Page 62 of Heir to a Curse
“Not sure they’d go looking for a simple guy like me.”
“Zach…”
I’d miss her voice. “I love you,” I told her. “You and your stupid face. And your stupid family with your crotch demons and boring husband.”
She laughed. “Jerk.”
I smiled into the phone, “It’s true.”
“I love you too, you big dork.”
I measured out the tea, preparing it with the same intensity Xiang had taught, and watched as he sat down across from me at the table.
“Did you dream of your guy a lot?” She asked me.
“Yes,” I admitted. “He’s kind of it for me.”
She sucked in a breath and was quiet for a minute. “Is he real?” She finally asked.
“Yes,” I said. Though I didn’t know how real to everyone else he would be. Would his curse keep anyone else from seeing him? Perhaps only I knew of his existence.
“I’m happy for you,” she said. “That you finally found someone. I want you to be happy.”
“I will be. I promise.” I told her. “Going to sit down to some tea with him right now, eat something.”
“That sounds great. When will I get to meet him?”
I breathed hard, tears coming to my eyes as I thought through my decision again. What to leave behind, what to keep. “You’re amazing. I’d love for you to meet him.”
“Okay. We’ll schedule a date for me to come up. Keep a proper distance and all that.” She paused, then added, “You’re being safe right? This pandemic is getting worse.”
“I’m not worried about the pandemic at all,” I promised, breathing out a long breath of air as I poured tea for Xiang. Some things eclipsed the world at large. Life was a series of choices. Some of them how to live, others how to die. Most people didn’t realize they were one and the same. “I need to let you go,” I told her.
“Okay,” she said.
“I love you,” I added unable to keep the hitch out of my voice at the thought of never seeing her again. “Stay safe and kiss your babies for me.”
“You stay safe, too. I’ll see you soon.”
I hung up the phone and reached for Xiang’s hand. “Hungry?” I asked him, pointing to the food. Would it make him sick? Too long without food and then suddenly eating could make most people ill. I remembered visiting the holocaust museum a few years back and reading about some survivors who’d died a few days after being rescued because the rescuers had given them chocolate bars to eat. The rescuers had been so overcome with grief at the survivor’s state, that they felt it was the right thing to do at the time, but the shock to their systems had been too much.
Xiang picked up a berry and ate it, then sipped his tea. I smiled, and picked at the food myself, drafting up a few notes on my phone. Addy knew my passcode and could unlock it.
Once the teapot was empty, I got up to refill and heat more water. Then began to pack a bag. There wasn’t much for canned food in the cupboard, but I packed all I had, and a can opener. The protein bars could last a while if I broke them up and nibbled at them over time. A few months maybe? Probably longer than any amount of water I could carry. My heart flip-flopped over that, but I remained resolved. I added a few pieces of clothing, and a handful of tools that I thought I could use to make a stronger door once I was on the other side. Or a wall. At least a wall would hold longer, even if it became a prison for the both of us.
“What?” Xiang asked as he watched me pack the bag.
“I’m going back with you,” I informed him. “Leaving all of this behind.” I waved at the cabin and this world in general. It would hurt. Leaving Addy and the guys, but they all had their own families. I was just me. And it was my choice, how to live and how to die.
Xiang shook his head, his eyes wide. “Not safe.”
Was anything? We were living in a world teetering on war in the middle of a global pandemic. So few people cared if they exposed others to it, or how many died. There were a million ways to die. I could die in a car crash any day, or get electrocuted by some poorly done DIY project. Life was full of risks and so little love. I wanted to experience the love. Even if it were only for a few days, or weeks or whatever. There were so few ways to live.
I’d failed him a dozen times in the past. What if breaking the curse meant I actually stayed with him? None of my memories aligned with that idea. Perhaps not tried then. And maybe the real solution for breaking the curse. So that was my plan. Whether it meant eternal physical discomfort like he experienced, a slow painful death to starvation or dehydration, or even death at the hand of some monster. He could use my strength to keep the monsters back. I’d offer it up until it gave out if need be. But I was resolved to stop turning my back on him, stop walking away, and never leave him again. Not by choice.
I found the little dragon statue and picked it up, weight familiar. I brought it to him and set it down on the table. “I want to stay with you. I won’t leave again.”
He picked up the little statue, and I got a memory flash of him wearing that pin again for a moment. The vision of him in ceremonial dress, elegant, flawless, his hair as dark as the midnight sky, streaked with dark blue and reflecting the sun almost like a rainbow. Breathtaking. From his glittering eyes, and flawless music, to the glowing smile I had longed to witness in person rather than memory.