After rain comes sunshine

Hard raindrops pattered the protective windows of the taxi. Darkness had settled like a thick carpet over the city, and only the light from lively clubs and pubs were shining out in the empty darkness of the night. At far distances cars horned and angry yelling’s could be heard as empty cries. They seemed to be louder during the night than they ever could have been during daylight. Andrew sighed and let his sight wander to the wet road that quickly went past the outside. He wished with all his heart that the next customer would be shy, quit and withdrawn. Sometimes a calm silence could be more marvelous than annoying chats with people. For every time someone asked – asked why he looks so miserable, he felt compelled to tell the truth. That was his task. To warn people of what can happen if you don’t have a steady and firm grip of what you already have. Merely if you take things for granted.

A dark shadow that looked sinister in the night, departed from the deserted pavement and waved. Andrew hesitated for a second, but then drove to the edge of the pavement. The person approached the car and a cascade of water washed over the person’s already wet coat and got the driver to close his eyes out of shame. This scenario is unfortunately often repeated. Many times had people that just been washed over - entered the taxi car and complained of how wet, cold and irritated they are. He was however shocked that the person standing outside in the clattering rain barely changed facial expressions. It was as if it was everyday food for this person, and the person opened the door to the cab, completely unaffected. Andrew leaned back at his seat and relaxed for a second - waiting for the sound of the door shutting behind the customer. Then it came, and at the same time the heavy rain became more subdued.

”Where am I taking you?” the driver asked politely and drove once again out on the road. ”For the moment, I just wish to be protected from the rain”, replied a muffled female voice from the backseat. He saw how she pulled the knitted coat tighter around herself. The hood was pulled down so far on her face that he could not see it in the reflecting rear-view mirror. The driver sighed and gazed out through the windscreen. The rain fell down against the windscreen making it difficult to see where he was driving. He was stubborn enough to continue in this mad weather for five more minutes but soon he realized that it is dangerous hence he turned into the edge of a pavement. The customer was silence in the backseat. Suddenly he wished that it would have been a chatty and joyous person who would have entered his cab instead. It was almost creepy how silent she was.
“Well then I suppose we are stuck here in the rain” Andrew muttered with an anxious tone and turned himself back towards the woman.
She didn’t answer him.
”By the way, what is your name?” he continued and lowered his face so that he could by any chance visualize her features. At the same time she turned her face towards the window and shivered. ”Today my name is Abigail but once upon a time…” She broke off lingering and starred out the window, where all you could see was pitch black darkness. It took a few seconds before she cleared her throat and started talking again. As the rain threw itself against the car’s protective walls; she had to raise her voice to at least be heard.

“Once upon a time, a very long time ago, I was a very different person. I had the most wonderful… man or boyfriend, or … I actually don’t know what he was, but I loved him. Oh, God, I really did. Have you ever had someone so close to you that you could have done anything for that person? Have you ever felt that way?”

Andrew was startled. She felt how odd it was that the words had simply streamed out of her mouth. Abigail looked up and exposed a part of that hidden face.
”Believe it or not, but I have.” Andrew answered with sadness. “She was beautiful, gifted and wonderful in all the possible ways…”

“Where?” Abigail asked lingering herself and pulling her coat tighter around herself. Andrew felt that it became harder to breath for a few seconds when he was reminded of his past love, but tried to not show it. “It was a very long time ago that we met, it is a long story, and every time I tell it to someone, I don’t know where to start.” Abigail replied “I have time”. ”I know you have, but right I now I wish to know more about you, why are you so sad?” Andrew felt relieved somehow that he was the one who asked this question and he no longer was the one who had to answer it. She pulled a deep breath and shrugged her shoulders. ”I have lost everything. What have I to appreciate? To constantly be on guard and not be able to trust anyone. That is not a life! Everything could have been so much better.”
Andrew leaned forward and stroked her with a calm touch over the shoulder. He felt how she relaxed and smiled at him. It started to get humid in the cramped cab, due to the wet weather outside so Abigail pulled her warm hood down behind her. Matted, light brown hair billowing out of the shaded face, and she did not care much about fixing it. “For ten years” she cried. “For ten years I have been on the run. I don’t know how much longer I will keep up.” She sighed looking down at her slender fingers – quite ashamed of her current lifestyle. “but what are you escaping from?” Andrew asked surprised.
“Everyone. Everyone who supports the king. The government. The people. Everyone would recognize my face anywhere. Just like they did that special day, ten years ago…” Abigail though back to that day, whilst she tried to render the moment as best as she could.
…

