Summer Wine

A New Beginning

SUMMER, 1985

Nothing gave me more thrill than moving to a new town. My father has moved our family from one town to another ever since I was 5 years old. He couldn't seem to find the right place to settle with his family, and his need to find the perfect place was insatiable. He would often tell me to "Buckle up, son, we're going for another adventure," and all too soon we were on the road, ever on the lookout for the perfect place; the right paradise that would appease his need for peace and contentment.

My mother was only too happy to go wherever my father thought to bring us next, for she loved him with all her heart. Their love was almost tangible, it bordered on extravagance.

The last time we moved was when I was 14 years old, and my father fell seriously ill. He was advised by the local doctor to stay put and focus his energy on getting better. On hearing this news, he was distraught and lost interest in life. My mother, sensitive as she was when it came to my father's moods, set out to make my father happy again. She asked for my help, and together we worked hard to make our home as perfect a place as we could manage to please my father.

Before we were able to complete our mission, my father turned from bad to worse and soon enough, he passed away. My mother was heartbroken and shortly after my father's death, she succumbed to illness and became too weak to care for me.

At a young age, I learned to be responsible and so I took care of my mother and myself, being the person she counted on to live and survive. When she recovered, I saw that she was not happy, and this broke my heart. I knew she missed my father, and soon enough, she passed away, too. That was how I became an orphan at 17.

Since then, I have lived on my own, and lonely as I was, I never thought to go live with my relatives, preferring solitude above the company of family and friends. After 2 years, I sold the house, packed and moved to a new town and never looked back.

As I travelled to my would-be new home, my father's voice echoed in my mind and my mother's warm smile danced in my mind's eye. "Buckle up, son, we're going for another adventure," Yet this time, I knew I was alone, and as his words etched a scar in my heart. I swore to myself that I would find my perfect place and I knew in that moment that I was indeed my father's son.

As tears threatened to escape from my eyes, I watched with wonder the dawn breaking over the clouds, and I couldn't help but think that my father was speaking to me. For me, that was enough of a sign to move on and start a life of my own. It was, I know, his way of giving me his blessing to live and let go.

"It’s my first adventure without you, dad,"

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The first time I set eyes on Summer Wine, I knew my father would have loved the place. It was a quaint, picturesque town surrounded by lovely terrain. The sun gave life and color to the whole place and it lit the whole town magically. It took my breath away. If only my father lived long enough to have travelled to this place, I knew he would have found his paradise but instead I found it for him.

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Having moved to a new town on his own, the unsettling reality of his solitude finally hit him when he realized he would have to build his life all on his own. He had no idea where to start, or what to start, for that matter.

As he stepped in his new home for the first time, he was overwhelmed with such sadness that he had to remind himself that he had only himself to lean on. Taking a short tour of his new abode, he felt a wave of nostalgia settle over him. Everything was quiet. A little too quiet, in fact.

And so in that first day, without the comforts of his parents, he set off to work on making his new house a home. Taking short breaks in between the hours of labor, he worked at a fast pace. Being new to town, people easily took notice of him, but none offered their help.

By the end of the day, when the sun was about to set, he knew he could work no more. He set off in the direction of the fields that lay just at the back of his house. Inhaling the sweet scent of the coming summer, he allowed his eyes to roam the land that was his to prune and make do as he wished.

As he was headed back into the house, his eyes caught movement near the biggest tree that grew on the property. And it was in that moment that he knew that the house and everything that came with it would not have been his father's haven, but his.

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I stared at her, and she stared back. I didn't know what to make of her. Even from a distance, I could see that she was as breathtaking as the sunset that gave everything it touched a magical hue. Her hair was dancing in the wind and she was holding a flower in her hand. I couldn't take my eyes off her, and it seemed that she too couldn't look away from me. I had no idea what it was that she saw in me for she stood transfixed.

Making up my mind, I took a step toward her. And as I did, she stepped back, and I knew she did not like the company. I didn't know what to do. I turned and headed back to my house to show that I meant no harm, but when I looked back, she was gone.

That night, I couldn't sleep. Tired as I was, I couldn't force myself to just close my eyes and sleep. The woman remained in my mind all throughout the night and when I closed my eyes, I saw her again, just as she was that afternoon.

I wanted to go look for her, but something stopped me. The fact that I was practically a stranger to this town was enough of a reminder that people would somehow get suspicious of me if I went looking for her.

I replayed the scene in my mind a thousand times and still I was nowhere near getting tired of seeing her. I longed for another glimpse of her, if only to assure myself that she was not a figment of my imagination; that she was not some imaginary person that my subconscious cooked up to ease my loneliness. I thought of what I would do if ever I saw her again. I knew that I would not miss another chance to get to know her, to speak to her. Yet there was one thing that bothered me.

What if she never returned?

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While he was having a hard time falling asleep, Lisbeth too, was wide awake. She couldn't get the man out of her mind, and this bothered her. Although she knew that someone would be moving in to old man Piper's other house, she never expected it to be a man.

His presence bothered her and it bothered her so much that she got up and ran to old man Piper's tree. This was where she sought comfort when she felt frightened or uncomfortable.

On the night she lost her family, just after her father told her to run and save herself, Lisbeth's life changed forever. Heeding her father's advice, she ran and ran with fear in her heart. She failed to notice where she was headed and when she stopped, she found herself in the shelter of a big tree amid a wide field of tall grass. When the adrenaline faded and reality settled, she broke down and cried. She cried like she never did before and that was the last time she ever cried in her life.

The next day, she was woken by an old man who offered her food and water. She recoiled and ran away, but by night, she came back.

Old man Piper, who owned the tree and the land where it grew on, knew that the girl had a story, and he sensed that it was a terrible one. He saw it in her eyes, and he knew he had to help her, but he also knew he had to do it one step at a time.

By morning, the old man left food and blanket and clothes for the girl but he never once tried to approach her or talk to her in any way; he wanted her to trust him.

Every day for two weeks he left food for her near the tree just before she woke up, and he would wait patiently for her to approach him, but she never did. Yet the old man was as tenacious as the girl and he never gave up.

One morning when he was about to bring food over to the tree where the girl slept each night, he was overcome by a severe coughing fit that he lost his balance and fell to the ground. The noise woke the little girl and instinctively, she drew back. Yet seeing that the old man, who so patiently and kindly helped her, now in need of  her help, she rushed to him without further hesitation and assisted him back to his house and cared for him like he did for her.

And from that day on, she learned to trust him and in him she found her first friend. She nursed the old man back to health and helped him with his chores and work. Old man Piper couldn't help but thank his lucky stars for giving Lisbeth to him. She was like the daughter he never had, and he loved her like his own. Lisbeth in turn liked the old man and she cared for him like she did her own father. Yet there were still times when she would escape the comforts of the old man's home and stay in her tree, as she would call it. Old man Piper knew that Lisbeth had demons she had to face, but he never once pried.

One night, when the old man was about to sleep, Lisbeth came to him and asked to talk. He knew he was about to find out about her life at last, but he stopped her and told her that she need not tell him anything if it made her uncomfortable but he said he would listen if it was important that she confide in him.

"My family was killed by men who held a grudge against my father. I was the only one who survived, and someday, if I find them first, I am going to kill them,"

The old man looked right at her and said, "If you find them, you had better tell me. I could do with ridding the world of vermin,"

Lisbeth crossed the room and put her arms around the old man. "Don't. You’re the only family I have. I can't bear to lose you,"