Fullness Of Life Ch. 02
Keywords: Of, Ch., Fullness, 02, Life,
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His visions never were untrue and he was relieved to have seen this one. He was surrounded by small Native children, not foreigners and he was genuinely happy. Blackhawk knew his reason for stopping by probably before Dan came to the conclusion himself.
"...I now know I can be a teacher again and I want to teach where I am wanted and needed. But, you knew that when you wrote back to me, didn't you?"
Blackhawk nodded. "You needed to find that out for yourself."
"You are very wise and very shrewd, sir."
Blackhawk merely chuckled. "So, what brings you to my house this evening?"
"I think you already know, but I'll ask anyway. I would like to live here permanently and teach, with your permission, of course."
"What about your position in Cincinnati?"
"I would have to finish the school term which ends next month. Then, I would resign and be able to move here in June and begin teaching," Dan explained.
"I see," Blackhawk said. "I cannot compete with the salary that you command. We might be able to pay you only ½ of your present salary."
"I never have thought much about money. If I did, I never would have gotten into the teaching profession to begin with. Whatever salary that you are able to afford to give me will be sufficient." Dan leaned closer to Blackhawk. "I belong here, sir. The children need me and I need them."
"And where does my daughter play into this scenario?"
Dan looked down, a bit embarrassed. He had not expected that. "Truthfully, sir, I like her very much. I wholly believe that we were married a long time ago, but whether that is in the future for us, I don't know. I do know I will miss her terribly when I go back to Cincinnati on Saturday and if you allow me to return, I will count the days until I see her again."
"I see." Blackhawk stood up and walked to the window, his back facing him. "I have been entrusted by my people to do what is best for them. It is a great responsibility I embrace each and every day I walk this earth. My eyes have allowed me to see you in our schools and I cannot go against what has been foretold." He turned back to Dan and faced him. "I believe you will be a great asset to our children and our community and I welcome you."
He moved to Dan and shook his hand, a broad smile etched upon his weathered face. "Teach our little ones what is good and what is true, Screaming Turtle, and you will forever have my blessing."
Dan couldn't be happier and his heart swelled. He knew he had a difficult time ahead as he would finish out the school year in Cincinnati and be away from Melanie, Blackhawk, and the children, but five weeks was not too long of a wait when you had so much to look forward to. Although it was late, he decided to walk to Melanie's house to tell her the news.
He remembered back to when he saw her for the first time at the school and he swore he knew her from somewhere. Who would know how true that would turn out to be? He still didn't know why these visions were appearing to him and perhaps he would never know. Now that he believed in the visions and knew in his heart that he and Melanie had been connected for over one hundred years, he wondered if the visions would continue or slowly fade from his subconscious. Dan didn't want to fight whatever was being shown to him and he would let it continue to happen, but now that he knew his purpose for being brought there, he wasn't sure if the visions would ever be exposed to him again. And that saddened him.
She was waiting for him on her porch, rocking quietly and listening to the sounds of the night. Hearing his quick footsteps from the road, she stood up and watched him come to a stop in front of her walk. The moonlight shone on his face and she could see the mixture of happiness and sadness as he looked her way.
"I suppose you already know," he said quietly.
"Yes, father told me."
Dan walked towards her until he was by her side. He breathed in her fresh scent. "I'll have to leave for a while, but I'll be back."
"I suspected that. When will you leave?"
"Saturday morning."
Melanie looked down at her sandals and sighed. She was going to miss him so very much. She couldn't believe she had never fallen for any of the males in the area, and there were quite a few males whom she had been attracted to at one time or the other, but yet she was falling for this stranger in such a short time. But he wasn't a stranger, was he? She had known him over many centuries, she now suspected, this Screaming Turtle, Black Water, or whomever else he had been in the past. And perhaps she would know him many centuries into the future.
Her head rose slowly and she looked at him. Without a word she brought him to her and hugged him. Her arms held him to her as his hand began to lightly stroke her hair, loving the feel of it's fine silkiness against his fingers. She pulled back slightly and stared at him again.
"I'll miss you," she said as tears began to form in her eyes. She wiped them away with the back of her hand and giggled. "I'm such a baby."
Dan laughed softly. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm going to miss you, too."
"You will?"
