Rell and The Rose

Ch. 22, A lot of Crap

Bastien

"Crap. Crap. CRAP!" I stormed back and forth on the driveway.

"That's a lot of crap."

I spun to see Dasan watching me from the back porch of the house. I instantly colored.

"Grandfather, I didn't see you there... I..."

"Bastien, come here." I lifted my eyes from the gravel, ashamed when I saw the look in his eyes. He knew. He knew the way I had screamed at her, the way I had told her to leave and never come back. The way he watched me silently, knowing, was the worst kind of shame.

I dragged my feet as I walked towards him.

"Bastien," he finally said, his voice soft. "Have you ever considered why I asked Rell to live here?"

I stared miserably at my feet. "To help Clara, with the maid work."

"Grow some sense, boy, I could have hired anyone for that. Why her?" His voice was suddenly hard, deep, and my eyes rose to meet the face of not the sweet, calm grandfather I knew and loved, but someone else that I saw rarely, and usually because my mother had done something bad. But today it was me.

When he saw I was watching, he stepped forward, dark eyes focusing closer on mine. "Well?"

"I... I don't really know her," I stuttered, feeling like a child, the shame building. Not only did I not know her, but I'd treated her like total crap, and she'd never so much as given me a cold look. She'd never so much as given anyone a cold look, despite the fact that she'd been ignored by the student body for an entire week for the crime of simply exsister. The silence stretched out, so finally I said, "But I've been searching the woods at night. I've been following all the old trials, as mother taught me."

"And what has that all granted you?"

He let the silence hang between us, heavy and disappointed.

Finally Dasan put his arm on my shoulder, and he took a deep breath. "Rell isn't just some high school girl. She's different. And maybe, if you took some time to get to know here, you might find the two of you have more in common then you think."

I nodded, head down, when I was suddenly struck by a strange thought. "Grandfather... why did you bring Rell here? If it wasn't to help Clara?"

Dasan smiled, his old self back just as quickly, and then reached into his pocket and tossed me something metal. I caught it, looking down in surprise. It was the keys to my father's car, a beautiful Aston Martin. I'd never been allowed to drive it before. Dasan nodded to the twisting driveway that led through the trees and out to the highway.

"Son, there are many unexplained mysteries and magics in the world, but women are the greatest of them." He winked. "And the truest answers we find ourselves." It wasn't quite an answer, but I was used to that with Dasan. If I wanted to find out more about Rell, then I needed to do it by myself.

But first I hesitated as I lifted the keys. "What about Dad? He'll be pissed if he finds out."

"Then he shouldn't have left his keys on the dresser." He grinned, and for a moment I could almost see the young, wild Dasan that I'd heard about in so many stories.

I paused at the end of the drive, and turned back.

"Grandfather?"

"Hmm?"

I paused, not sure how to say what I wanted. So instead I said, "What happened to Mother?" There are many unexplained mysteries and magics in the world, but women are the greatest of them. But mother seemed to hold more secrets than anyone else I knew.

His smile slipped for just a moment. "Your mother loved you Bastien... but she made a mistake loving someone who didn't love her."

"You mean Dad?"

He swallowed. "I mean your father."

I didn't understand why what the difference was... but Dasan was like that. Always about finding answers for yourself. And he was right. It was time I stopped brooding and lurking around the forest.

It was time I started to look for my own answers.

I made my way into the garage, but before I unlocked the car, I went to one of the cabinets, and opened the bottom drawer. I picked up the black bag that lay there, and reached inside. Then I pulled the dark form out and pushed it into the lining of my pants.

Just in case.