Chapter 151: Chapter 151 - Memories Disappearing ( Part 2 )
Rain fell over Rosario Village the next morning.
The clouds obscured the peaks of the mountains and the whole valley was covered in cold grey fog. Dripping roofs and quiet streets made this day special – most of the villagers preferred staying indoors during rains.
Jennie stood under the porch of the inn with a hot cup of tea in her hands.
"It’s peaceful,"
said Snow, lying beside her feet.
"I prefer sleeping weather."
Roxy chuckled.
"You prefer every kind of weather for sleeping."
"I’ve earned it."
Jennie smiled.
"You’ve earned another breakfast."
"I knew you would understand me."
While she and Snow were chatting, a knock was heard at the door of the inn.
Outside of it stood a young village boy, drenched in rain.
"Miss Jennie!"
he shouted and showed his small basket.
"Miss Deressa wanted to bake bread today..."
"...but she forgot to buy flour."
"Could you help?"
Jennie smiled at him and took the basket from him.
"Of course."
"We planned to visit her anyway."
The rain became a mere drizzle when the trio arrived to Deressa’s house.
All the flowers of her garden sparkled with water drops that shone like little gems.
Jennie knocked on the door gently.
No reply.
She knocked again.
Nothing.
Snow sniffed.
"They’re in the backyard."
Going around the house, the friends saw Luka fixing the broken fence and Deressa carefully covering her flowers with pieces of cloth.
Deressa saw the visitors and smiled.
"Oh!"
"You came."
"We brought flour."
Her eyes twinkled.
"I completely forgot."
"Thank you."
Luka sighed helplessly.
"You’ve forgotten for the third time this week."
Deressa giggled.
"I’m becoming absent-minded."
But Jennie saw how a slight shade appeared on Luka’s face.
He knew everything.
In the cottage there was a warm smell of burning wood.
Deressa started preparing the bread and Luka went outside to chop the wood.
Roxy helped knead the dough.
Snow settled near the fireplace, trying to get warm.
Jennie decided to help Deressa organizing the shelves in the kitchen.
"There are too many jars here."
Deressa laughed.
"I know."
"I keep forgetting where everything goes."
Jennie carefully started sorting out the jars.
Flour.
Tea.
Sugar.
Salt.
Easy job.
Comfortable job.
When she reached the upper shelf...
Her fingers touched a wooden box which was concealed under several ancient jars.
"Hm?"
Jennie carefully lifted it.
It was an old box.
Its polished surface was covered with cracks.
Little carved flowers embellished the lid.
Jennie looked at Deressa.
"This is yours?"
Deressa blinked.
"...I don’t remember."
"You can open it."
With care Jennie opened the box.
There were...
Two simple silver rings.
Not fancy.
No precious stones.
Only two old rings that have been worn many times.
Jennie smiled.
"They are beautiful."
But before she could ask any questions...
The sound of chopping wood disappeared outside of the cottage.
Silence fell in it.
Luka entered it.
When he saw the open box...
His expression changed immediately.
For several seconds...
Nobody said anything.
Then Luka quietly approached the table.
His strong hands carefully took the ring.
His thumb caressed its surface.
"...I wondered where these rings went."
His voice sounded strange.
Somewhat nostalgic.
Jennie looked at him and at Deressa.
"These rings..."
Deressa looked at the other ring in the box.
A little furrow appeared on her forehead.
"...They look familiar."
she whispered.
"I’ve seen them somewhere."
Luka looked at her.
His expression softened in a way Jennie hadn’t seen before.
"They are ours."
Deressa blinked.
"...Ours?"
Luka nodded.
"Your memory..."
He stopped.
Then continued.
"We exchanged them many years ago."
Silence.
Deressa looked at the ring again.
Then slowly turned to Luka.
A flicker was seen in her emerald eyes.
Memory.
Feeling.
Incomplete.
"...Wait..."
Her voice trembled.
"Luka..."
"...Were we..."
She couldn’t end the sentence.
Luka smiled.
Small.
Gentle.
And heartbreakingly warm.
"...Yeah."
"We are husband and wife."
The silence fell in the room.
Roxy blinked.
"...What?"
Snow even lifted his head in amazement.
"You two are married?"
Jennie blinked several times.
She had imagined many things.
But not this.
Deressa put her hands on her mouth.
"...Married..."
She looked at the ring in disbelief.
"...Why..."
"...Did I forget something so important?"
Luka shook his head instantly.
