. I couldn’t count the times that our parents told us not to go there. Too dark and dangerous, they said. Grownups were known to be lost inside it, let alone little children. Somehow, we just wouldn’t listen.
I was not sure why we loved going there so much. Maybe it was the quietness that the forest. Perhaps it was the aura it brought as Jo and I lost in our imagination on myths and legends. Or, maybe it was just the fact that it was the only place where I could see Jo smile a lot. And as usual, his smile made me smile too.
One day, when we were still in junior high, after a class we met outside school and just ran right away straight into the forest. We ran far deep inside the forest. There, we found a waterfall, by the river. The water was so clear. We could see schools of fish and different kinds of rocks at the bottom of the river. The air was so fresh. We were able to just lie down on the green grass, looking at the cloudy sky on top of us. We were mesmerized by the different kinds of flowers there. The cold breeze brought sweet sense of flowers that filled the air as we tried to imagine the shapes of the clouds.
After a few minutes of looking at a particular cloud, I finally said to Jo: ‘Oh, okay, that is definitely how I imagine Athena would look like, well at least her shield and spear!’ Jo chuckled a bit. He looked at me with such admiration in his eyes that I almost blushed. He turned his gaze to that cloud and after a moment, he said: ‘I dunno, I’m not sure that that is Athena’s shield, more like-uh-an apple? Ah-yes! The Golden Apple!*) The Apple that must be given “for the fairest”’ Jo then smirked as he waited for my respond.
*) Note: In the Roman Myth, there is a so-called The Golden Apple that said ‘For The Fairest’ on the side. It is said that the Goddess: Juno, Minerva and Venus fought for the apple. They finally called Paris to choose the winner. Juno offered Power, Minerva offered Wisdom, and Venus offered Helen (Love). Paris chose Helen, who actually already married, and took her to Troy. This started the Helen Troy Legend.
I could not help but to giggle. Then I responded with all seriousness, ‘Well, then shouldn’t there be Juno, Minerva and Venus nearby? I mean there may come a time when one must choose between power, wisdom, or love. Oh, wait! Juno’s already present.’
Jo laughed and moved his head so close to me that he could see me straight in the eyes, ‘I’m with Paris. I choose love. Power and Wisdom could never bring you love. But love could make you feel so powerful though you are weak and give you so much wisdom that could only be discovered when you have truly feel love.’
I could not find words to say and was lost between the beautiful deep-brown eyes of Jo’s. I sensed that he meant something else, some hidden statement, but I could not be sure of it. I have known him for three years now. I knew Jo’s dream. I knew his likes and dislikes. I was even able to predict his mood swings and understood the reason behind them. But somehow, he was still a mystery to me. I could sense that sometimes he built this unseen wall between us that was there to protect something inside of him, something so fragile and sacred that even I was not allowed to see. He was never truly open up to me. I realized, I still did not know who Jo V. is.
‘I-I think it’s a matter choice. But you forgot that I am Lucino -Juno- the Queen of Gods. My gift is Power. So, if you choose Venus’ gift of Love, I don’t get to be “the fairest”, therefore I advise you to choose power’.
I smiled faintly at my own joke.
Jo’s eyes went dark. They were vacant again. As vacant as I first saw them on the day we first met. He suddenly stood up and walked briskly toward the river. ‘Then power it is…’
I heard him whispered those words.
***
Our town is a small town. You could go in and out of it in a very short time (unless one wanted to go through the forest). I found it convenient whenever I was late to catch a bus for school, because I could always catch it again at the next stop.
It was also very comforting whenever you found yourself in a trouble. Everybody knew everybody, so you could always rely on your neighbors in times of need. They knew who you are, what kind of family you were raised in, and were always there to lend a hand.
The down side is since everybody knew everybody, most of the time everybody knew everybody’s problem and I found that to be quite disturbing at times. The reason for this was especially because of Jo.
The neighbors loved talking about Jo and his dad. At first I did not understand why and since my Ma told me not to listen to them, I usually pretended I did not hear or know anything. But as time went by, it was difficult to stay oblivious. I once tried to ask Jo about it, but he got so upset that I decided to hold my curiosity. I then decided to say this instead, ‘Jo, you are my best friend. I care about you so very much and to be honest, what people say about you will never change the way I feel about you or make me leave you. Ever.’
Jo said nothing at this. But then he said this with a faint smile, ‘ Never say never, Luce’. He looked me in the eyes with so much pain that I forgot to breathe. Then, before I even had the chance to say anything back at him, he continued, ‘Everybody leaves me, eventually. You will too. Trust me. Nothing lasts forever. We-well,I-must always depend only on myself’.
As he walked across the lawn, I found myself screaming these words to him, ‘Not me!!!! Jo V.! I will never leave you….!’ Jo turned around. He studied my face as though trying to find a trace of doubt. I stood still, staring back at him until he finally smiled faintly at me. And then without another word, he turned his back and walk edaway.
‘Never….’ I whispered to the cold midnight air. And I knew it deep in my heart, forever in my soul that I meant every word I said that night.
***
April 12, 2010
minadia
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