Page 58 of My Forbidden Boss
Tisha laughed, and I smiled, but quickly continued, wanting to get back to the point and finally tell her about the good part.
“So basically, the first cells of root grew right beneath the water.”
“Ah, I get it now. I was starting to wonder where you were heading with that.”
I grinned with her and shrugged, watching Tisha take a bite from the plate in front of her as I finally found the part of the story I was waiting to share.
My smile faded as my mood mellowed. She took notice, watching as I relocated my water glass back to its space on the table, but kept the garnish in my hand.
My voice lowered and slowed, whispering in her ear.
“They had a purpose in bringing those cuttings back with them. It was intimate, purposeful… a way for the two of them to share the love that they’d found, embraced and planned to only grow stronger over the years. Bradley and Samantha took those little stems, ready to take root, and planted them together, just out there, in the clearing. They made two rows, separated by maybe a dozen feet, but both of them made up, essentially, of the same common soul.”
I paused for emphasis, wanting to see how Tisha would react.
“They made two rows. One was his, the other, hers.”
“Aww, that’s so…” Her eyes glistened, but she was trying to smile. Her trembling lips prevented her from doing so. I didn’t blame her. What she was showing, I sure as hell was feeling.
“Carefully nurtured and cared for, Sam and Brad wanted their cuttings to grow along with the two of them as they aged and themselves reached greater heights, both as individuals and as a couple. Year after year, the two rows of vines grew stronger, each following their own path toward a common goal that no one in the world other than Brad and Sam could see. With each passing season, each row filled in its own gaps as best it could, letting weaknesses give way and the chance for something stronger take hold.”
While I spoke, Tisha watched with intent. I took the little branch of green and found another just like it on the side of her plate. Taking both in hand, I placed them gently on the table between us, gesturing toward them as I spoke on growth and commitment like they were themselves the beginning of something just as special.
“This was all years and years before the wedding, probably a decade or two before you and I were even born. As each of the plants began to grow, Sam and Brad trained their separate sides, controlling how the younger, softer trunks started to go before letting them harden into their permanent positions. Eventually, all the plants on the side Brad cared for were grafted into one another, forming a single unit. Samantha did the same for her side.”
She twisted her lips in a way that nearly distracted me completely, so I glanced back down at the makeshift tree row in my fingers.
“The end result is almost too much for me to talk about. Season after season… winter after fall after summer after spring, year after year for who knows how many thousands and thousands of painstaking, purposeful hours, all spent willingly with love, sculpting each side just like they cared for each other. Each of them grew their side, urging and bending their vines inward, trusting that the other would meet them there to help hold each other up.”
“And it worked?”
I nodded proudly. “You bet your ass it worked. Are you kidding? Oh, man… I’ll have to show it to you. It’s brilliant. They made it meet in the middle and eventually became so that the two sides intertwined, locked together forever.”
A small smile pulled at her partly parted lips, but she stayed quiet.
“Together, they were able to slowly nurture what has basically become this beautiful, unique, mesmerizing, confusing, mind-blowing, inspiring, breathing masterpiece. A living, loving work of art.”
She was silent for a moment and then sat back, smiling and shaking her head. "Okay, so what does that have to do with the wedding?"
“Right, the wedding! So, Sam and Bradley’s pergola, which, I just remembered, was in full bloom at the time. Oh, it’s incredible, really something worth making the trip back out here to see. So, its opening archway was the altar. Just imagine this woven rainbow of knotted vines, ivy leaves, and these big, billowing flowers, each petal with its own unique color variation. They’re like snowflake crystals; you will never see the same one twice.”
“That sounds absolutely amazing. I wish I could have seen it.”
We sat in comfortable silence, sharing the wine, and letting our thoughts run wild.
Tisha was the first to open back up.
“So, what ended up happening at the wedding anyway? I just realized that you left me on a cliffhanger.”
I laughed, having completely forgotten.
“Crap, you’re right. I’m sorry about that. I’ll make it fast, either way. Do you want the super, super short version or the one with the slightest hint of flavor?”
She chuckled. "Surprise me."
“Well, it was all really elegant, clean, bright, colorful. You know what I’m talking about, I’m sure. Everything was perfectly prepared, all done up and staged to look like something straight out of a bridal magazine, not that the view here really needs all of that as far as I could tell, but still. It looked immaculate. You could see how it was all framed specifically for the photographer’s millions of shots clicking away from every angle. Still, I can at least understand that.”
“Oh, yeah?”