The bird’s happy twitter gave light to morning and they flapped around the trees in search for a partner. Another bird to be able to resort with. One to love. Not that birds would love the same way as a human. That would be odd. Or can they?
Caroline shook her head confused by her thoughts and changed her position on the soft folding chair that was placed in the open terrace – which had a view over thousands of cubic meters of sea water. They lived on one of the famous Fiji Islands. It was quite massive, but still small enough so that you’d know everyone who lived on it. She was herself very popular, as she was the daughter of the king and queen. Those who had recently moved to the island, felt that it was silly to even consider having a monarchy on an island. However those who had lived there their entire life knew that it was how it ought to be like. It had always been this way. From generation to generation.
”Princess, princess!”

Caroline stood up with a rush and stumbled over her own hair, that was so long and curly, shining like gold as the sun struck down on her, stoking her hair gently. Her closest servant, Gracie, came running so hard that her round little body bounced up and down. The birds had stopped twittering and flew up towards the baby blue sky with rapid bates. Gracie reached her fast and leaned towards the chair that Caroline had been sitting on, to breathe out.
“You must leave”, she panted and put her hand on her chest for pressure in order to breathe better. “how are you?” the princess asked worried about her servant. She bent down in order to get eye contact with her. “No, do not worry about me; everyone is looking for you Caroline! It was a little farmer boy, dirty little creature and he had a rapid mouth. He went into the castle to tattle about something. The guards rapidly intervened and carried him out. However he managed to shout out his message over and over again before the door closed behind him. Therefore everyone in the castle has received his message more or less. Caroline, darling, he said that he had seen you together with the horse-boy. He said that you had been his partner in crime in the assassination of your fiancé Prince Jacob of the Nadi – island. Oh Lord you must move away from here!”

Caroline was petrified. They knew. For months, they’d tried to keep it a secret – the love they both felt for each other, but yesterday they had risked it. Caroline had been forced to engage herself with Prince Jacob. A very lazy prince who wasn’t interested in her, but in her wealth and her islands potential. She herself was already in love with the horse boy of the court. Together they had plotted to get rid of Jacob – a dangerous risk for both of them. It was ought to look like a suicide scenario. She longed for the time she could hold him in his arms and kiss him in public and not the prince, who she despised. But now she was trapped, how foolish to not be on guard and make sure no one had seen them. Her long golden hair was hidden under a long coat with a hood that she borrowed from her lover. She could not understand how possible it was that someone would recognize her or her lover. What a shame. She had broken many laws – been a partner in crime for a murder of a royal member – but she had also fallen in love with someone who is not a member of the royal family. Caroline had a duty as a princess to marry someone with royal blood. Now she was lost in a cluster of confusion. Everyone knew that she had not only fooled around with a farmer boy at the same time of her engagement to Prince Jacob, but she’d also taken part in his death.

”But, my things?” she whispered with no air in her lungs, and started to run towards the castle, confused. The terrace was located a small distance from the castle to be able to get the best view. “No miss!” Growled Gracie and grabbed her arm. ”You must leave NOW! There is no time to pack your things to get money etc. The castle is already filled with an army of guards trying to find you. It was your mother who sent me. She was upset and wanted me to give you this.”
Gracie felt around in her apron pocket and got hold of the gold chain that sparkled when it was hit by the suns strong light. “She wanted you to have this. It has been passed down from generation to generation, and she does not know if she’ll ever see you again.”
Caroline threw her arms around her, and tears started to flood down her cheeks as she took hold of the gift from her mother.