"Don’t blame yourself."
He put the ring in her hand.
"You didn’t choose it."
Tears appeared in her eyes.
"I’m sorry..."
"I..."
"I can’t remember our wedding."
Luka kneeled near her.
"You don’t need to apologize."
"I remember."
His words were simple.
But they meant more than any other declaration.
"If you forget..."
"I will remember for both of us."
Jennie quietly lowered her gaze.
The words affected her strongly.
Then Roxy hesitatingly asked:
"But..."
"Why nobody knew about it?"
Luka chuckled.
"We didn’t tell anybody about it."
Snow tilted his head.
"Why?"
Deressa smiled slightly.
"Rosario is a strange place."
"Everybody has a past."
"Everybody has his or her burden."
"We wanted..."
"...One thing that was only ours."
Luka nodded.
"No celebration."
"No ceremony."
"No audience."
"Just us."
He looked at the ring.
"And that was enough."
Jennie couldn’t help smiling.
There wasn’t any grand wedding.
There were no noble guests.
No cathedral.
No expensive presents.
Only two people who promised to be together for all their life.
Sometimes...
It is more beautiful than any royal wedding.
Deressa carefully put the ring on her finger.
It fitted perfectly.
She looked at it for some time.
Then at Luka.
"I’m sorry..."
"I can’t remember saying yes."
Luka smiled quietly.
"I asked three times."
"You pretended you haven’t heard me."
Deressa giggled.
"That’s like something I would do."
"It was."
"And then?"
"You finally said yes..."
"...After I promised to stop asking."
She giggled again.
But now...
It was sincere laughter.
Warm.
For a while...
Illness seemed far away.
Happiness filled the room quietly.
Jennie, Roxy and Snow exchanged silent smiles.
Now they knew why Luka was always looking after Deressa.
Why he was remembering every forgotten name.
Why the feared leader of Rosario became so gentle when talking with her.
He was not only taking care of a villager.
He was not paying back his debt.
He was not showing mercy.
He was protecting the woman he loved.
And even though Deressa’s memories were leaving her...
The silver ring on her finger still had a promise that couldn’t be erased by Dragon Shell.
The rain stopped.
Outside, raindrops glistened on the flower petals around Derresa’s cottage, shimmering under the afternoon sunlight. A faint rainbow was arched over the mountains, and Rosario Village looked so serene that it felt like the whole world didn’t suffer anymore.
But inside the cottage...
The silence lasted.
Jennie looked at Luka and Derresa’s silver wedding rings.
Their secret hidden from all of Rosario for so many years came into the open at last.
They weren’t blushing.
Only smiling.
It was like if the truth brought them relief from some heavy burden they were carrying.
Snow sat by the fireplace.
"So..."
"You’ve really been husband and wife during all this time?"
Luka nodded.
"For almost four years."
Roxy was completely surprised.
"Nobody noticed?"
Luka shrugged.
"We didn’t tell anyone."
"Why not?"
Derresa smiled.
"It is full of people who want to escape their past."
"We didn’t want anyone to treat us differently."
"We lived happily."
Jennie nodded.
She understood.
Not all love needed to be declared in front of the whole world.
Some times...
The happiest promises could be shared between two people only.
Conversation continued in a natural flow.
Roxy was eager to learn about how they met.
Snow listened to the story, pretending that he wasn’t interested.
Jennie poured tea to everyone in silence.
Luka scratched his head awkwardly.
"I met her because she got lost."
Derresa giggled.
"I wasn’t lost."
"You were walking in circles."
"I was exploring."
"You asked me for directions three times."
Jennie smiled.
"That’s familiar."
Roxy giggled.
"I can imagine it."
Derresa poked Luka’s shoulder gently.
"I still say I wasn’t lost."
"You were."
"I wasn’t."
"You definitely were."
They all chuckled.
For a moment...
Dragon Shell seemed far away.
While the laughter subsided, Derresa absently placed a hand against her abdomen.
That was so natural that nobody could notice it.
Except Jennie.
She saw that gesture made by countless mothers without thinking.
Protective.
Gentle.
Innocent.
Jennie’s gaze lingered for a second before she politely looked away.
Several minutes later, Derresa slowly rose.
"I’ll bring more tea."
But before she could take a step...
She suddenly became dizzy and lost balance.
Jennie immediately supported her.
"Be careful."
"I’m fine."
Luka was already by them.
"You stood too long."
"I’m fine."
