The stars were starting to glitter in the sky one by one. Garryson laid back against the deck and stared up above him. He hummed softly as he tried to make out shapes in the stars.
What does it mean to love someone? Does it mean you would do anything for them? I often wonder if what I did at the time was out of love... or of fear.
The young Garryson walked silently through the crowded streets. His large hat drooped over his eye, his worn jacket hugging him tightly. People would occasionally bump into him, but he did not react.
I stopped speaking after my father died. I didn't really have anyone to speak to anyway. I survived somehow. I don't really remember how. I was just... there. I kept breathing, even though I didn't want to.
"Hey, there he is guys!" Garryson didn't react to the small group of boys that had happened upon him. "Whoever knocks his hat off wins." One of the boys declared. So they began to throw rocks at him. Some of them missed. Some of them hit him. He just stood there, waiting for them to stop. One of the rocks hit him on the side of the head, sending him onto the ground.
"Hey you brats!" a woman's voice screamed. The other kids scattered immediately. Garryson stared up from the ground, a face coming to hover over him. She smiled kindly down at him.
He blinked and was in the present again, staring up at the stars instead. His hand reached out, trying to draw the features of her face. It was getting harder and harder to remember.
That was the first time I met her. It seems I am cursed. Red headed women seem to always play a prominent role in my life. Does that mean I'm going to fall in love with one? Maybe. But then again I pretty much fall in love with any girl who smiles at me.
But anyway... That was the day I met Kate. She took me in and cared for me.
Kate had her hair tied back and was humming a song as she cooked in their small kitchen. Garryson just watched her like he always did. She was always so happy and full of life. With a wrinkling nose, Garryson started to squirm in his chair, wringing his hands together. It was happening again. What would she say if he actually did it?
She heard a chair scrape across the floor then looked over to the small child looking up at her. "What is it Sweetheart?" she asked him. He squirmed more before hesitantly opening his arms open. Kate seemed puzzled a moment before realization spread across her face. She stifled a giggle. "Do you want a hug?"
It was a minute or two before Garryson finally nodded. Kate knelt down and squeezed the boy tight. She kissed his cheek and petted his messy hair. "You can hug me anytime you like." Garryson slowly clung onto her.
After that I was basically a growth on Kate's side. She let me hug her whenever I wanted. So obviously that was all the time. My mother... used to push me away. Kate never did. It was nice. I felt like I had something to lean on.
Garryson's legs swung over the side of a stool as he guzzled down another glass of milk. He was in a little restaurant that Kate worked at. The Elezen behind the bar gave him a wink. "Want another one, Champ?" Garryson nodded quickly.
I eventually started to speak again. But only to Kate. Its not that I hated anyone. I just... couldn't talk to them. I was scared. But even more than that... I was scared of losing Kate.
He watched Kate bustle from table to table. She kept going back to one table that only had one customer. It was a Hyur man that kept watching Kate as well. She smiled differently at this man. Something started to make Garryson's stomach hurt, but he had no idea why. The longer he watched the two, the more it hurt.
"Where are my shoes?!" Kate screamed frantically through the house. "I dunno!" Garryson replied, shrugging dramatically with his hands behind his back. "They were--... Wait a minute... Show me your hands." Kate ordered, slowly slitting her eyes at him. Garryson tried to think of a way to fool her before turning and bolting towards the other room.
"You little sneak! Get back here!" She chased after him, avoiding the furniture that he was leaping and rolling over to get to him. "I am gonna be late! Give them back RIGHT NOW!"
Garryson turned to stick his tongue out at her. She used that opportunity to finally catch him. Pinning him to the floor, she started to wrestle her shoes from him. "Why do you always do stuff like this?" she sighed.
"I don't... like when you leave." Garryson softly admitted, turning his gaze away from her. Kate's expression softened. "But you don't do this when I go to work..." Garryson frowned and tried to hide his face. "But when I go out with guys..."
This kind of thing happened for a while. I would try and sabotage any attempt she made to date anyone. I wanted her to myself. I didn't want someone to take her away. But eventually I realized that... she was lonely. There were feelings we couldn't fulfill in each other. I was too young.
If I stayed I would have either continued to fight it, or lived with the pain building up inside of me. So one night I left and never went back. Looking back... that was probably the worst way possible to do that. I'm sure she worried. I'm sure she assumed the worst. I'm sure she cried...
Garryson sighed slowly, the faint mist of air visible in the cold. His brow knitted together as he once again tried to trace her face in the space above him. It was hard to remember.
I still wasn't ready to stand on my own after I ran away from Kate. But... by luck, or by will of the Twelve, I met the man who taught me what it means to be alive.
Sometimes I think about trying to find Kate. To apologize. To tell her what had happened. But I get scared of how she feels about me now. Or if she even remembers me. Whether or not I ever see her again... she will always be an important part of me.
