THE IMMORTAL
Chapter 11 - The Admission
Clea appeared to be asleep when Jonah rolled out of the bed.
Pulling on his pants, he grabbed his boots and shirt and left the bedroom to
finish dressing in the living room.
His emotions
were in a turmoil, yet he didn’t regret a single moment of what just happened
between them. He knew he’d fallen in love with the woman. It didn’t take a mind
reader for him to know she’d also caved to her heart.
“And therein
lies the problem,” he whispered to himself as he let himself out the back door
and headed for the barn.
At some
point, and soon, they needed to sit down and discuss the issue before they took
their newfound partnership to the next level. If it was to go to the
next level. Personally, he was torn between the two possible outcomes.
“Clea needs
to know how the future will be if I remain with her and the boy. She needs to
understand that, although we’ll both age, hers will be a hundred times, a
thousand times faster than mine. By the time she’s in her sixties, seventies,
eighties, or older, if she’s so blessed to live that long, I’ll still look the
same as I do now. Perhaps with a few more gray hairs and a couple more wrinkles
about the eyes, but overall my appearance won’t change as drastically as hers
will.”
He stopped in the open barn door
and glanced behind him at the house he’d just left. “Could you accept that, my
dearest Clea?”
And there was
also the subject he knew she was bound to ask him. How many women in the past
had he allowed to be part of his life? He snorted. “Far fewer than you may
believe. Yes, I’ve had many dalliances with beautiful women. Powerful women.
Fragile women. In all that time, I’ve only allowed one into my heart. When I
lost her, I refused to let another take her place.”
Grabbing the hoe, he strolled over
to weed the garden. “I refused, but I’ve since learned I have no control over what
my heart demands. I have no control over the way I feel.”
He paused and straightened up when
he heard the back door slam. Silently, Jonah watched as Clea got into the car
and left to go somewhere. Probably to the market. She didn’t search for him or
call out to him. Perhaps she’d already noticed he was in the garden when she
exited the house.
Jonah sighed. These next few hours
would be the most telling. Could they still be cordial to each other after what
they’d just experienced? After they’d given in to their deepest desires?
“What’s next, Clea? Are we going to
act as if nothing ever happened, and go on from there? I won’t be surprised if
you take that position, and I won’t blame you if you do. But know this. Our
feelings for each other are nothing to be ashamed of.”
Having spoken the words aloud
lifted a great weight from his shoulders. He’d had his say. All that remained
was for him to speak them to her. How she would react would determine if he
would stay or go.
And if he were to stay, it would be
for the rest of her life.
He was almost finished with the
hoeing when he heard the car approaching the house. As he’d suspected, she’d
gone to the market. Seeing her hefting a sack to take inside, he picked up the
bucket of vegetables he’d picked and followed her into the kitchen.
“The tomatoes are coming in.
There’s also a cucumber in there. And the first of the green beans should be
ready to pick by the end of the week,” he informed her as he placed the bucket
in the sink. “I’ll go get the rest of the groceries out of the car.”
Turning around, he found her
staring at him. She said nothing, but the expression on her face spoke for her.
He was barely aware that he held
out his arms, or that she rushed into his embrace. When his brain started
functioning again, it was to acknowledge the softness of her mouth, the warmth
of her body against his, and the scent of roses that surrounded her.
She dropped whatever she’d been
holding and wrapped her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened. It was as if
neither of them wanted it to end, but Jonah eventually took the initiative to
pull away first, albeit very reluctantly.
Clea rested her head against his
chest. “You left without saying anything. I thought you were…”
He kissed her hair. “You thought I
was what?”
“Ashamed of what we’d done. Or mad.”
“No. Never. I thought you’d be too
embarrassed to look me in the eye again.”
“So you left without saying anything?”
Lifting her face, she stared up at him. That’s when he noticed her red-rimmed
eyes. She searched his gaze for a sign. “What are you thinking right now,
Jonah?”
“I’m wondering why I’ve fallen in
love with you, when it’s the last thing either of us need,” he softly
confessed.
“Why?”
“Because there’s no future for us.”
A flash of anger crossed her face.
“I beg your pardon!”
Jonah gritted his teeth. He’d
mentally prepared for this fight, even though he’d wished it would never come
about. “You know what I am. If I was to stay, you’d grow old and eventually
die, and I’d still be alive long after you’ve passed.”
Her expression hardened. “Go on.
I’m still waiting to hear a good excuse from you about why we can’t be
together.”
Jonah felt surprised by her
obstinance. “I just gave it to you.”
“And I say it’s a bullshit reason,
pardon my French.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because all couples face the same
future, the same reality. Because in most cases, eventually one of them will
die, leaving the other to go on with their lives until their own deaths. Just
because your case is a bit unusual doesn’t mean you can’t be happy with
someone. With me. Or that I can’t be happy with someone like you.”
A moment of numbed realization left
him speechless. He’d never thought of it that way, but she was correct. He
opened his mouth to comment when she continued.
“I’m willing to take the next step,
Jonah. Tell me if you’re with me or not, because when Joey gets home from
school, I want to be up front with him. I don’t want us to be sneaking around
and doing stuff behind his back, and I damn sure don’t want to keep fueling the
gossip mongers in town!”
