Chapter 19 – Sweet and Simple

It was a windy day, Leiko stared at the sky. Leaves from the trees glide as they follow the wind. She tucked her robe and followed the way leading to her new home. She found herself in the room. There was no sign of anyone other than the young man, whose complexion was now renewed. He was Joshua. He wasn’t as thin as he was before. He was vigorous and could now somewhat talk.

“Ah, Leiko, welcome,” said Joshua.

“Where’s Kioko?” asked Leiko.

“She’s still learning with Mr. Gale. Do you want me to pick her up?”

“No,” she shook her head. “There’s no need to do that, Joshua.”

“Okay.”

Joshua nodded. He turned to the drawings he had.

“What’s that?” asked Leiko, curious.

“Schematics,” said Joshua, drawing this crude outline. “I wanted to create something.”

“I see.”

Leiko saw that the drawings were something she could not understand. So she just sat near the table.

“Would you like some tea?” asked Joshua.

“Yes,” she told him with her eyes away.

“Okay.”

Leiko looked at Joshua. Although he was still not fluent, she could feel warmth in his voice. It was the voice of someone who was glad to see her. She was not that dumb to notice that Joshua looked at her as a big sister that he owes his life too. She wanted to be distant to him. She wanted to stay away knowing that she has this bitter feeling when interacting with humans.

“Here you go,” said Joshua, pouring hot tea on her cup. “Be careful, it might burn your tongue.”

“Thank you.”

She accepted the cup of hot tea. She sipped on it gently while eyeing Joshua who went back to his drawings. She put her cup down and turned to Joshua with this calm look.

“Joshua.”

“Yes?”

“I don’t trust you that much.”

“I know.”

“I see.”

Joshua smiled thinly. “I cannot imagine what you went through. I’ve no words to console you, other than I am sorry that it happened to you.”

She listened.

He continued, “And I know that telling you to forget will not happen. I am not that insensitive. I know how to sense that you don’t want to talk about it. Indeed, you really don’t like my race. How could I spite knowing what happened? Leiko, do I have the right to tell you anything?”

“No, you don’t.”

“Exactly, that’s why I don’t dare to preach goodness. I don’t dare to say anything else. I am trying to be nice to you. I am trying despite knowing your deep seething hatred towards us humans. Do you know why?”

She shook her head.

“Because you save me from that den Leiko, you rescued me from slavery along with Brother Shig. How could I just turn blind to that? So what if you hate humans? You may not trust me. You may hate me. But that’s understandable. You’ve been through a lot. I can understand that that’s why I am being nice.”

“And being so honest right now,” Leiko told him.

“Yes, I can now talk to you guys. I’ve studied hard and worked hard because I wanted to say thank you.”

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Joshua stood up. He put his hands on the side and bowed his head.

“Thank you for saving me. Thank you for giving me liberty.”

She eyed Joshua with her mouth slightly opened. “You are welcome.”

“I am being blunt with you, Leiko. I cannot lie to you knowing that you’d hate me if I do. I understand how little your trust is to me. I am not that blind to see that. That’s why I am being honest here.”

“You are telling me that you are being nice to me so that I’d trust you. Don’t you think that’s force?”

“It is forced,” He nodded his head. “But this is what I truly think. I don’t want to lie to my benefactors. I don’t want to lie to the only family that I have in this world. I cannot tell you anything. But in this world, at this moment, you, Kioko and Brother Shig is the only family that I have. I am afraid of losing my family. I am afraid that you three would leave me alone. That’s why please Leiko! Please let me treat you like a family! Please...I beg you...don’t leave me alone...don’t hate me.”

Joshua sobbed. He wasn’t acting like a man. He was acting like a child that didn’t want to be abandoned. Just a lonely person who found a family to belong to.

Leiko usually had this calm look of anger on her. Yet seeing Joshua act like some lost child made her smile wearily. She pressed her forehead. She looked at Joshua who was sobbing and said.

“You act like a baby. Men should not cry.”

“Maybe, but my heart tells me to.”

“Oh really?” this time Leiko made this calm yet warm look. “You are not fooling me are you?”

“I am not!” shouted Joshua. “How could I lie to the family?”

“You are a human. You might be fooling me.”

“I am not!”

“You are!”

“I am not damn it!” shouted Joshua.

“I know you aren’t.”

Joshua turned his eyes to Leiko. He saw her right hand on top of his head.

“You are a good person, Joshua.”

“I am not.”

“You are.”

“I am not.”

“Maybe you really aren’t. It’s rare to see someone pour their heart out like that,” she sighs. “It amazes me how can you just cry that easily. Indeed, you may not be a good person. I maybe am being fooled here. But...somehow, I think I want to trust you. I might not be able to trust completely. But I’ll trust you a bit. But that’s all I can give at the moment. Maybe, I’d changed. Maybe there would be a time that I’d truly make an exception for you. But right now, my heart is a mess. The wounds from before have not healed. But in time...maybe I’d think that I’d learn to treat you nicely.”

“I see.” Joshua looked down.

“But don’t worry,” she rubbed his head. “I’ll be good to you. Kioko really likes you. And knowing her, she might pout at me and call me a mean person if I don’t. So don’t look so down okay?”

Joshua raised his head. He looked at her with pure eyes and said.

“Thank you!”

It was just a simple thank you yet it made Leiko smile heartily.

There was a calm smell of tea in the air.

It made the two calmed.

And when Shig and Kioko arrived, they didn’t see the usual awkward scene. What they saw was just two people drinking tea together.

It was sweet and simple.