Like so many others... she helped forge my story.
What does it mean to love someone? Does it mean you would do anything for them? I often wonder if what I did at the time was out of love... or of fear.
The young Garryson walked silently through the crowded streets. His large hat drooped over his eye, his worn jacket hugging him tightly. People would occasionally bump into him, but he did not react.
I stopped speaking after my father died. I didn't really have anyone to speak to anyway. I survived somehow. I don't really remember how. I was just... there. I kept breathing, even though I didn't want to.
"Hey, there he is guys!" Garryson didn't react to the small group of boys that had happened upon him. "Whoever knocks his hat off wins." One of the boys declared. So they began to throw rocks at him. Some of them missed. Some of them hit him. He just stood there, waiting for them to stop. One of the rocks hit him on the side of the head, sending him onto the ground.
"Hey you brats!" a woman's voice screamed. The other kids scattered immediately. Garryson stared up from the ground, a face coming to hover over him. She smiled kindly down at him.
He blinked and was in the present again, staring up at the stars instead. His hand reached out, trying to draw the features of her face. It was getting harder and harder to remember.
That was the first time I met her. It seems I am cursed. Red headed women seem to always play a prominent role in my life. Does that mean I'm going to fall in love with one? Maybe. But then again I pretty much fall in love with any girl who smiles at me.
But anyway... That was the day I met Kate. She took me in and cared for me.
Kate had her hair tied back and was humming a song as she cooked in their small kitchen. Garryson just watched her like he always did. She was always so happy and full of life. With a wrinkling nose, Garryson started to squirm in his chair, wringing his hands together. It was happening again. What would she say if he actually did it?
She heard a chair scrape across the floor then looked over to the small child looking up at her. "What is it Sweetheart?" she asked him. He squirmed more before hesitantly opening his arms open. Kate seemed puzzled a moment before realization spread across her face. She stifled a giggle. "Do you want a hug?"
It was a minute or two before Garryson finally nodded. Kate knelt down and squeezed the boy tight. She kissed his cheek and petted his messy hair. "You can hug me anytime you like." Garryson slowly clung onto her.
After that I was basically a growth on Kate's side. She let me hug her whenever I wanted. So obviously that was all the time. My mother... used to push me away. Kate never did. It was nice. I felt like I had something to lean on.
Garryson's legs swung over the side of a stool as he guzzled down another glass of milk. He was in a little restaurant that Kate worked at. The Elezen behind the bar gave him a wink. "Want another one, Champ?" Garryson nodded quickly.
I eventually started to speak again. But only to Kate. Its not that I hated anyone. I just... couldn't talk to them. I was scared. But even more than that... I was scared of losing Kate.
He watched Kate bustle from table to table. She kept going back to one table that only had one customer. It was a Hyur man that kept watching Kate as well. She smiled differently at this man. Something started to make Garryson's stomach hurt, but he had no idea why. The longer he watched the two, the more it hurt.
"Where are my shoes?!" Kate screamed frantically through the house. "I dunno!" Garryson replied, shrugging dramatically with his hands behind his back. "They were--... Wait a minute... Show me your hands." Kate ordered, slowly slitting her eyes at him. Garryson tried to think of a way to fool her before turning and bolting towards the other room.
"You little sneak! Get back here!" She chased after him, avoiding the furniture that he was leaping and rolling over to get to him. "I am gonna be late! Give them back RIGHT NOW!"
Garryson turned to stick his tongue out at her. She used that opportunity to finally catch him. Pinning him to the floor, she started to wrestle her shoes from him. "Why do you always do stuff like this?" she sighed.
"I don't... like when you leave." Garryson softly admitted, turning his gaze away from her. Kate's expression softened. "But you don't do this when I go to work..." Garryson frowned and tried to hide his face. "But when I go out with guys..."
This kind of thing happened for a while. I would try and sabotage any attempt she made to date anyone. I wanted her to myself. I didn't want someone to take her away. But eventually I realized that... she was lonely. There were feelings we couldn't fulfill in each other. I was too young.
If I stayed I would have either continued to fight it, or lived with the pain building up inside of me. So one night I left and never went back. Looking back... that was probably the worst way possible to do that. I'm sure she worried. I'm sure she assumed the worst. I'm sure she cried...
Garryson sighed slowly, the faint mist of air visible in the cold. His brow knitted together as he once again tried to trace her face in the space above him. It was hard to remember.
I still wasn't ready to stand on my own after I ran away from Kate. But... by luck, or by will of the Twelve, I met the man who taught me what it means to be alive.
Sometimes I think about trying to find Kate. To apologize. To tell her what had happened. But I get scared of how she feels about me now. Or if she even remembers me. Whether or not I ever see her again... she will always be an important part of me.
Like so many others... she helped forge my story.
![[Image: HvjYXi5.png]](http://i.imgur.com/HvjYXi5.png)
