Mrs. James Guthrie 【Final】- "Would you stay...?"

   

"Would you stay...?"

     A living hell, it was. I had everything that people would envy in this world, all in my hands. Love, fortune, and happiness. –Until that day, when my world totally flipped over. 

    It was a fine morning. Pleasant sunshine greeted the window with a smile, and there was no better feeling than starting the day with birds singing as if the garden was their music hall.

    As my maids called me, I had gone out of my room, just after breakfast. My beloved fiance, Lukes, was about to leave home for business negotiations in a country that I had never heard of, far away from this place. 

    My family has been successful in foreign trade for generations and had amassed great wealth. My father was a brilliant marketer, and so was my grandfather and Lukes was likewise beginning to get off the ground with his overseas markets.

    Me and Lukes, our story had begun at a ball, almost two years ago. I used to have never felt comfortable at a party. I mean, balls are fun for fashion, dressed up in gorgeous outfits. There is no one who doesn't like that - I believe. 

    But, when I thought that my role was to be ladylike, elegant, and well-liked as a daughter of a good family, it always starts to feel depressing. The air becomes thin and stifling in a room full of people - people whose smiles were a mask. Everyone liked me talking about random matters, but no one heard my story from their heart, and I knew it. 

    The detest from the suffocating atmosphere was the reason why I sneaked out to the garden often secretly. Gazing up in the sky at the stars that were shining brightly in its place, had a magical power that made me feel like someone was cheering me up. 

    "That's the Big Dipper of Summer", a voice said from behind. "You are lucky to see one tonight." Curious enough, when I turned around, I saw a man. That was Lukes. That was the first scene of our life. 

    We met in balls often, and we talked. He had come to see me to my house too, for a cup of tea in the afternoon. We loved exchanging our memories of our childhood, as well as sharing what we liked, and even the plans for our future. We eventually got to know each other from time to time. 

----

    As a year passed by, we got engaged. Our time has always been comfortable. Yet, my father was strict about the work, and he wanted Lukes to experience difficult situations before he was stable in the country. 

    "Make sure to write to me, okay?"

    "Of course, I will, I will miss you so much."

    "So would  I, stay safe"

    "Thank you, honey, "

    It was 3 days later from that conversation when my servant came running through the hallway screaming out my name. I opened the door of my room, taking a break from the letter I was writing to Lukes. 

    The servant's pale face was put up with mine. His hands were on my shoulder, and as he saw me, he was about to cry out.

    "What's the matter?"

    "Miss, please stay calm, I have something that I must tell you"

    It was easily understood that it was a matter of no joke. I could literally feel my heart pounding with fear of what he would start to speak out next. 

    "Your fiance's ship... it was hitten by a bad storm... Mr. Lukes is nowhere to be found."

A bad dream. 

It must be. It had to be. 

    I did not want to believe it, but I was forced to, a few days later, when Lukes' body was found at a place a little far from the ship. The engagement ring was still on his finger, and that was how people recognized him. 

    His hands were held tight, so much that no one could open them. The investigators told me it was because he did not want to let the ring go deep into the water. 

    I do not know how things went afterwards. The funeral passed so restlessly, and I am unable to remember what happened properly. I had no time to cry. There were so many people to see, so many people to talk to, and so many things to figure out.

   

    In our family, we have pictures of people who had passed away. We even have those people from centuries ago. Although Lukes was young, he was to be painted. The painter who was Lukes' old friend, took charge of the job. 

    He wanted to draw whatever it was that was in Luke's room that may represent him. I brought a vase of flowers, that was blooming brightly. 

    My father told me to stay with the painter, to get the impression right. As the light stroked into the room, I stared at the painter who was now painting my fiance, that is never to come back. 

    "I am very sorry for what happened"

    "I still can't believe it. I just feel like he would come out of the door, even now"

    "I do too."

    The painter listened to my story on and on afterwards, for hours while he painted. I did not realize the tears pouring out of my eyes uncontrollably. With every scene of the story we built together, a drop fell on the floor. I was crying for the first time since I lost him. 

    Suddenly, my sight had gone black, and I felt the warmth of a hand on my back. I realized, that I was hugged.

    "Miss, I might not be able to understand your pain, and fully feel what you are going through," he continued. "but I thought I might be able to help you to feel a little better"

    He told me to stand where the flowers were. I let out my hand to touch the flowers. Just as if I was touching the heart of Lukes. The painter told me that I was looking fine. 

    I stayed in the way he said. We kept on talking again, sharing our memories, just as I used to with Lukes. He listened, while he mixed the colours on the palette, and while he leaned back to get the whole image. I asked the background of my painting to be black, so it would mean, that there is no star in my sky, unlike the day of our destiny.

    I looked into the picture right after he said he had finished. It was only when I first realized that the flower was starting to wither. 

    "I didn't know it was weakening."

    "I didn't too, at first, but if you look at them closely, you'll realize that it's starting to dry out."

    I have never realized that. Was it because I wanted to believe it was beautiful because it was all the memories that I have .... or?

    "When you look at things closely, you would realize that everything in this world is facing a change. They are all starting to walk into a new world every moment," he said, with a shaky voice. "It doesn't have  to be now, you can take as much time as you want, but.... would you, stay by my side for every change that we are to face?"