In Honour of the Heart

Chapter 08 : I think about you.

Isabelle could not understood what was wrong. Her spouse had stormed out of the room, a possessed man last night. She wanted him to wrap her in his arms and hold her close. She longed to rest her head against his chest and let his heart beat be her lullaby. How was she going to bridge the gap which had emerged between them suddenly?

She cared for Isaac. How funny it was that that the person who hurt her most was the one who swore he never would.

"Mommy where are you, help me, I am falling”. Isabelle heard a painful cry of her daughter and darted towards the sound at once.

What did she see? Suzan was reaching for a cookie jar on the top drawer. As the little girl could not take it, she had grabbed a ladder and climbed on it. Needless to say, both the kid and the container were on the verge of falling.

Of late, many things were breaking in her lovely home and she determined to not let it happen.

Isabelle rushed and caught the child before she hit the ground. As she clasped her hands around, the petite girl giggled in her arms.

"Suzie, how many times I have told you not to do it?" Isabelle looked stern as she again tried to discipline the bold five years old but her smile was spoiling the effect.

"Oh mommy, I am a big girl now. I thought I can reach it."

"Of course you are and strong too but in case, if the ladder tripped, you would have lost your balance and fallen. Who was going to get hurt and cry?"

"I am so sorry. It won’t happen again but I had fun. Do you still love me?" The sweet baby cooed to her. Her voice was music to Isabelle's ears.

The tiny doll was a charmer, like her father.

"I bet it was sweetheart. Of course, I love you honey but next time, make sure to call me."

Isabelle carried her to the kitchen and settled her on the platform.  She opened the tap. The minute she did that, faucet came out, sending spouts of water with a force in all direction! She was soaked. Even Suzan got drenched.

She clapped her hand, "Wow, mommy our own waterfall!"

Isabelle tightened the nozzle and managed to prevent the flow before it generated a bigger flood this time. She could not stop laughing. Their clothes were wet and so was the kitchen counter.

She stopped it for the time being and gave a call to the maintenance staff. Mother daughter team cleaned up the mess together.

After changing clothes, Suzan perched in her lap for cuddles and story. The little girl loved fairy tales. As Isabella started reading to her, she wondered – why princess never had any history. A past which came knocking without call? If so, how those damsels would have reacted? Would they have picked up the call of past or sent it to voicemail, knowing that it did not have anything new to say?

Alas her past wanted to state many things which were not told!

She convinced herself once again that she did not care about Ethan.

**

Ethan looked at the delicate, dazzling orange lily with curious eyes. It was a symbol of passion and flame. He never understood why people compared love with flower. Flowers were supposed to bloom, wither and die as anticipated. Did they want their love to be as fleeting and as short-lived? He thought that the more showy and fragile the blossom was, the quicker it will die. The heart-stopping, sweaty-palmed, gut-churning, light-headed passion of romantic love never lasted and nor do the flowers. Why love cannot be more like the roots, the stem, the branches or the trunk of a plant? Definitely not as stunning as bloom but much stronger and long lasting! He had seen his grandma and grandpa growing old together. For him, Love was not Romeo and Juliet who died as one.