A Trial by Halves

Dreams

Bathed and fed, Su Su and Ye Hua took their time holding the baby who was by that stage asleep and looking very beautiful.  His hair was a light sprinkle of jet black fluff and his skin a soft olive complexion which Su Su could not stop kissing.  All over his face, she lay little kisses and soft nudges with her nose and lips, while Ye Hua took turns at rechecking his limbs, ears, eyes, fingers and toes to make sure they were still all there.

Finally able to sit, relax and enjoy his wife and son, he was in no hurry to return to his Shifu, but as they themselves had yet to eat, Ye Hua eventually made a move to go and prepare dinner.

"Can't we just stay like this a little longer?" Su Su asked not wanting him to leave and now too shy to return to the main den and a man who kind of scared her.

"You are feeding two Chǒng'ér" {1} he said softly laying a kiss on her soft flushed cheek.  "You need to keep yourself healthy because going by the way he just ate, you're going to need plenty of nourishment." he added with a soft smile before rising.

"Ye Hua.  You need to rest too.  You have not slept in almost a entire day and nor have you really eaten.  Please take care of your health too." she said gently as she reached out to squeeze his hand.

She could see he was tired and possibly fed up, seeing as the life he had worked so hard to create had crumbled around him.  And though she had plenty more questions, the exhaustion in his eyes had her deciding to just let it all slide for now.  They were after all, safe enough and he had made it very clear to her that he was not going to abandon her or their son.  She owed it to him, to make the best of what life gave them.  After all, the vows she had made to stand by his side through every upheaval, were sacred to Su Su.

"Don't worry Su Su, just take care of yourself and I will be happy." he said suddenly lowering his entire upper half to lean in close.  "If I am happy, then all is well and right now, I am very happy." he said as he lay a whisper of a kiss on her cheek.  Then trailing his lips across the soft blush that was now rising, he ended it on her lips.  Pressing into her a little more firmly, he then drew back to swipe his nose against the tip of her own, before rising back up to look down at her with the softest of smiles.

To Ye Hua  She looked so lovely sitting there with their son in her arms which to his mind, was just one more precious memory he planned to paint.  And having brought his paints and easel with him, he decided that once things settled, he would begin a diary of their sons life with Su Su as the focal point.  But with food to prepare he took a step back.

They could both hear the soft sounds coming from the main den and the smell of food cooking, and the rumbling from her stomach soon had him on his feet and moving towards the door.

"Put him down in the cradle and rest a little Su Su.  If you don't want to come out, that's fine I'll bring your meal to you." he said as he then turned and left her to play with the baby a little longer while he took a deep breath before facing his Shifu. 

 Only the moment he reached the door, her soft voice suddenly began to quote a poem he knew very well, which instantly had the hair on the back of his neck rising.

Slowly turning back, he immediately noticed that Su Sus eyes were once again glazed over.  The seal in the middle of her head was throbbing softly as she whispered to their child in an almost song like voice.

There's a bridge that spans two worlds
One is yours and one is mine
Sometimes we meet halfway where the smiles and laughter gather
And I know happiness
But like a half drawn arrow, I ponder.   To which direction do I take?
Do I retract to the archer who takes a well worn path of which destiny knows itself?
Or do I escape the bow and take a risk on a dream where I will perhaps awaken?
Is this a bridge that leads me back to the comfort of familiarity?
Or do I follow the biography of one mans fruitless journey to a paradise that does not exist?
Whichever it is, Should I instead choose to remain stagnant in the very centre
Where all dreams and thoughts are lost to a place where the sun shines all year around.
And your smile is the only destination worth following?