CHAPTER SIX:
HEAVE A SIGH CIVILIZATION
The world and the lazy eyed duration around the Rockstone boys had changed much on their journey, but it war hard to figure what had changed on their insides (inside they inners (besides the bison meat)) for the pathway of man's thought is incumbent upon his past, present, and future; and though both knew one another's past, and present neither agreed, and neither knew the future of the other, though they prefer to believe they have they self-posterity in check, but after a few days alone they could not discuss the past and though it lay far yon back east beyond any horizon for the last 18 nights, they never had such a stretch of silence in as much that Leonard's wound seemed to stamp the serenity of the trip, the solemnness, and the singularity they shared. Sure enough, some of Leonard's insides were on the sacred hills, and the brothers pretty near much buried his feelings there, his old feelings, long held since the two were first quarrelsome, and first antagonized one another.
Rueben looked up to Leonard when Leonard war young and inexperienced and Leonard war not prepared to be a stalwart example of character for the younger Rueben. Leonard war hard pressed to express much to Rueben besides way of sly, underhandedness. Rueben called him his left-handed brother, even though her war his only brother, and Leonard war much affected by the term, but he still let his dominant hand be his left. The two fought each other with punches and for the longest time Leonard wouldn't let up he could beat Rueben right handed across their mother's kitchen table, and Rueben got stronger but it warn't until 15 when he war strong enough in his right to beat Leonard right handed and then soon enough could beat either of Leonard's hands with his right. For 14.5 years Leonard always said he had ballast and technique on his side. The two fought, but they fought in church and hadn't gone blow for blow to the face since then when Leonard war 12 and Rueben war 9, almost 10, but still 9; a young lady settled their trouble.
The two boys war in school together. There war two grades in grammar school and Rueben moved up early with Leonard. They fought in the school yard and a young girl war in between the two in age, Savanna O'Harris. Both loved her in their boyish ways and were fighting about her in the schoolyard, but she war unaware of the cause when she broke up the fight. Both boys stopped cold in the tumult as she war a church angel her whole life, a cherub who war frequently known to walk in the rain in Baardaan, and when she did she refused to use an umbrella as a lark.
After she broke up the fight between the two boys and a week later Leonard would go down Mulberry Street hoping to see her walking home in the rain. She went to the church when it rained to listen to it upon the large ceiling, echoing with her prayers. Leonard waited outside with an umbrella.
Leonard had known her afar in school, but fate took a play he war in town on a day it began to rain and he paced across the street. She walked out and Leonard approached saying: "Savanna, O Savanna O'Harris!"
Savanna smiled at Leonard. She smiled and met him in the middle of the road smiling. There war still a considerable distance between the two as their eyes war affixed until Leonard rose his voice: "Savanna are you aware of the rain?"
And Savanna said "Yes," and stood her ground apart from Leonard walking up to her. He war trying to undue the button on the umbrella.
But Savanna backed up as Leonard attempted to reach his umbrella over her head halfway down the block, the water pooling into the low spots, running down the general slope of Mulberry Street until Savanna stopped and drew a line right across Mr. Mudd Puddle's ever-fattening face with her foot and said: "This far, and no more. If you want to talk to me, keep your shelter, but if you try again: I will run."
"But why? See if I stand here, we both could fit under my…" –Leonard said finally opening the umbrella part way.
"That's it; you want to share your umbrella." –Savanna
And Leonard closed his half-opened umbrella and reached out his hand, taking the cloth with the snap to the button, and he gave her it to her and she took it, but held it aside smiling. Leonard, who war relatively dry, now war speckled, and drizzled upon until the rain kept up the momentum to a full sprinkling of drop, ta-ta-ta-tum-ta-ta-ta-tum on the helpless boy. It made him speak again: "You gunna use that?"
Savanna said: "If you forget the umbrella, I'll let you walk me home."
And she handed it back to him, and Leonard walked with her and brought her home with the umbrella under his arm. The green translucent leaves of spring, the life, and the new grass, the birds with faces like pious mice hunkered under the facades and eves of slanted lean-tos and shanties, then the strong red brick buildings, out of the wind, watching the warm rain from the arch a doorway, birds rubbing their tired eyes…
…Upon reaching the house she said, "You can shake off at the least, and talk to my father if you wish."
Leonard remained silent, and shook like a sheep dog in the foyer. Her father, Mr. O'Harris, rushed in and war quite upset and war immediately not happy to be giving young Leonard shelter. Addressing his daughter first he said: "Savanna the rain is ruining your clothes and aging you terrible."
"I love you too. This is Leonard Rockstone, he walked me home."
"War it not fashionable to use that umbrella young man?" –Mr O'Harris
And Leonard said, "My fingers slipped on the snap, sir. I couldn't get it open at all."
