Diamond in the Rough: Chapter 3

Jack, walking through the hallway to his next class, turned his head to greet someone, and when he turned back, it was all but too late before he collided with a long-haired girl, who seemed to have lost her way.  Smaller than him by almost foot, she barrelled into his chest unexpectedly, and her books and purse went sprawling.

"Hey, you okay?"  he said, as she crouched down to get all of her items together.

"Just, leave me alone, okay?"

"Hey, you bumped into me."

"Whatever," she said, her long reddish-brown hair covering her face.  He wasn't even sure what she looked like, nevermind who she was.

"Here, let me help," and he bent beside her and helped grab a few of the notebooks that slid away from them.  

"I said, I'm fine," she said, looking up.  His eyes met her crystalline blue ones, and momentarily, he forgot what he was doing.  Her skin was pale but beautiful, like the porcelain on an expensive doll.  

"I'm Jack," he put his hand out.

She refused it by standing up and coldly putting her last few items back into order.

He stood up, "I guess some people are just not friendly whatever you do.  Good luck."  He said, starting to walk off, and glancing back, he saw that she was standing a long time, with her head lowered, but not really doing much.  He slowed.  "Uh, hey, are you okay?"

She looked up, and tears were streaming down her face.

Alarmed, he said, "Gee, I'm sorry, okay, I didn't see you, you're kind of puny.  I mean short.  I mean . . ."

She managed a smile through tears and then began to cry again.  He stepped closer, "You okay?  You want to, like get out of the middle of the hall or something?"

She nodded, looking down and literally hiding behind her hair.

He put his hand on her back to direct her and led her into the nearest student lounge area.  He would be late for class, but that wouldn't be the first time.  He said, "Here, maybe you can, like, calm down in here better."

She sniffled, and looked back up.  "Thanks."

"No problem."

"Shouldn't you get to class?"

"Uh, yeah, but I don't feel right leaving you here.  Seriously."

"I'll be fine," she said, and continued to cry.

"Sometimes talking to a stranger you never met before helps."

"How would you know?"

He thought of the real answer.  Because I've been in therapy.  Talked to a lot of people.  My own father was a stranger to me until recently.  He chose, "I just know.  Want to sit down?"

"You're going to get in trouble because of me."

"So?  I get in trouble because of me, why not someone else?"  She smiled into his face, and their eyes connected again.  She was beautiful when she smiled.  He tried again, "I'm Jack."

She said, "I'm Jenna," and tucked her hair behind one ear.


"So, you want to say what's making you cry?  You didn't bump into me that hard," Jack said.

"I know, it wasn't that."

"Well, I'm a good listener, people say."  He thought back to Orinia for a brief moment, how she told him he was kind.  He shook her face out of his head, and went back to Jenna.  "People say I'm good at that."

"Have you had a lot of experience listening to people cry?"

He stopped and thought, and wondered if she could see his feelings on his face.  "Yeah, actually, I have."

"I'm sorry, I think," she said.

"You new here?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

"Go around crying all the time?"

"Listen, I've got to go.  I have class, and so do you.  Good to meet you and sorry for bumping you," and she left the lounge.

Jack looked into his reflection in the juice machine door.  "Manning, you're losing your game.  Gotta have a talk with Dad later."

***

Sister Rebecca Katherine took Bea's hand and said, "Would ya like to take a walk outside, dear?"


The woman just looked into the nun's eyes, and waited.  Sister Rebecca Katherine got up, and Bea also did.  Seeing that her new friend was willing, the clergywoman lead her patient through the doors and into the courtyard, near the garden, and they walked along, not even needing a jacket, for the November sun warmed them.  She said, "These are my favorite flowers, wall speedwell.  It was brought here special by me, about fifteen years back.  They call it lus cre balla in Ireland.  I love the blue of them.  They shouldn't be blooming now, but the weather has been warmer than most autumns, and here it is."


The silent woman reached out and touched the blooms.  "Beautiful, aren't they?"  Sister Rebecca Katherine asked her.  Bea gave no answer, but smiled.  The sister went on.  "I love flowers, they're such a bit a beauty from God.  Here, let's pick some to take inside to your room, to cheer the place."


She began picking the flowers.  Bea, losing interest, began to walk toward the bench, and sitting there, she began to rock.  Sister Rebecca Katherine watched her, carefully, as she continued to nonchalantly pick some wildflowers.  Bea swayed, hugging herself, and began to shake her head back and forth, almost as if panicking.  Sister Rebecca Katherine went to her, and directing her to stand, lead her back into the building.  "Do ya want to tell me about it, dear?"


No answer was made.  In fact, Bea had stopped looking at the nun, and when Sister tried to make eye contact, Bea's eyes were no longer focusing on her.  "I see I've lost ya, for today, Dear Bea.  I'll make sure ya get some rest, and we'll try again another day."


They made their way into the building, and the nun lead Bea to her room, still holding a bunch of the flowers she picked a few minutes before.  Sister Rebecca Katherine opened the door, and Bea walked into her room, and went to the bed, laying down.  She began to cry, silently, and rock on her bed, and Sister Rebecca Katherine said, "Dear Heart, what's bothering ya?"


The woman was not there, at least not at that moment; the nun could tell that she was somewhere else, and not aware of her presence any longer.  Sister Rebecca Katherine got up, and put the flowers into a cup, with water, and left them by the bedside where they could be seen.  Looking back at Bea, she crossed herself and said a small prayer, before leaving her.  

***

At Unforgettable, Todd and Blair were working in The Sun office, when they heard Dorian come around the corner.  "Is there any suitable coffee in this house?"

Todd smirked, pushing himself back into the desk chair, and spinning it.  Blair said, "Todd, maybe we should go to work.  It would be more like working at home than this is."

Todd said, "Don't be that way.  Your aunt is worried about you.  Once she sees," he turned toward Dorian directly, "that everything is all right, she'll realize she can go in peace.  Coffee is in the kitchen pantry, top shelf left."  Todd said.

"Thank you."  Dorian said, retreating to the staircase.

"Oh, I can't stand that she's here to watch over me.  It makes me so mad!"  She stomped her feet.

Todd laughed.  "I'm telling you, it will serve her right.  She'll see that we're okay on our own, and that I'm not the big bad convict."

"Well," she said, sitting on the desk and crossing her legs in front of him, "you are the big, bad convict, but I like that in a man."

He looked from her ankle, delicately trimmed with a strap from her shoe, to her knees, and then to her face.  "Then I'm him," he said, standing, and took her into his arms for a kiss.  

When the kiss ended, she looked into his eyes.  "I wouldn't have you any other way."

"Well it's settled then.  We let her hang out here as long as she wants.  She'll learn.  She'll see."  He moved the papers aside and sat on the desk next to her.  "Remind me again why you didn't tell her everything that went on when it went on?"

"Well  . . ."  she blushed.

"It doesn't matter.  She'll figure it out, and be gone in no time."  A pull chain on a bulb . . .

"Uh huh.  You believe that?"  Blair said, folding her arms and looking out the window.  "Todd?"

Todd folded his arms and did the same.  "Not a word of it."

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