“Go now!” exhorted Gracie, now even she was crying. “GO!”
Caroline took her heels off and started running towards the harbor. The grass felt like small needles hurting her bare feet. Her night gown flickered around her legs. She wiped off the tears on her cheeks and turned. Not towards the castle but towards the white oak, standing there alone on a muddy field with no guards nearby. It was their secret place to meet. She hoped that he would be there and wait for her. They had already planned to meet half an hour after Gracie’s appearance with the overwhelming news.
To her disappointment, she did not find him waiting there. She leaned against the oak and cried again. She did not care anymore if the dress got muddy; she sat down next to the oak and simply cried out of misery.

She waited an hour and dreamt that he would come on a horse and take her far away from here. Her prince in shining armor, her darling that would escape with her. And they would live happily ever after, just like all the princesses do in their fairytales. Her hands started shaking because of the amount of tears she had lost. She held the golden chain in her hand and hid it inside the oak. That was the only thing she owned and she wanted to show him that she had been there waiting for him to appear. He would understand that it was hers. She hoped.

The years passed. She had new and different disguises every time she changed location. She managed to finance herself by working short periods as servants and waitresses, before she had to leave for a new destination. Once, she was recognized. Once she was captured. She spent ten days in a foreign prison waiting to be transferred back to Apaya, the island where this life of running away began. She never got back though. A friend she had met, that worked as a prison guard and heard her sorrowful mourning’s, helped her to find a way out of prison. That is a whole story for itself, however it is from that escape she received a long scar that runs along her left cheek, right down to her neck, everything else however went as planned. The scar haunted her even today. It was a deep and destructive mark that taunted her – she was no longer beautiful. Likewise, she was even easier to detect and find.
Now she had ended up here, in a taxi. Where she came from, there were no cars. They lived a bit like the old days; the island itself was a branching from the Amish society. But wow, what she had been happy over there. She could still smile every time she thought of that oak, the orange trees that grew out every spring and the harvest festival every autumn. She truly missed her servants, her father and mother and most of all her knight in shining armor – or in reality her horse-boy. Not many knew that the island existed, and for that she was happy about. Otherwise she would have probably been detected, captured and transferred back faster.

“So as you can see, I have ended up here, in your cab”, she laughed and gave him a melancholic smile whilst she moved her hair back to show the horrid scar. Andrew had been silent and almost petrified during the whole time she’d been talking. The rain had stopped, and dawn appeared in the horizon, but he still sat there, petrified. Gazing at her. The former princess pulled of her matted wig and exposed what was left of her golden hair.

”It felt important to me to keep some of it.” She explained and gave him a very shy smile. She felt so relieved that she had finally told someone the whole story after so many years. Somehow she felt that she could trust this stranger. It was a very odd but liberating feeling. She felt that she had known him forever even though this moment was their first encounter.

Andrew was still very silent. Soon however he started searching for something in his left pocket. A smile started to spread on his face when he held up a golden chain in front of her. It was that exact golden chain that she once had hidden in their oak. It still sparkled and shone bright as if it was brand new.
Caroline grasped and held her hands before her mouth. She first gazed at the necklace, then at Andrew and then back to the necklace. She kept starring back at Andrew and the necklace for a while. She was overwhelmed and confused as she kept grasping. At last tears started to stream down her face in floods and she looked deep into his eyes and smiled as wide as he did. She threw herself around the happy taxi drivers’ neck. They embraced each other for a long time. Breathing in each other’s long forgotten scents. They never wanted to let go, for what if someone were ought to separate them again? She felt his heavy heartbeat against hers, his warm breath against her neck and his rough stubble against her soft cheek. A happiness, beyond what she had ever felt spread itself from her toes to her head when she pressed her face into his chest and felt the scent of heat and love radiating from him. Caroline did not care of the crime she carried on her shoulders anymore, she did not care of her brutal scar. She still did not possess anything except for Andrew. Nothing else mattered. After ten years of regret and grief she could finally smile again. And where this would take them – she simply did not care, as long as they were together.