"Of course I will. Don't you know you're one of the main reasons I want to stay here?"
"I am?"
"Oh, come on Melanie, you can't be serious. Don't you know how much you mean to me?"
"You've not said much about that. Remember, you're the strong, silent type," she chided him.
"Well, no more. I screwed up one relationship because of my stupidness, but I don't want to mess this up. If I start getting too quiet, just slap me."
"I don't want to slap you, Dan, I just want you to feel comfortable talking to me and not keep things to yourself. Didn't it feel better when you told me about your visions?"
"Yes."
"Well, doesn't that tell you something?"
"Of course it does, but it's something that's not natural for me to do. One thing I've found out is I find it a lot easier to talk to you than anyone else I've ever been close to. That's something, isn't it?"
"It's a start." Melanie looked at the moon-lit sky and smiled. Although she knew he would be gone for a while, somehow she knew it would be alright. She glanced back at Dan, who was still looking at her and smiling. "The moon is full," she remarked, "we might hear the wolves tonight."
"I heard one the first week I was here. It was chilling. It went right through me, but I enjoyed it very much. It was almost like it was welcoming me. The dogs didn't like it, though." Dan laughed at the memory.
He looked at the moon with her for a minute or so and they were quiet for the moment. Dan was totally at peace being next to her and perfectly content to just stand there and admire the moon. Melanie sighed softly and put her head on his shoulder. Silently, the tears began to fall as she no longer wished to fight them. She sniffled and Dan tore his eyes away from the moon and saw the tears. Instinctively, he kissed her forehead and tried to wipe away the tears with his thumb.
"I'm really going to miss you," she said quietly, letting the tears fall freely. Not waiting for him to say anything, she pushed his hands away from her face, pulled his face to hers and began to kiss him.
He tried to say something, but she wouldn't let him. "This is one time when I want you to be quiet," she whispered. Her kisses were tentative, soft, and delicate, and Dan couldn't remember being happier kissing someone. Within seconds, Dan was returning her kisses with his own, which were a bit more urgent and passionate than hers. His hands found her face once again and he massaged her skin as he continued. Her eyes were closed and she was melting from his touch, his kisses, the moment. Dan kissed her nose, her cheeks, and nibbled lightly on her lower lip, eliciting a giggle from her.
That broke the moment as their lips parted and Melanie opened her eyes. "That was lovely," she murmured. "Were you this good a kisser a hundred years ago?"
"I hope so," he answered, thinking back to the dream.
It was after eleven when Dan finally left her house. Kissing and holding each other on the sofa, they lost track of the time. She led him to the porch and they stood arm in arm for a few more minutes, each not wanting to let go. "Stop by the school tomorrow, please," she pleaded. "I want to spend as much time with you as possible before you go."
"Won't I distract you too much?"
"Yes," she laughed, "but I don't care." She pulled him close and kissed him lightly. "Please stop by."
"You know I will." He planted a soft kiss on her cheek before he left her and began his short journey back to the lodge.
Doesn't it always seem to be that when you want the time to stand still, it speeds up instead. That is what it felt like to Dan and Melanie those last two days. Hours seemed like minutes to them and they dreaded the time when they would have to say good-bye. The Saturday morning sun was brilliant, but Dan thought that a gloomy day would have been more fitting. It would match the heaviness in his heart. The drumbeats within his soul were slow and mournful and he wasn't looking forward to his departure.
He packed quickly and placed everything in his car before breakfast. Dan ate a larger breakfast than usual, enough to keep him on the road past noon. After breakfast, he went to the front desk to settle his bill.
Mary came out to greet him and smiled. "All ready to go, Dan?"
"Almost. I just wanted to pay for my room. How much do I owe?"
"We don't charge guests of Blackhawk."
"What? I don't understand."
"Blackhawk forbids us to let any guest of his pay. He won't allow it."
Dan thought for a minute. It didn't make sense that he wasn't being charged. He had been there for two weeks and had eaten meals there countless times. Blackhawk was being unbelievably generous and Dan couldn't just leave without repaying his friendship.
"Would you accept a donation instead?" he asked. Maybe there was a way around this, he thought.
"Your money is no good here," Blackhawk's voice said calmly from behind.
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Keywords: Of, Ch., Fullness, 02, Life,