Savanna's smile and eyes lit up behind her father bright enough for Leonard to stand like a rock. Her father asked: "May I see it?" The thunder and wind howled, lightning shorting out the light, blazing in the windows and Leonard most hesitantly gave the umbrella to Mr. O'Harris. Mr. O'Harris opened it on one try and Leonard's words stumbled out: "O hey, how bout that? Thank you sir. Well that goes to show…"
And Mr. O'Harris said: "It certainly does"
Leonard took the umbrella with the snap undone, and he knew better than to open and shake off his umbrella indoors, and said goodbye and the poor boy ran three miles home as the storm began to rage with a heart full of conviction…
…Savanna sought out Leonard in the coming weeks and the two talked, but Rueben would come along and Savanna and Rueben had very similar palates, which Leonard never foresaw. Externally though, Leonard and Savanna were kindred spirits. They did not agree, but they were able to argue about things without demoralizing or dehumanizing each other. The same arguments Leonard had with Rueben were stifled and Rueben war aware.
And the tension war at new heights. The two were not competing for anything as they aged for she war equal to both as a sister. Leonard war scolded if he left Rueben at home, or made things insufferable for him while in town, but until Savanna scolded Leonard he wouldn't listen. Savanna told him: "If I can't be friends with your brother, you can't be my friend."
And Leonard war terrible upset in his young age and told her that: "I matter too."
And Savanna said: "Read a science book. You are matter and mass combined!"
And that war as children war when the two seemed to be reconciled on that pillar for all of time up until a few weeks before the fatal death of Mayor Gower. The scene split them as much as anything they had known. Leonard had been one of the few men without a scar on his cheek in the town, but he received his from Ms. Harth after he had given a metaphorical scar to a woman back east his freshman year of college. The woman who war still back in Baardaan, the wound war on their hearts and Leonard didn't know the difference from anything she ever did for him to now that she done wounded him.
After Mayor Gower died he said how dumb he felt for having a scar on his face that night. She told him everything she thought of him, and none of it war good or bad, just opinions. The she collapsed, and when Leonard went to console her she said: "No! No! Get away, get away!!!" And Leonard reached down and she struck him again. And Leonard drew back affrighted. He war totally in shock. She said: "Leave" and Leonard did, touching the tips of his fingers to his cheek.
The two did not talk until after the funeral for Mayor Gower and she knew he war leaving. She approached Leonard who looked blankly ahead. She started talking, and talking and Leonard stared afar off. She said: "What should we do?"
Leonard: "Separate."
"You're morbid." –Savanna said tearing herself away
"You made me this way!" –Leonard walked off.
Savannawar hurt, hurt beyond belief and Leonard war more astounded at himself than ever before. He war glad to leave, which war another contradiction between he and his brother who Savanna sought out.
Rueben had not spoken with her since Leonard returned with the scar. She stayed home mostly, but two Sundays there war church service that she attended and the Rockstones were present. Leonard walked in and out of the services without speaking to anyone, save shaking hands at peace. Rueben war hanging around the church when Savanna approached him.
"How are you Rueben ?" –Savanna
"Good." –Rueben looked up at her, wanting to say more.
"And your mother and father?" –Savanna
"Good." –Rueben bit his teeth and squinted, a nervous twitch which always made Savanna smile, but this time when Rueben opened his eyes she did not have her smile. "I don't know anything about Leonard."
"No, I know. It's what I want." –Savanna.
"Well, I don't think he'll hear it from me." –Rueben.
"I'm pregnant." –Savanna
And Rueben bit his teeth again and got shook up, and bonked his head back against the outer wall of the church, then rubbing the back of his head Savanna reached up and touched his head, but Rueben lurched back this time to the side.
"I'm sorry Savanna. I can't believe Leonard would." –Rueben.
"Well, we were married in the summer. Savanna war our witness." –Savanna.
"O." –Rueben said and war lost,
Savanna explained she would ask Savanna to help her take her explain to their mother that she wanted to live at the farm, but she war supposed to wait until Leonard left. She told Rueben not to tell Leonard she had told him, agreed and told Savanna not to tell Savanna that he knows. Savanna agreed and Rueben walked away wondering why he had for the same secrecy until he left, but, but the fact that his wife hid something from him war actually quite humorous and war enough to keep him complacent. Their marriage had consisted of almost a decade with six days a week on the farm together almost every hour of the day. Sundays the men and women would go into separate groups after church. The women would look after the children and the men would drink and smoke. Rueben did not let on to his wife but had been wondering the exact date of their marriage. He didn't dare talk about it again with Savanna, and their war no one to ask, though he thought of admitting it now to Leonard.
But his thoughts kept silent throughout the day.