"You said that for the seventh time this week."
He spoke gently, not angrily.
He gently led her back to the chair.
Roxy frowned.
"You are getting weaker."
Derresa looked down.
"...I know."
Silence fell over the room.
Finally...
Derresa smiled sad.
"I guess..."
"...there isn’t much point in hiding it anymore."
She looked at Luka.
He nodded.
"If you are ready."
Taking a deep breath, Derresa joined her hands over her stomach.
Then she looked at Jennie, Roxy, and Snow.
"There is..."
"...one more reason."
Jennie listened.
Deressa’s voice became a whisper.
"I’m going to be a mother."
The silence descended.
Roxy blinked.
"...You are..."
Snow stood his ears up.
"A puppy?"
Roxy immediately looked at him.
"A baby!"
"Oh."
"My mistake."
Jennie couldn’t resist to laugh softly.
Even Luka chuckled.
The heavy atmosphere was lifted for a heartbeat.
But then...
Reality came back.
Jennie smiled warmly.
"Congratulations."
Roxy’s eyes glittered.
"That’s wonderful."
Snow nodded proudly.
"I will teach the child how to howl."
Luka looked at him.
"...Please don’t."
Snow was offended.
"My lessons are excellent."
The laughter subsided when everyone realized that tears appeared in Derressa’s eyes.
She looked at her hands joined over her stomach.
"I was so happy when I found out."
Her voice trembled.
"I thought..."
"...maybe our little family could finally have a peaceful future."
She smiled weakly.
"But then..."
She slowly opened one of her gloves just enough for the black dragon scales on her skin to show.
Silence.
She gently covered them again.
"I don’t fear death."
Her voice became even softer.
"I fear something much worse."
Jennie already knew the answer.
Derresa’s tears dropped on her hands.
"What if..."
"...my baby is born..."
"...and I don’t remember his/her face?"
Those words cut silence as a knife.
Roxy immediately covered her mouth.
Snow bent his head down.
Even Luka closed his eyes.
Derresa continued to speak through her trembling breaths.
"What if he/she calls me ’Mother’..."
"...and I ask him..."
"’Who are you?’"
Her shoulders started shaking.
"What if he/she reaches for me..."
"...and I don’t know why he/she feels familiar?"
She hugged her abdomen.
"I can accept my suffering."
"I can accept my death."
"But..."
"I don’t want my child..."
"...to grow up wondering why his/her mother looks at him/her as a stranger."
Tears freely fell from her face.
Jennie slowly approached her.
She knelt by Derresa and gently grabbed her trembling hands.
"You love this child already."
Deressa nodded through her tears.
"More than anything."
Jennie smiled kindly.
"Then no matter what will happen..."
"That love is true."
"Even if your memories are gone..."
"The love you showed before that will remain forever."
Deressa looked into Jennie’s silver eyes.
"I wish I could believe that."
"You can."
Jennie sounded calmly.
"Children remember kindness."
"They remember warmth."
"They remember love."
Roxy wiped her own tears quietly.
Luka stood near the window, looking towards the mountains.
He clenched his fists.
Jennie noticed it.
He didn’t cry.
Not because he wasn’t suffering.
But because he believed that Derressa needed his strength more than his tears.
After a while, Luka approached and put one hand on Derresa.
Then another one on the child growing between them.
His rough voice was just a whisper.
"Our child..."
"...will remember you."
Derresa looked at him.
"I will make sure of it."
"If you forgot their first words..."
"I will tell you."
"If you forgot his/her birthday..."
"I will celebrate it with you again."
"If you forgot the stories you told them..."
"I will tell them exactly in the same way."
His voice cracked.
"And if..."
"If one day you will forget both of us..."
He forced a small smile through the tears.
"...then I will introduce myself to you again."
"I will fall in love with you again."
"And I will remind you every single day..."
"...that you were the most wonderful wife..."
"...and the most loving mother..."
"...our child could ever have."
Derresa broke down and hugged Luka with tears flowing from her eyes.
Jennie, Roxy, and Snow went quietly out of the cottage, leaving the couple alone.
The evening wind carried the smell of lilies in the garden.
Jennie looked towards the sunset.
Dragon Shell could take away the memories.
It could make one weak.
It could even take a life.
But as she watched Luka lovingly holding the woman he loved and their child already loved...
Jennie quietly swore that she wouldn’t let a world where such love has to die. Somewhere, somehow, she would find a way to struggle against this incurable disease.
