And then it hit her. The tingle and soft pull of her heart. Her heart before had been a tight knotted mass of ribbon-- scarlet ribbon. Beautiful ribbon knotted precisely an inch apart. What had happened? She had swore never to let herself get caught in someone else’s web. Ever since that momentous life-changing crash things had been different for Eve. She no longer had the same passions for art. No longer could she sit in front of the easel and watercolor the vast open skies stretching over the Kansas tundra. It made her sad, yes, but she had developed an increasing knack for writing poetry. She now enjoyed sitting outdoors and writing, pensively, collecting nature between ink and page. Writing rich descriptions of nature’s finest.
“A small peckish squirrel busily hacking away at the remains of October’s rich bounty.”
“A creek gurgling out its praise to the vibrant green hemlock clusters.”
This was some of her writing. Years earlier, she had published a poem, “Rain dance.” This is all that Eve enjoyed, in the beginning
Eve was getting older and the crash was something of her past. She enjoyed life very much and was comfortable in the little town she was attending college in. It was a good town she thought. When, she began in 2014, her father thought it was best that she go there, it being closest to home. However, later, he heard things that discontented his Roman conservative heart. Eve knew this and though she was somewhat abashed by her fathers negativity she knew that she must show her true stripes, not those of the lonely beach ball she used to play with as a child. Now, was her time to shine. She had been blessed with all the ingredients to live a rich life-- except love.
What was this feeling-- Love?
Then, suddenly, in the winter of 2015, inch-by-inch the small scarlet knots began unwinding themselves. Unravelling across the soft hills of white clean snow. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, the undoing of knots had started that summer when she had met Luis.
Eve had decided to get a head start on college by taking summer classes. Little did she know that she would make many life-long friends. Eve stayed in the dorms over the summer. She began in dorm #15 with a bunch of Indonesians and a very quaint Chinese musician who played the piano angelically. Upon arrival to this dorm, Eve was frightened to leave her room. She could hear many voices, some shouting, some whispering, some beckoning her come out, some hailing her stay in. It was a loud silence.
The second week Eve was moved up the hill to building #8. Her dorm-mate's name was Christina. And across the hall lived a clan of Brazilians, who were constantly shouting commands at the soccer players on TV.
Her first class was A&P with Dr. Leug, often joked as Dr. Leg. This class was very dry and tedious for Eve’s creative mind. Eve loathed mathematics and science classes. After this monotony, Eve looked forward to her cinema appreciation class with Mr. Philip Brenton. This class she thought was fascinating, she enjoyed watching all the old classics. The class, in all, was five students. Most were older than her, but then her eyes stopped, on Luis.
Luis was a light tan-skinned foreign-looking boy. with brown sparkling eyes and soft tanned skin, that reminded Eve of the sand on the beach in Chicago. During class, Mr. Brenton would have open discussions about the movies. Eve had a strong mind as well as a steadfast opinion, so she was eager to answer questions and voice her opinions on the films. So did Luis, quiet Luis, who smiled and spoke softly.
So, the summer progressed and the classes slipped soundlessly into the folds of the gradebooks. And it seemed that Eve was enjoying talking to Luis more and more. It was nice when Mr. Brenton had a movie day, which was at least once a week. He would turn the lights off and everyone would stare at the screen, and after her eyes refocused to the darkness they could dreamily meet with Luis’s, and so they made silent conversation, until the summer ended.
Eve began her studies as a full-time student in the fall. Pushing the little summer romance away. She picked up her studies with a fastidious determination and a set routine. Involving all three meals, which provided her social scheme. Except on Thursdays, when the dreaded algebra class lingered its clutches over her dinner plate. The little romance had passed away, but Eve didn’t notice because, remember, she didn’t know romance. Over the summer she had developed a tight friendship with Christina. Who was fond of taking back roads adventures. Eve and Christina cruised the unknown little travelled roads all summer. So, they became close cronies when school started. On weekends, they liked to go cruising with the radio up or shopping at the local Walmart in the odd hours of morning.
The day was sunny and carried a lethargy with it. Classes dwindled on and had lost their excitement. Christina and Eve looked forward to weekends. A scarlet knot came unfurled.
Remember that ribbon? Oh, Eve did too. She had become aware that slowly but surely more and more of the scarlet knots had loosed. Growing up she had learned that it was bad to have knots in your shoelaces, so they were to be avoided. But these knots were different and were meant tied, to be kept. She also knew that she had her life to live, her mistakes to do and she was in charge. She had read the Catechism and had studied the books; she was aware. She knew what was right, just, and sustained good morals. Or so she thought.
In the night, he came, black against black, striding up to her, the stars in his eyes. Then he grasped Eve’s waist and pressed her close against his body and passionately kissed her; his comet.
Another scarlet knot slipped away. For, it is not only lovers that untied her knots but true friends alike. For, in giving one’s time does one learns to love.
