Love of Family
©Kimber - 2003
Candelight. Fickering and reflecting throughout the room filling the air with a warm amber glow and the comforting scent of the oils Rebecca added to the wax. Vincent sat propped up on his huge pile of pillows and toyed with the tied threads holding together the layers of fabric and down that made up the down comforter covering his bed. It was late. He knew he should be sleeping. January had been a particularly wet month and several areas of the tunnels were in need of shoring up against the encroaching water. But his mind and his heart wouldn't let him rest.
He threw his head back against the pillows and gazed at the glow coming from the stained glass window above. He remembered the day long ago when he found that window, when he and Devin and Pascal were watching them gut an old brownstone from the well of a basement entrance across the street. The window along with some others was setting against a No Parking sign and some of the neighborhood kids were throwing rocks at them. For some reason, he felt he needed to save that old window. He started to rise, but Devin grabbed his arm. "But they're going to break it!!", he said to his older brother with a pleading look in his eye.
Devin looked at his kid brother, then at the kids, then at Pascal, who shrugged his shoulders. Taking one more long look into Vincent's eyes Devin shook his head. "Damn" He took a deep breath and surged up into the street. Vincent watched as Devin approached the group of kids, he tensed as they closed into a ring around Devin, but within a couple of minutes, the group was running off up the street and Devin was walking back with the window under his arm.
He doubted now, if he would ever know what Devin said or did to accompish that feat. A smile crossed his face at the thought. When he looked up at that window he was reminded of the love of his family and felt that no matter where he was, Devin was looking over him, smiling. His eyes were drawn back to the candlelight and the smile faded. Another face rose before him in the haze of smoke. The face that had been haunting his soul more and more with the coming of Valentines. The holiday to celebrate love. Love of friends and family, and love of lovers. He felt himself becoming hypnotized as he gazed into her beautiful eyes, followed the delicate line of her cheekbones down to her full, lucious lips...His eyes fixated there, almost feeling those lips on his, drinking in the delicious taste of her...he could feel his want, his need for her growing more and more. What were they, he and his Catherine? Were they friends, family....lovers? He certainly loved her. More than life itself. But it always comes back to this point. What were they? What could they be? What should they be? Vincent knew the time was fast approaching when he would need to answer these questions. Both for himself and for her.
He tossed again on the bed and finally threw off the comforter to rise and pace the room. He knew he wanted to talk to someone about all of this, to have some help in working it out. But he wasn't yet ready to burden his family with this particular problem. Then he paused in his pacing for a moment. A thought had occurred to him. He, in fact, had plenty of friends and family to share his life, his joys and concerns with. But since her father died, Catherine had no family at all. And no friends she could share this part of her life with. 'How selfish', he thought, 'to have this embarassment of wealth and complain.' His gaze returned to the stained glass window and the smiling face of Devin.
When Catherine arrived home from work that day she was all eagerness to see what awaited her inside her apartment. The rose and note that had been sitting on her desk chair this morning had hinted at a surprise but nothing more. Throwing her briefcase and coat down on the couch, she began to scan the living room....nothing. She moved through to the bedroom...nothing on the bed...'damn'...moving past the bed she looked by the doors and there on the floor was a large package. A small envelope was taped to the front with her name in beloved, familiar handwriting.
"My dearest Catherine,
Any words I tried to put to paper describing my love for you would be poor, lame things with not half the depth I feel. There are things we must discuss and questions that must be asked and answered. But until the time we can find our way, I wanted you to have a piece of me, of my world that you could keep with you above. That you could know when we are apart, that I am always with you.
I will meet you at the entrance under your building at 8.
My deepest love,
V"
Her curiosity was immediately piqued. Picking up the large package and laying it on the bed, she tore open the brown paper to uncover the wooden box underneath. Running her hand over her initials gracefully carved in the lid she smiled, knowing Kanin's work immediately. Lifting the latch, she carefully raised the lid. Her heart lept into her throat when she saw the exact replica of Vincent's stained glass window laying carefully wrapped in linen. It had been modified to be hung across one of her balcony doors like a sun catcher. A rather large sun catcher. And at the bottom of the window she found etched the words "I am here, my love."