He grinned in spite of himself.
“The next step?”
“I want to marry you. I want it to
be legal.”
“What if Joey protests and doesn’t
want us to become man and wife?”
She smiled as she chuckled. “You
don’t know him the way I do. Do you want to break the news to him? Or do you
want me to?”
“I feel it would be better if we
spoke man-to-man.”
She gave a single nod. “Deal.”
“One other thing, Clea, before we
sign off on this. This is an issue neither of us can avoid.”
It took her less than a second
before she spoke. “My missing husband.”
“Yes.” He could tell the thought
had already crossed her mind.
“He’s no longer an issue,” she
firmly stated. “The statute of limitations in this state is seven years. When that
time came and went, I went to City Hall and had the marriage officially
annulled on the grounds of abandonment. That way I could have the titles to the
house and lands switched over to my name.” She winced. “Even if he came back
before that time, I would still divorce him, even though I wouldn’t have been
able to have the house and property.”
She started to say more, but he
couldn’t wait to help himself to another kiss. This time, Clea pulled away
first. “About sleeping with each other again…”
“Ah. I was wondering when you’d
mention it. I am at your disposal, my dearest. But until we officially tie the
knot, I suggest I still spend the nights in the barn, for propriety’s sake.”
The smile that came over her proved
he’d made the right decision.
Jonah cleared his throat. “Now,
before we continue on with what we’re doing and lose all track of time, I need
to get back to my chores.”
“And I need to start thinking about
what to fix for supper. Joey will be getting home from school soon.”
Releasing her, Jonah left the
kitchen, his spirits being brighter and higher than he’d felt in ages.
That evening, as they sat around
the kitchen table, eating supper, he caught the expectant looks Clea cast him. Figuring
there was no sense in putting it off any longer than he had to, Jonah set his
knife and fork down and turned to Joey.
“Joseph, your mother and I have
something serious to speak to you about.”
The boy never missed a beat. “If
it’s to tell me you two wanna hitch up, what’s stopping you?”
Clea gave a soft yet audible gasp.
“How’d you know?”
The child all but rolled his eyes.
“Mom, I haven’t seen you this happy in a long time. And I like Mr. Cobb.
Jonah,” he quickly corrected himself. “I don’t want you to be sad anymore.”
“Joey.” Jonah drew the boy’s
attention back to him. “You know I’m…different.”
“Like when you disappear and stuff?
Yeah. I seen you come and go when you don’t think anyone’s watching.”
Jonah raised an eyebrow at him. “It
doesn’t bother you when I do that?”
“Heck, no.” Joey grinned. “I think
it’s kinda neat. Can you teach me to do that sometime?”
“Unfortunately, no. I wish I
could,” Jonah confessed.
“So you don’t have a problem with
us getting married?” Clea asked.
“Nah. In fact, I’m glad. I’m glad
‘cuz he makes you happy. And when you’re happy, that makes me happy. Now can I
have dessert?”
With that settled, Clea burst out
laughing and hugged her son before getting up to get the half gallon of ice
cream she’d bought from the freezer section of the refrigerator.
Jonah leaned over and extended his
hand to the boy, who took it. They shook.
“I promise to take care of your
mother for all her days. You’ll never have to worry about her being sad again,”
he vowed.
Joey grinned, and the look of
relief on his face made him appear older than his years. “Thanks. So when are
you gonna get married?”
Jonah loved seeing the blush that
came over Clea’s cheeks.
“I…don’t… We haven’t made a
decision when,” she told him, and threw Jonah a questioning look.
“Soon,” he promised the boy.
Turning to Clea, he emphasized the word. “Soon.”
After they had their ice cream,
they resumed their normal routine they’d already established over the past few
months. Joey went to his room to do his homework. Clea cleaned up in the
kitchen before parking herself in the living room to read the paperback she’d
gotten at the market. And Jonah went to make sure the cows and chickens were
settled for the night.
Standing outside in the shadows,
Jonah stared through the living room window at the figure immersed in her book,
and mulled over his recent decision. He was amazed by how content he was at the
outcome.
“I have a family again. I have a
sense of purpose and a destiny. Yes, I will long outlive you, my beloved Clea,
but I will also live to see Joey grow up and start a family of his own. And as
long as I’m able, I will continue to follow your line of descendants until I
eventually join you in the afterlife…if I should be so lucky.”
That night, after he’d showered,
wished Joey a good night, and kissed Clea, he retired to his cot in the barn
with the realization that his luck had finally changed. He felt blessed in more
ways than he could admit.
It was sometime in the middle of
the night when the cows began bellowing. Jonah awakened to the smell of smoke
filling the barn.
Rushing into the main structure, he
stared in horror at the fire racing and growing brighter and hotter with each
passing second as it consumed the hay stacked along the north wall.
At the same time, he saw a pair of
headlights back away from the structure as the truck turned and roared down the
drive toward the county road, sending dirt and rocks flying from its tires.
A truck he recognized as belonging
to Vince Barnes.
TO BE CONTINUED
